(WBEN) - Now with COVID-19-related travel restrictions lifted and the summer months providing opportunities for travel, many people are beginning to book trips across the United States and internationally at rates that are back to pre-pandemic levels.
However, if you are looking to book any international voyages in the coming weeks and months, you may want to get your affairs in order when it comes to passports.
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Even dating back to the spring months, there has been a significant backlog of U.S passport applications with too few people being able to properly handle the load. It's such a significant issue, U.S. officials aren't even denying the problem or predicting when it will ease.
"There's been a big delay with passport processing," said Elizabeth Carey from AAA of Western and Central New York. "What we have seen is it's taking extra long to get these passports, and a lot of times that might mean 500 applications a week or so that they're processing."
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At AAA, Carey and others are advising travelers to give themselves ample time, at least three months before traveling to ensure they have their passports in place and can take that long-awaited vacation.
Sadly, for many, the high demand for passports now can be linked back to the COVID-19 pandemic when people were not even traveling, and the passport process was essentially put on the backburner.
"Now what we're seeing is travel just skyrocketing, international travel booking is up over 200% compared to last year. So all of a sudden, people are saying, 'We're ready to go. We want to go travel internationally,' and they're like, 'Oh wait, I didn't realize I didn't get my passport, or I didn't renew my passport,'" Carey said.
Carey adds for many destinations globally, if a passport is set to expire within six months, they don't even consider it valid.
While it may be hard to say what's going to happen with the whole processing time going forward, Carey says if you want to travel, you want to be proactive about it and get a passport well in advance.
"If you have any inclination that you might be traveling internationally, and we are seeing these international travel bookings go way up, just think about getting that passport and having it. You never know when a trip opportunity might come your way," she said. "For instance, the [Buffalo] Bills playing in London this fall, there's a lot of football fans that are going to London who didn't realize they would be doing that until the schedule came out, and they decided to go for it and make it happen. It's best if you do have any idea that you might be traveling just to make sure you have that passport in advance."
Even for her family, Carey says they are already going through the passport renewal process for a trip she is planning this upcoming February.
If you happen to find yourself in a pinch to acquire or renew your passport, Carey says there are options for travelers to explore.
"There's the Passport Agency right in Downtown Buffalo, they'll be able to get you your passport if you have a life or death, or emergency service where you need to travel for a funeral or something like that or someone is sick to the thing. Or you have a vacation planned and you can prove to them it's coming up close," she said. "The problem is, it's really hard to get an appointment, and you can only get an appointment by calling a number, and it takes a really long time to try and find one."
Carey adds there are other services available to circumvent the process.
"For example, Rush My Passport, that's a service that AAA uses and AAA members do get a discount, but it's very expensive," she said. "For instance, if you want to try and get emergency service within a few weeks, it's going to cost you hundreds of dollars for that. The best bet if anyone is planning to travel is just to get that passport ahead of time, and make sure that you have it in hand so you can take the trip."
In order to avoid any further problems with the application process, Carey reminds people to make sure forms are filled out properly.
"It's very strict. Everything has to be filled out to a tee, it's a government application," Carey said. "Some cases we're seeing people fill them out the wrong way, and they get mailed back to them and they have to start the process all over again. So you're gonna want to make sure you dedicate time to doing it properly."
Carey also reminds folks that AAA does take photos for passports, but the company does not process any passports. That task is in the hands of your local post office or at the Erie County Clerk's office in Downtown Buffalo.
However, Carey adds AAA has teamed up with Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns to offer some 'Passport on the Move' events coming up this summer.
"We have an event in July and an event in August, where there'll be someone on-hand to help you apply for your passport and make sure the passport application is filled out properly. We're seeing a strong response to those events," she said.
More details of those events will come in the days ahead.
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