The latest news from the travel sector is that business travel is expected to be up in 2010:

More than a quarter of business travel budgets will be increased this year according to a new survey ahead of this year’s Business Travel & Meetings Show. – Breaking Travel News

It seems that even with all the great new technology like video conferencing and high speed internet, there is simply no substitute for face-to-face contact when you’re in the thick of business negotiations. Since globalization and the emerging markets overseas are such strong factors in the global marketplace, international travel is one of the biggest areas of business travel.

When traveling internationally, you may need the assistance of a passport expediting service to help you get your official documents in order before an urgent trip.  Remember Swift Passport Services, an independently owned company that helps thousands of satisfied clients each year get to their international destinations smoothly and without standing in long lines.

Call us today to find out what we can do for you: 1-877-917-9438.   Or visit our website:  www.SwiftPassport.com.

Photo by Matito

Brazil could quite possibly be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Known for its exquisitely diverse wildlife and natural environments as well as being the eighth largest economy in the world, it’s no wonder so many Americans travel there every year. Obtaining the required travel documents however, can be time consuming and painfully confusing.

If you plan to travel to Brazil you will need a valid passport. That is the easy part. Brazil, like many countries, requires a travel visa in addition to the passport. You can obtain your Brazilian travel visa at one of nine cities in the United States. YOUR jurisdiction is determined by your place of residence. For example, residents of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin would obtain their Brazilian Visa from the Consulate in Chicago. California residents should know that there are two Brazilian Consulates in California, one in Los Angeles, and one in San Francisco. Your jurisdiction will be determined according to the county you live in. It is your job to either show up in person with your application OR to have someone show up on your behalf. You cannot just send in your application by mail!

Once you have determined your jurisdiction, you will then determine whether you need a Brazil Business Visa or a Brazil Tourist Visa. Most of the time this is quite obvious, but there are always exceptions to that. If you are unsure, it is best to ask an expert such as a Swift Passport representative for direction. For business visas, Brazil requires two additional documents. You will need both a Letter of Intent written on a company letter head that details the business intended to be performed in Brazil, and a Letter of Invitation from the company in Brazil with which you will be conducting business.

Many people run into obstacles when trying to sort out all of the forms and information required to obtain a Brazil visa expeditiously. Between the misinformation online and time required to travel to a consulate in person, you could waste hours trying to get this done on your own. Swift Passport Services has established relationships with all 9 consulates and can simplify the process for you to save time and money, and a headache. Our visa experts are trained to help you determine your jurisdiction and get all the answers you are looking for and are, as always, thrilled to help you make the process as smooth as possible. Need additional visa pages added to your passport? Not to worry, we can help you with that too. Let’s work together to make one of the more complicated countries to travel to an easier one so that you will be able to experience one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

The Department of State recognizes 194 independent countries. Some countries require Americans to have a travel visa with their passports to enter the country and others do not. Some situations may require a tourist visa, some, a business visa. For some, this leaves a whole grey area. Then, there is the matter of determining how many visas you may need. Are you traveling to multiple countries? What are those country’s requirements of an American coming in from the country prior? How long does it take to obtain the visa?

I will tell you, as the newest member of Swift Passport, I had no idea where to begin. In fact, I thought understanding all the requirements given the many thousands of varying circumstances, for passports was next to impossible to figure out. How in the world is it possible to have one answer for every client, especially being that each answer is slightly more complicated than the next? And then I was introduced to visas.

So I, like many people before they became Swift clients, set out to try and figure it out on my own. I found the Brazilian Consulate here in my home town of Houston and I stepped inside. The place was packed. There were several windows open, unlike the supermarket on a Saturday, and I waited in several lines. Each line I found a person slightly less helpful than the first. It seemed no one was willing to answer my questions; they seemed to expect me to know this stuff already. As the very polite security guard began to escort me out of the building I asked with the sweetest Southern drawl possible “How can I get some questions answered?” He looked down at my feet as he pushed them past the threshold of the front door and mumbled “E-mail.” I immediately went to my home office and sent an e-mail. And another, and another.

I found a little more information on the Brazilian Consulate website, but by no means everything I needed to know. What kinds of documents would they require of me besides my passport? How would I help a client determine what type of visa they would need?

As I waited for my answers from Brazil, I decided to pay a visit to the Chinese Consulate. Slightly less busy, and a bit friendlier, I was able to get a bit more information; however, I still didn’t get all that I needed. So I began to express to my colleges at Swift, that these visas intimidate me. How is it that people are supposed to figure this stuff out? Their response as always was “Ask us anything”. So I did. Do people need a visa to Russia? Canada? Cambodia? They had all the answers seemingly at her fingertips. “Well, what if a lady is traveling on a cruise ship to Brazil, but on that ship she will be working as a singer and gainfully employed? But while they doc in Brazil, she is touring just like everyone else? Business visa or tourist?” Would you know? I sure didn’t.

After I realized my Swift friends had the answers available, while I’ve been struggling to find them, it hit me. They’ve already done this. They have already hashed out all the major details and have figured out how and in what manner to find the answers to any given question. So it dawns on me, had I needed to really travel to Brazil, would I have been able to figure out what I needed by myself? Seeing as how I’m still waiting on those e-mails, I doubt it, at least not in a timely fashion. I would have had to have help. Leave it to the visa experts at Swift!

I can only imagine how difficult and confusing acquiring passports and visas would be for a first time international traveler. Passports require collection of several documents that are not always easy to obtain and visas can make your head spin if you’ve never had to have one before. So the next time you are considering travel internationally, the first item on your to do list should be to visit the Swift Passport.

Don’t worry about how complicated your travel situation is, we’ve probably heard it before. What answers we may not already have, we do have the ability to nail down for you. Traveling internationally should never be stressful. Let Swift Passport turn your nightmare into the smooth dream vacation it should be.

–Amber Colbert

A major change is about to occur less than two months from now, requiring all U.S. travelers by land, sea or air to have a passport in order to enter Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas and any of the Caribbean islands.  Since it takes up to seven weeks to process a new passport application some foresight is needed if you plan to travel anywhere in the western hemisphere after June 1, 2009.  If you have family in any of these areas, you will probably want to get a passport now to prevent having to wait if you need to make an emergency trip across the border.

The following are the only allowable options for U.S. citizens traveling outside our borders after June 1:

• Official U.S. Passport
• Official U.S. Passport Card
• Enhanced Driver’s License
• Travel Program Cards such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST
• Native American travel documents

With this crucial date looming in the very near future, there is sure to be a mad rush for passports.  Again:  be sure to plan ahead!!!

If you find yourself in a crunch, you may also consider using our expedited passport service which will help you get your new passport approved in far less time than the standard seven week.  Visit our main website to learn how: www.swiftpassportservices.com

If you’re planning a trip to southeast asia–particularly Thailand–you may want to know about a recent change to the Thai visa regulations.

Basically, anyone who is crossing the Thailand border on LAND (not air travel) is only allowed a 15 day stay in the country.  This is a change from the 30 day allowance that was previously in place.

If you’re planning an extended stay for backpacking or simply hanging out on the beach, you want to get a tourist visa which will allow you between 30-90 days, depending on your country of origin.  Also, if you plan to enter the country multiple times, you should ask for a multiple entry visa which costs slightly more but will be worth it in the end by saving you time and money.

Thailand is a popular tourist destination because of its rich culture and beautiful landscapes.  However there have been recent protests that have caused the airports in the capitol city of Bangkok to close down.  There has been incidents of civil unrest throughout the past few years, so before making your way there, please check with the state department for any current travel advisories.

Bureaucracy stinks.  Let’s face it.  When you are busy (and after all, who isn’t)–standing in a line for two or more hours only to be turned away because you’ve filled out the wrong form is NOT your idea of a productive day.

Take for example the case of the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building in downtown Chicago, which is where you would go if you were a resident of the greater Chicago area and needed an expedited passport for an emergency trip.  This fine building also just happened to be the location of the office of the president elect Barack Obama.  So, in addition to the regular wait, the additional security makes this place a nightmare. You might as well plan to spend an entire day trying to get your passport approved.

Instead, you can place the task in the hands of a professional passport expediting service.  These folks know exactly which forms and fees to have handy, and more importantly, they have a working relationship with the federal employees who are responsible for issuing your passport.  Instead of standing in line and being searched by security, you can spend your time in your office actually working–and let someone else have the headache.

Next time you have somewhere to go in a fast hurry, don’t waste time!

For more information on passport expediting, contact Swift Passport Services.