Lemons to (tropical) lemonade in a few easy steps.
Before the pandemic began , I was a meticulous planner . My trip had excel sheets engineer by day , neighborhood , and price . Yet , after pandemic limitation begin to raise and travel became an option , my Type A personality seemed to disappear . No amount of planning could ’ve fix me for a world so unpredictable . Eventually , my nation ID expire . I bug out carrying my recommendation everywhere in 2021 , feel no need to rush and get my ID renew — my pass would n’t be conk until May 2022 . I had time .
Then , suddenly , it was March 2022 . I had a tripper planned in April , andbased on my own reportage , I knew I would n’t have meter to regenerate my pass beforehand . I estimate I could get it taken tending of in April when I got back . Except I suddenly necessitate to be in Rome on May 11 for a work tripper . scramble , I began call expedited renewal service all over New York City , searching for date at acceptance facilities in the Northeast . I had three week , and I naively hoped that it would be enough time to get the task done .
One woman at a commercial-grade expediting service laughed at me over the earpiece . Yet another tried to console me and talk me through the tiresome cognitive operation of call the Department of State ’s appointment hotline . She recommend just calling over and over again , until I could make one at an sufferance facility near me . I qualified for anUrgent Renewal appointment , which have in mind I could get a same day renewal within 14 days of my plan travel .
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I called the number . But — and again this number as no surprise to me because of my own reportage about the hold in renewing passport — there were n’t any uncommitted appointment in the tri - state area . There were n’t even any on the East Coast . My two closest options were in New Orleans , Louisiana and Little Rock , Arkansas . Both would postulate me take a flight the night before my trip to Rome and praying to the airport gods that Newark International Airport would have no delays .
At the bound of craziness , I made an engagement for 8 am in New Orleans on the day of my flight from NYC to Rome . I ’d take to be back in New York by 4 pm . Even if the entire American air travel infrastructure were n’t in abattoir , this was an inconceivable timeline .
So I maintain call . By the third mean solar day , I had 1 - 877 - 487 - 2778 memorized . I was surprised the Department of State had n’t occlude my issue and felt fortunate that being annoying was n’t a criminal offense . The 23rd sentence I called , I was at the tip of tears . I was tap : “ Please , are there any fitting anywhere in the area that are early than May 11 ? ” For the umteenth clip , the answering operator took pity on me . This adult female give a new suggestion . It was further away than Little Rock or New Orleans , but there were openings a full calendar week to begin with . I ’d just need to get toPuerto Rico .
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The hustler explicate that the acceptance adroitness inSan Juanalmost always had available appointee for same day passport renewal . I would be able to book a slot five days before my trip . I did the math , and it was the only equation in which I would have a valid passportandbe able-bodied to make my flight . So what did I decide to do with my feverish bureaucratic nightmare of my own making ? I turn it into a 24 hr beach getaway .
I found a lodge that was only a 15 hour pass from the acceptance installation . It was also only a 15 instant walk to the beach . I booked a flight that would arrive on Tuesday nighttime and depart on Wednesday Nox . My engagement was at 8 am on Wednesday dayspring . I capture in on Tuesday at 11:30 postmortem , set my alarm , and immediately last to sleep in my little secret room at the hostel .
The next morn , I got up at 7 am , picked up a coffee , and made the flying walk to the acceptance deftness . It was on the 15th level of a stately government building . I had all of my necessary documents and checked in . There were only about 10 multitude in front of me , so dropping off my paperwork , paying the renewal fee , and have a 3 pm pickup designation was unseamed . I was walk back to my inn at 8:30 am . With several hours to toss off , I grabbed my work laptop andheaded to the beach .
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I used my cellular phone earpiece hotspot to log on from the beach and laid out to tan while I filed my first story of the day . Then I strolled over to a beach - front restaurant , where I ordered a salad , connected to the wireless fidelity , and got more work done . By 2:30 pm , I was fed , tanned , and really in the lead on my workload . Despite the fact that I was taking an entirely last arcminute trip to Puerto Rico to get my pass renewed in pressing destiny , I felt pretty relaxed .
I walked 30 minute back to the acceptance facility , pick up my recommendation , and finished my workplace 24-hour interval at the student lodging bar with a gash of pizza and some guava succus . At 5 premier , I was dilute myself into a taxi towards the airport . I was home with my raw , valid - for-10 - years passport by 11:30 necropsy that dark . And compare to yield for an expediting overhaul , which was quote to be about $ 650 before taxes and governance fees , my trip to Puerto Rico cost just $ 500 . That amount included my flight of stairs , my hostel , the $ 175 reclamation fee , my cab fee , and the food for thought I exhaust while I was there . Not a uncollectible deal any solar day , but specially given the fortune .
The Ultimate Puerto Rico Travel Guide
With the help of local islanders, we’ve assembled this all-encompassing DestiNATION guide to help you navigate everything you need to see, eat, and do in San Juan, Rincón, and beyond.
My advice here is two fold . First off , head off the hassle exclusively by create certain you give yourself muckle of time to renew your passport before your next international stumble . ( And keep in idea some land wo n’t let you chat if the expiration date is in less than six month . ) There is presently a buffer program that will allow you toapply for renewal online , spare you the tussle of having to go into any situation . Or , if you like go on the border , turn an urgent renewal physical process into a mini vacation if you find yourself crunched for clip . You ’re likely to find a respectable appointment time slot than on the East and West Coast , and it ’s a opportunity to explore a new metropolis — even if it ’s just for 24 hours .
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