New Passport Regulations Change Some Travel Plans

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Welcome to The Genre Traveler! Please sign up using the form to the right so that you'll get all the latest updates to the site. You also might want to sign up for the RSS feed, which you can do via email or your favorite RSS Reader. According to a recent USA Today survey, one in five Americans said that new passport regulations would cause them to alter their travel plans. The new regulations took affect last month and have been the source of much conversation in the travel industry for months.

According to another poll by Travelocity, one in four people surveyed were unaware of the new requirements, which require all incoming air travelers, including US citizens, to have a passport. A birth certificate or driver's license used to be sufficient for US citizens.

A year from now, in January 2008, the restrictions will become tighter. Cross-border land and sea travelers also will have to show a passport or passport card, a new form of identification that will be less expensive. The latter option, however, is only available if you are entering the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean or Canada.

The tightened regulations are part of the Bush administration's efforts to fight terrorism. You know -- you really gotta watch those Canadians ... (Don't even get me started on all the foolishness coming out of the White House).

According to a survey of Kayak.com users, 32 percent said they had planned to get a passport, but only half of them had actually started the process.

So, my question is: Did you know about the change in regulations? If so, did they change any of your travel plans?