Be a Devout Boy Scout- A Guide to Passport Success

Go look in your underwear drawer, between your mattress, in that safety deposit box or where ever you keep your passport and check the expiration date. If it expires anytime within the next year (or you don’t have one) my advice is to renew it now!! Why this excessive measure you ask? Here’s my story.
It all started about 8 weeks ago when I took a look at my passport and realized it expired in 2009. Now I know that’s a ways off but I really have no clue how long I’ll be abroad and when I’d have a good chunk of time again to renew my passport, so I decided to be on the safe side and get it over with. Little did I know that I would come dangerously close to postponing my trip. As it turns out this is probably one of the worst times in history to apply for a passport. Due to the new regulations that you now need a passport to go to Canada and Mexico, along with the commencement of travel season, the Dept. of State is receiving twice the amount of applicants as usual. So by the beginning of April when I still hadn’t heard anything, and I began to get a little anxious. I followed all the proper steps: I called the agency (after about 10 tries I finally got through only to wait 20 min. before reaching anyone), I sent an e-mail, and called my congressmen’s office, but the response was always the same, “It’s currently being processed but I’ll put a note on there to rush it.” Well call me a cynic, but by Monday the 16th when I still hadn’t heard anything I decided to take matters into my own hands. As a last resort I headed to the passport agency in Seattle; I’d heard tales of people going to this magical land and getting their passport the next day. Armed with my birth certificate, flight itinerary, ID and everything else I could possibly need, I entered the building that would be my home for the next 8 hours.
To make a long story short, they said they could not locate my passport in the system but I could reapply if I liked, it would be $97 and could I return at 2:30? Seeing no other alternative I conceded. As it neared 5:00 and the cleaning crew entered my name was finally called from behind the bullet proof window. I never knew a few pieces of paper could be so beautiful! As I oood and ahhhd at the pretty colors, I left Seattle (during rush hour) about $130 lighter (after parking) but one passport heavier. Alas, was it really worth the peace of mind?
Just this morning came a knock at the door as the mail carrier handed me a flat package from the Dept. of State containing, low and behold, my passport! Call me “Ye of little faith” but I sincerely doubted my pleas were being heard. So the moral of the story is 1) Apply now if you will be needing a passport anytime in the near future (i.e. if you’re planning on visiting me), 2) I know it seems counterintuitive but have faith in the system; remember that the “squeaky wheel” does get the grease if it squeaks loud enough, and 3) as the boy scouts say, “be prepared,” it just might take a trip to Seattle to assure that matters are taken care of. On the bright side, I guess I now have a back up passport- Nicaragua here I come!