How I Learned to Listen to Spirit and Love My Passport
A Journey of Trust and Adventure in a Changing World.
I had a simple dream in 2023: to pack a carry-on in less than an hour without forgetting anything important and jet off to my next Spirit-led adventure. Then, to come back home, unpack, repack, and fly away again. It took me a whole year and some change to make it happen. I had to organize my drawers so that my travel essentials were always ready, stocked, and handy. Life got in the way, of course, and sometimes, I was so organized that I lost track of where I put things. It was a delicate balance between being tidy and being practical. My travel documents also needed some TLC. In January, I welcomed my new and improved next-generation passport with a sturdy polycarbonate data page and enhanced security features. The only downside was that Americans got fewer visa pages. The new passport had 26 pages instead of 28, and the extended one had 50 instead of 52.
I chose the extended version because I love seeing the world, and my old passport was almost out of space. Did you know that the Egyptian visa, considered one of the most beautiful, fills up a whole page in your passport? If you join me on the Starseed Egypt Adventure, our team will greet you at the airport and assist you with your visa. It will be a smooth start to an unforgettable journey. Make sure your passport is valid, does not expire for at least six months, and has one free page.
I was celebrating my organizational achievement when I heard Spirit say, “Pay attention to the details.” As a tour operator, I’m used to reading fine print; it’s part of my career, so I took my new passport out of its folder and gave it another look. The data page was fine, but I soon felt my travel mojo fading as I flipped through the pages. The passport that was printed and shipped in two days had some visa pages missing. The chances of an immigration officer noticing the mistake were slim, but the shiny newness of the passport might attract some scrutiny, and the validity of the passport itself might be questioned.
I called the U.S. passport service twice to confirm my findings. I was put on a lengthy hold with each call as the officers checked with their bosses; no one really knew much about the new passports. Spirit’s guidance was right, of course. With regret, the agent informed me that I had to send the passport back along with a letter explaining the problem because the usual form for a faulty passport didn’t have an option for a manufacturer’s error. I started the whole process from scratch once again.
With the U.S. Customs and Border Control’s big push to digitize and automate travel, glitches are bound to happen. U.S. pilot programs aim to get rid of ink-stamped entry, and the latest drug scanners that let people self-screen before departure can lead to some traveler-tested hiccups. Will passport stamps become extinct? Not quite. Only some countries will invest in digital. Like the U.S., the European Union is testing its Entry/Exit System (EES), which speeds up border crossing and does away with passport stamps. Life is full of surprises, but with Spirit, we always get a heads-up if we are willing to listen and act. Our internal GPS, Guides Providing Service, is worth investing in; our guides see the big picture and aid us in navigating the path of the heart. Happy travels, whether you’re exploring your inner world or the external.
Fear everything and Run
OR
Face Everything and Rise
