The Four Hour Passport Crusade & The 'Goodbye' Tour Begins

Another item is marked off of my pre-departure to-do list: the no-fee passport.

Rather than the breeze I thought it was going to be though, I spent a little over four hours in a line or rejoining the same line after the person at the window decided I needed more: maybe extra forms of identification and then possibly two copies of each. The kicker though is that she would reveal these new 'necessary steps' slowly and shortly after the new wait in line.

So for all of you who are still waiting to hit this step in your 'invite packet' here are three easy tips I wish I would have known:

• Bring as many forms as identification as you have (it doesn't matter if your birth certificate proves you are U.S. citizen and if your CA driver's license shows you are the same person but with the addition of red highlights).
• Make multiple copies of everything (especially your forms of I.D.)
• Be prepared to explain why you get to keep your passport forms and why it is called a 'no fee passport'.

It really sounds worse that it really was. I was able to people watch (one of my all time favorite hobbies) and teach some USPS folks about the whole Peace Corps passport process.

After this mini saga, I begin my tiny little 'Goodbye Tour 2009' where I head back up to my undergrad alma mater and say goodbye to my good friends who are still around the area. Since I will be traveling outside of the United States before my staging date, I want to get together with all my lovelies who I won't see for two years. A bitter-sweet touch to the beginning of my adventures in Guatemala!