The Little Blue Book - the Passport

Many people used to talk about the little black book. Before cell phones one of the most popular address books, the little black book was used to store phone numbers of friends, family, etc. There have been movies that have been made in which couples make a huge deal over the little black book, for all sorts of reasons.  However, there is another color book that deserves a lot more attention and that is not obsolete like that of the little black book. This other color book may hold the key to a whole new world, yes just like the song from the Disney movie Aladdin. This little color book is the little blue book, most often known as a PASSPORT (a US Passport, other countries use other colors for the cover of the passport.)

While studying marketing at Hampton University, I took an Organizational Behaviors class with Dr. K. Jackson. Everyone in the School of Business knew that if you had Dr. K. Jackson for Organizational Behaviors you better have your passport for her class. It was a requirement and stated in the class syllabus. Dr. K. Jackson wanted to make sure that all of her were well prepared for business careers whether those careers lead to domestic or international travel. She would say “ You never know when your job will need to send your overseas or if your potential job requires a passport and you don’t want to loose an opportunity because you don’t have one”. We had most of the semester to show Dr. K. Jackson a valid, updated passport to receive our points for that assignment. Expired passports were not accepted.  If you did not turn in a valid passport during her class you could basically expect your overall grade to drop by one letter grade.  Yes, solely because of a passport!!!  

I want to place that same level of emphasis on all of you who are reading this blog post. Use this as an call to action to get your passport if you do not already have one and to renew it if it has expired. A passport is not only a great document for identification purposes it is a key that unlocks your ability to travel the world. A passport is also a great way to keep track of where you have traveled due to the stamps that you accumulate as you visit different countries.

It can take 4 to 6 weeks to get your passport and costs $135 for a new one and $110 for a renewal as of 2/2/12 (expedited more expensive). It is no fun waiting on pins and needles praying that your passport gets to you in time to take that overseas trip that you already paid for. Your passport is good for ten years so why not get it now and be prepared for that next opportunity for international exploration. 

See the link below for more information and to apply or renew your passport.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/get_4855.html

KoMiSa’s Take Away Thoughts: A passport opens the door to a whole new world. Think of it as an investment. If you don’t have one it is time to get one.

Happy Travels,

KoMiSa