Somewhere out in cyberspace (or it could have been a print magazine, we do still read those) we recently read an article about traveling to the Caribbean, an article that noted how convenient the new passport card will be to those flying to and from the several countries in that part of the world.

First of all, for those of you who don’t even know what a passport card is, the card, similar in style and size to a drivers license, will be available any day now (so says the government). Applications are being accepted online; the cards were created in response to “border communities” that complained of the expense for passports for what is, for them, sometimes daily travel. These new cards, with their ability to be shoved into a wallet, are also a lot more portable.

BUT – and this is a huge one – those passport cards may ONLY BE USED FOR LAND AND SEA ENTRY. Got that? Land and sea, people – no planes, no flying.

We felt compelled to post about this because the article, from big-name media, no less, talked this card up for fliers – and they got it wrong. Can you say FACT-CHECK? It says right on the State Department’s website, in bold, that it can’t be used for air travel. Now, chances are if you read this website regularly, you already have a passport, in which case you don’t really need a card. The passport card is a nice gimmick, we guess – but of no real use to us, and we doubt to you either.

Don’t take our word for it, though – get more information on the passport card directly from the US government, and decide for yourself.

Happy travels!

Many of you may remember our passport drama in February, when we waited with baited breath for our passport to arrive in time for our trip to Jamaica.  It finally showed up – less than 24 hours before our departure.

As much of a nightmare as that was for us, it pales in comparison to the stories we’ve been reading these days with regards to passport applications.  Despite having announced to the rest of us that the passport requirements would be changing, the government seems to have forgotten to pass the memo around internally.  Their excuse now for the excruciating delays is that they had no idea so many people would actually be applying for passports!  It seems someone forgot to clue them in that Mexico and the Caribbean are major vacation destinations for Americans, and that people who had not previously needed a passport to go to those spots would now be looking for one.

Uh, can you say duh, boys and girls?

As we announced earlier, we just had a baby.  Thank GOD our next major vacation, which is in September, is not outside the country, or we’d be having a cow right after having the baby.  There is no way on this earth we would get a passport in time.  But we ARE considering going somewhere international later in the year – November? December? – and we’re seriously wondering whether or not we’ll get Baby’s passport in time even if we apply NOW.

Of course we have to try, so guess what?  We are going to take you along on what we presume will be yet another saga.  We don’t have a destination in mind yet, and may choose to keep it domestic just to save ourselves the agita.  But we are going to try to get this kid a passport – and we are going to take you with us every step of the way.  Stay tuned.

You know what day it is – Wednesday Web Roundup Day. Check out the links below, which will help you plan your luxury vacation and in one case, make you glad you can afford one:

• MSNBC.com asked readers to send in photos from their worst hotel stays ever. See the horrifying results – which makes us realize that when we said luxury wasn’t about necessity, we were oh so wrong.
• Hmmm…we seem to be on a gross-out spree today. We saw Forbes.com’s feature on America’s Most Polluted Beaches and, given that the beach is such a natural choice for a family vacation, we thought we should pass it on – particularly since it includes beaches in vacation hotspots such as Hawaii, California, and even the USVI.
• We might be into luxury, but there’s nothing wrong with getting stuff gratis - especially if it helps round out the vacation. National Geographic Traveler did a nice feature on free things to do in Chicago that includes arts, dance and theater and a section specifacally about attractions for children.
• If you don’t know the Smackdaddy, get to know him – click here and find yourself in a very addictive online shopping auction world with themed shopping “shows” a la HSN.  Prices go down not up – the key is to snag a good deal before your fellow shoppers do, since there’s often only one of each item.  Find handbags, luggage, car seats, you name it…and joke around with fellow “addicts” while waiting for something of interest to turn up.
• Remember our passport drama back in February?  Turns out we were lucky – what people have been going through since then has only worsened. Read this L.A. Times feature on an editor’s quest to get her passport – and remember, if you need to renew or apply for a new passport for an upcoming trip, do so far far far in advance.  As in if you’re traveling in December, start the process now, and maybe you’ll get it in time…maybe.