Passport | A Special Events and Lifestyle Marketing Boutique

travel Heads up! Travel and Leisure recently announced that gone are the days when a passport was reserved for international travel. Beginning January 22, 2018, that will change for residents of nine states who will no longer be able to get past TSA security checkpoints with their state issued driver’s licenses to travel domestically but rather will need a passport, permanent resident card/green card or a military ID.

It’s called the Real ID Act of 2005, and apparently it states that state-issued IDs from these nine states do not meet the minimum security standards of the federal government:

Kentucky
Maine
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Washington

With just a few months until the Real ID Act goes into full effect, it is time to start planning now and look into getting your passport, especially if you have honeymoon or travel plans on the horizon.

Some states have started working on offering federally approved issued IDs that would not require a passport for domestic air travel but you’ll certainly want to check with your local government office to see if there is a different type of ID you can apply for.

So consider this your official PSA, if this applies to you and start applying for a passport now! 2018 isn’t too far away and there will be a last-minute rush for sure.

(Photo credit: airfordable.com)

Okay, here’s a concept that we love -affordable payment plans for flights. Also known as Airfordable.

Airfordable is an online payment plan that can be used for your airline tickets. It allows you to secure your tickets with a deposit upfront and pay the remaining balance in bi-weekly recurring payments before your departure date.

While they only accept multi-leg and round trips at this time, it allows for up to 7 travelers on one booking/payment plan (if you need more than 7, you can contact them), you can have a maximum of 5 bookings at a time and you can still use your frequent flyer number.

Airfordable charges a one-time fee on the price of the ticket that varies between 10% and 20% and automatically deducts each payment on your scheduled dates so there’s no need for any action on your end.

It’s an option for those low on cash or credit, as well as those wanting to lock in a fare. The company has future plans to expand into layaway payments for vacation packages and hotels. They also are working on a custom travel search platform so users don’t have to upload their own travel screenshots. Learn more at http://www.airfordable.com.