Eddie Bauer Travel Pillow Review

Pillows are a big deal when you travel. At least they are to me, because I have a lot of trouble sleeping while in transit. Knowing that we would be on long flights on our trip to Europe this summer we knew we would need to find a way to help me sleep on the airplanes. I have already detailed the sleep mask from Skoozzz that I used here.

I was also planning on taking an inflatable camping pillow that I won at the Adventure + Gear Fest, but then one day we were looking around the Eddie Bauer store in the mall, because that is what adventures do when they are at the mall.  We found a neck pillow there and I thought it felt ok. Most neck pillows I haven't been a big fan of but this one felt pretty good. Since Meagan had a coupon and there was a sale going on I decided to get it for our trip

We hadn't realized when looking at it before that it was actually a 2-in-1 pillow that could covert from a neck pillow into a small regular pillow. This was great because it meant I would have different options while flying so I could switch it up depending on how I was feeling.

The pillow is made with the soft bead stuffing. So you just have to unzip the back and you can pull out the fabric for the rectangular pillow and push the beads down into it. Then you push the fabric for the neck pillow into the little pocket and zip it closed.

The pillow is very comfortable in both of its forms. I used it on our long flights in conjunction with my sleeping mask to be able to sleep pretty well. Its versatility means that you can use it like a regular neck pillow or you can switch it to the rectangular form if you are lucky enough to have a window seat. It can also be used as a regular pillow in a pinch, for example when we got to Venice and the hotel pillows were as flat as pancakes.

This Eddie Bower travel pillow has two options for connecting it to your bag while walking through the airport or a city. There is a snap between the two ends of the pillow that you can loop through the handle on your carry on or backpack, there is also a loop on the back that can be hooked onto a carabiner.

Overall this pillow was a good choice for me and I will likely continue to use it on overnight flights. You can get it from Eddie Bauer here, or you can find a similar one on Amazon here.

Fishers Finery Packing Cubes: Review

When planning our 3 week trip to Europe this summer, I knew we would need to be smart about our packing situation. I knew we would be going from place to place and that we would be on a cruise ship with limited space. Because of our on-the-go itinerary and the fact that we got cheap flights because they charge extra for baggage, I decided that we would only take one carry-on and one backpack each for our trip.

After I decided that, I looked at tons of articles on Pinterest to see if there were any secrets to packing for 3 weeks in a carry-on (I'll be doing my own post on that in the future). After much searching, I found out about an item called packing cubes. I was intrigued as to why a little bag that held your clothes that you just put inside of your suitcase would be such a big deal. But the more I looked into it, I realized that we needed some packing cubes.

As I scoured the internet (mostly Amazon) for the cheapest packing cubes possible, I came across Fishers Finery. They had a set of 3 packing cubes (small, medium, and large) that looked like they would fit our needs. And they were so much less expensive than the packing cubes I was finding other places.

The Fishers Finery Packing Cubes come in three different colors: black, blue, and red. We ordered the black ones and the blue ones so that we could each have a set. They are made of durable material that is still lightweight and they have great zippers.

In the smallest packing cube, I found that it was perfect for packing our smaller items like underwear, socks, and swimming suits.

The medium cube held our shirts, my skirts, and a pair of shorts or two.

 

The large cube we used for our bulkier items like dresses, nice shirts, pants and Ben's suit for our cruise.

I was amazed at how much I could fit into each cube! I found that the best way to pack the cubes is to roll up each item of clothing as tightly as you can and then lay next to each other in the cube. Depending on the size of the cube, I was sometimes able to get 2 rows of rolled clothes in each cube.

Another thing that I loved about the packing cubes was the ease we had finding our stuff in our suitcases. I knew exactly which cube I needed to pull out to get a clean shirt or where my extra socks were. I didn't have to dig through my suitcase to find the one item I needed.

Throughout our trip, we re-packed our bags a few different times. Sometimes Ben and I had clothing in each suitcase that we had. It was so nice that we each had our own color of packing cubes because I could just find the medium black one and know that that's where my shirts were or I could pull out the small blue one to get some socks for Ben so he could go rock climbing.

Packing cubes were definitely a game changer for us in the way that we pack and plan for trips. I
highly, highly suggest that you invest in some packing cubes before you go on your next big (or small) trip. They are so awesome and really helped keep me from feeling like we were living out of suitcases for 3 weeks which made our vacation so much more enjoyable.

**This post was not sponsored by Fishers Finery, we just love their product and want to share it with you! There are Amazon affiliate links in this post though if you do wish to purchase these awesome packing cubes. We will receive a small portion of the purchase which will help to support us in writing this blog for you!**

Packing Your Personal Carry-On

After flying and traveling across the world for 3 weeks, I came to discover what I actually, really, really needed in my backpack/purse. While traveling, I tend to overpack. I like to be prepared and ready for any situation. But after traveling a lot in the last year, especially on quite a few flights, I think I have come up with the perfect list of things to pack in your personal carry-on item. I've found a good balance of things that I need as well as a few things that are nice to have that don't weigh down my bag. There's nothing worse than hauling too many pounds of stuff that you don't actually need through the airport.

1. Phone and Charger: This one is pretty obvious right? Make sure to load up your phone with an audiobook or two or some podcasts. 
2. Power Bank: This is a great way to give your phone a boost, or even to totally charge it, when you can't get to an outlet. 
3. Headphones: These are key to getting some peace and quiet while flying. I always use Skullcandy ear buds because they are comfy on my ears and they are super good at blocking out outside noise. I also keep my ear buds in a little pouch to keep them from getting too tangled. 
4.  iPad: Load it up with games, coloring apps and books. 
5. Kindle: I absolutely love my Kindle, especially when we are traveling. While some people might not need this and an iPad to read on, it is much easier on my eyes to read on an e-ink screen than it is to read on a backlit screen. Plus, if you're planning on reading outside, a Kindle is much easier to see. And it has a good battery life. I read on it a lot while we were in Europe for 3 weeks and I only had to charge it once. BONUS TIP: Instead of buying new books for your Kindle, check out your local library. Most libraries  nowadays have digital collections where you can download ebooks and audiobooks for free!
6. Zipper Pouch: To keep my things organized, I put all of these electronic items in a zipper pouch. Then when I sit down at my seat on the plane, I just pull this guy out and stick it in the seat pouch in front of me. This way I don't have to keep getting in and out of my bag throughout the flight. The one I have is from RuMe and I really like it. 
   
7. Journal and Pen: I am a journaler. I write in my journal every night. I like to bring my journal on my flight with me because sometimes I like to write while we fly or I will use the paper and make lists, plan out our music videos, or simply doodle. 
8. Camera: While I don't use this on my flight, I definitely carry my camera with me instead of checking it or putting it in my carry-on suitcase. 
9. Passport: Definitely needed if flying internationally. 
10. Wallet: I love having this wallet with a wrist strap. (Similar wallets here and here.) It is big enough to hold my cards, gift cards, coupons, a change purse with cash, and even my phone! It fits nicely into my various purses in different sizes and makes transitioning easy from bag to bag. It also is easy to find when it is in a large tote bag or backpack while traveling. 
    
11. First Aid Kit: Inside of another small zipper pouch I keep a mini first aid kit that holds medicine, bandaids and any other personal medication I'm taking. 
12. Snacks and Gum: I need to eat something every 3-4 hours or else I can get super cranky and start to feel sick so it is super important that I carry snacks with me wherever I go. I almost always have a granola bar of some kind with me. Ben and I also NEED gum on our flights. During take of and landing chewing gum helps our ears to pop and not hurt. 
13. Chapstick: Airplanes always dry out my lips so I always bring my chapstick. This brand is my favorite. 
    
14. Sunglasses: I almost always take my sunglasses with me, that way I know they have a smaller chance of  breaking. 
15. Sarong: My parents got me this sarong while they were in Hawaii and I absolutely LOVE it while I'm traveling. In addition to using it as a swimsuit cover-up, I use it as a blanket on the airplane. On our long-haul flight to Europe, the plane got so cold! And I liked having my own, light-weight blanket with me to use. Sarongs are nice because they can be big enough to cover you (I'm 5' 10" and my sarong fit me perfectly) but they can still fold up to be pretty small. Here is one from Amazon that comes in lots of fun colors. 
16. Water Bottle: Read here about my favorite water bottle
17. Neck Pillow: Definitely a must if you are planning on sleeping on your flight. Even if you're not, I liked to have mine around my neck when I was watching movies or reading. This is the same brand as mine and I really liked having it.  If you don't like light while you sleep, you also might want to pack a sleeping mask. 
18. Compression Socks: These I would recommend if you are flying for more than 2 or 3 hours. I have bad circulation and was worried about sitting for so long on some of my flights, but these compression socks helped a lot with my circulation. They also helped with keeping my feet and legs warm while flying. Here are some similar to mine on Amazon.

Other Things:

• I also will wear a cardigan while I travel. I like them because they are lightweight but keep me warm. I also can fold (or wad) it up and throw it in my bag without it taking up as much space as a jacket or being as heavy. Only if I'm traveling in winter do I take a coat with me. 
• I also always wear a scarf while I travel, again this helps with keeping me warm but if I get too hot I can always take it off and throw it into my bag. This is my favorite scarf for traveling! 
• My destination determines the type of bag that I use for my personal item. If we are just going to visit my family in Minnesota, I take a large purse or a tote bag. If we are going some where for a longer vacation or are going on a more adventurous trip, I will take a backpack. 

**This post contains some affiliate links**

Skoozzz Travel Sleep Mask Review

Sleeping is not something that comes easy to me, and when I am away from my own bed and the best pillow in the world this can be especially true. This is multiplied when I have to sleep in odd circumstances like on a plane or a train. Our recent trip to Europe involved the longest flights I have ever been on, so obviously I was going to have to sleep during travel, if I didn't I would be extra messed up by jet lag since our flight to Stockholm was an overnight flight.

Fortunately for me our friends over at the SKOOZZZ shop on Etsy provided us with their handmade travel masks to review on our trip. And I have to say that it was a total life saver for me on these flights.

Now because of my difficulty sleeping I have been using sleep masks at home for over a year now. But I have never had one quite like a Skoozzz mask. For one thing this mask is much bigger than any I have had in the past, this makes it so that it effectively blocks out all the light. In fact our first night in Venice our hotel room was not very dark at all so I pulled out the Skoozzz sleep mask and was able to fall asleep.

Another great thing about the Skoozzz mask is that it has a pillow that forms most of the strap that goes around your head. This gives your head support while trying to sleep sitting up. The pillow can actually be used in conjunction with a neck pillow quite well, I used it with this one from Eddie Bauer.

I would highly recommend that if you have trouble sleeping while traveling that you get a travel mask from Skoozzz. They range from $12.00 to $20.00 and come in all sorts of fun patterns. I have the Pac-man design which I think is awesome, but there are many other options to choose from.

Disclaimer: Skoozzz provided the travel masks to us to review. All thoughts and opinions on the masks however are our own. We only recommend products that we find useful and we think will benefit our readers.

How to Get International Flights on a Budget

We have been preparing since January to go on a trip to Europe this summer with some of our friends. One of the biggest expenses was our plane tickets. After doing a TON of research, we were able to score some pretty cheap flights from the United States to Europe. Here I have compiled our best tips and tricks for scoring cheap flights around the world.

1. Use Google Flights:

I mentioned this before in our Top 5 Money Saving Travel Websites. Google Flights pulls all of the best prices from all the different airlines together in one place. They also give you calendars that show you the cheapest dates to fly. Once we put in where we wanted to go, Google Flights easily compared the airlines and we could see quickly which airlines were the best deals. 

2. Fly Out of Major Airports:

When looking for flights, we discovered that it was quite expensive to fly internationally from the Salt Lake airport (our home airport). So we looked at other major airports like JFK and LAX which were much cheaper to fly internationally from. We ultimately chose to fly from LAX because we knew we could get cheap flights from Salt Lake to LA. 

3. Look Into One-Way Flights:

For our trip, it ended up being much more cost effective to book one-way flights instead of round trip. This is especially true if you are planning on traveling around once you get to your destination. We knew we needed to get to Venice where we were going to be boarding our cruise around the Mediterranean. But when we looked into flying straight to Venice, it was too expensive for our budget. So we looked into other cities that we knew we wanted to see in Europe and Paris made the cut. We found a good deal on a flight from LAX to Paris where we spent a few days before flying to Venice. Our one-way ticket to Paris and our one-way ticket from Paris to Venice was a few hundred dollars less than flying straight to Venice. We found a good deal on a one-way flight to LAX from Venice. 

4. Have Flexible Travel Plans and Dates

This kind of goes with tip 3, but be willing to fly into different places than your final destination and be flexible within a few days for your trip. This alone saved us hundreds of dollars on our trip.

Yellow Van Free 50 State Travel Map

A couple months ago we introduced a special freebie for our email subscribers, the Yellow Van 50 State Travel Map. While we are outside the states traveling in Europe I just wanted to take a moment to introduce you to this little gem, how it works, and how to get it.

What is the 50 State Travel Map?

The Yellow Van 50 State Travel Map is an awesome way for you to track your travel through the 50 States that make up the U.S.A. The map shows all the states and is color coordinated to help you see where you've been. 

The color coding lets you know whether you've never been to a state, or you drove through, stopped at an airport there, or actually visited it. I find this really helpful because when you are thinking about where you have been you don't want to say that you have never been to Georgia if you've had a layover in Atlanta, but you also don't want to just say that you've been there because that gives the wrong impression. 

This map can be helpful for reflecting on where you have traveled to or planning future trips, especially if you have a goal to hit all 50 states. 

How it Works:

You shouldn't have any trouble using the map, but just to help you get started I have some instructions.

The Yellow Van 50 States Travel Map is actually a fancy Excel Spreadsheet, so it will open in Microsoft Excel, but don't worry you don't need to know anything about Excel to use it. Special Excel code called Macros are used to make the map work, which means that when you open it up your computer will ask you for permission to run these codes. The computer may tell you that this is dangerous because you got the map from the internet, but don't worry I haven't put anything malicious in the code, you can go ahead and let it run, the map will not work otherwise. 

When you come to the map you will see the map which will all be green because you haven't put in any data yet. There is another tab called "Answers" in the bottom left corner which will show you a list with all the states on the left side.

Next to each state is a drop down menu that will let you select what the status of that state is for you.

When you first open the map you will of course need to make a selection for every state. As you travel around the country be sure to open the map back up again and change your status. After you have made all the changes that you want you can hit the yellow refresh button to see your map update to the correct colors.

How to Get the Map:

Getting the map is as simple as signing up for our email list, either at the bottom of this post or in the right hand sidebar. When you sign up you will get a confirmation to make sure you actually want to sign up, and after you confirm you will get an email with a link to a Google Drive file that is the map. You just need to download it and you are good to go.

If you sign up for the email list you can expect to get an email from us at the beginning of each month showing the highlights of Yellow Van Travels for the last month. We may occasionally send out other special emails, but for the most part just expect to get one email a month.

Email Sign Up

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Chimani Releases 59 New National Park Apps

Whenever I talk with someone about going to visit a National Park these days I always recommend that they check and see if there is Chimani smartphone app available for where they are visiting. Chimani apps have been extremely helpful to us in the last year while visiting the Grand Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks.

Yesterday (June 1st, 2016) Chimani released apps for the parks that they had not completed yet, meaning that there is now a Chimani app to guide you through each of the U.S. National Parks. This is an impressive feat and the folks over at Chimani asked us here at Yellow Van Travels to help get the word out about it.

Chimani was only able to produce these apps so quickly because of generous support from Subaru of America. Now I have never had a Subaru, so I can't speak to what kind of cars they are, but I can say this is a worthy cause for them to invest resources into.

I have not looked at all 59 of the apps that Chimani has for National Parks, but the ones I have looked at all appear to run very similarly. This is great because it means you only have to get use to the interface once and then as you travel across America to the different parks it will remain mostly consistent, although some parks will have different features or categories depending on what the park has available.

One of the biggest advantages of Chimani apps is that they can be used without an internet connection as long as you download the map data before leaving the internet. This is extremely helpful since, as you adventures know, cell service in the parks is almost always spotty at best.

Another big reason these apps have been developed is to try and reduce waste in National Parks. The paper guides that the parks have traditionally given out often end up in landfills, or worse as litter. Some parks, like the Grand Canyon, have even stopped giving guides out recently. So be sure before you go to a National Park that you download the corresponding Chimani app and get the correct data downloaded on it, then you can make your trip a little easier, give the environment a little boost, and have yourself an adventure.

5 Things We Wish We Brought to Arches National Park

Even though I am a huge planner with a pretty detailed packing list, there are always a few little things I forget to pack. Sometimes there are things I didn't even consider packing that I really wish I had brought. Here are our top 5 things we wish we had brought with us.

1. Sunscreen Stick

We did remember to bring sunscreen which was great and we are super glad we did. But, we brought the spray kind which I like more than the lotion kind. The only problem is that I don't like spraying it on my face. We had a sunscreen stick at home that works good for faces but we forgot it. Next time this will definitely be on our packing list.

2. Taller Socks

 

Lots of the trails we hiked were pretty dusty and rocky. We only packed our usual ankle length socks but we wish we had packed taller socks so our ankles and feet didn't get so dirty and itchy.

3. Beanie and Gloves

 

For our early morning sunrise hikes and views, we really wish we had brought a beanie and gloves. The mornings were quite a bit colder than we were expecting and gloves would have been especially nice when we were trying to take early morning pictures.

4. Chapstick

While I did remember to pack chapstick, we forgot to bring it with us on our first hike and boy did we miss it! With the dry desert air and the often harsh winds, my lips hurt so bad after hiking Delicate Arch. After that tragic first hike, we remembered to leave it in our hiking bag for the rest of our trip.

5. Variety of Snacks

I underestimated the amount of food we would eat after and while we were hiking so much. While I did bring enough food, I really wish I had varied what I brought more. I did bring pretzels, granola bars, Cliff bars, peanuts and fruit. But I wish I had brought a few different kinds of crackers, more Cliff Bars, more of a variety of fruit, trail mix and fruit leather. 

Pre-Travel Checklist

The key for me to have low-stress to stress-free travels is to be organized. Well, this is true in all aspects of my life, but especially when I'm leaving home and being out of my routine. Before every trip we go on, I go through a checklist of sorts to help prepare and organize things for our travels.

A Few Days Before You Leave:

• Make/Check Travel Arrangements: This includes transportation (if you need it), hotels/campsites, making sure you have the right documents (IDs, passports, visas, etc.)
• Activity List: I like to scour the internet for things to do in the area where we will be staying. I then make an Evernote list that has the names of the places, prices, addresses, etc. so I can easily refer to it while we are out and about.
• Figure Out Food: Are you going to be eating out every meal? Does your hotel include breakfast? Are you picnicking every day? Decide when you're going to eat out, when you're going to eat en-route, when you're going to eat in your hotel room, etc. One of the most important things for me to be aware of (especially when I'm out of my normal schedule) is to make sure I'm still on a good eating schedule and that I'm eating relatively "normal" things that my body is used to. If your'e planning on eating out, check out deal websites like Groupon to see if there are any good deals for local restaurants. 
• Clean Out Your Fridge: Start eating the things that will go bad before you get back from your trip. Cut up and freeze perishable foods like fruits and veggies. You can even freeze cheese and milk for when you get back!
• Packing List: Write down your packing list and start to gather things you need that you won't need for the next day or two. Go buy any things that you might need like special snacks or travel sized liquids. 
• Put Your Mail on Hold: Just head on over to the USPS website and schedule the dates for holding your mail. Remember that the day that you check as your ending date will be the day that they deliver your mail. 
• Make a Travel Folder: Start collecting tickets, reservation numbers and other important documents that you need paper copies of and stick them in a folder. Then REMEMBER the folder when you leave :)
• Call Your Bank: If traveling internationally, call your bank and let them know that you will be traveling abroad. This keeps them in the loop and they won't be freezing your cards when they see suspicious activity on the other side of the globe. 

The Day Before You Leave:

• Laundry: Depending on the size of your family, you may need to start this a few days before your trip. But do your laundry so 1) you have clean things to pack and 2) so when you come home with dirty laundry, you won't already have overflowing baskets!
• Kitchen: Make sure you've taken care of all of the perishables in the fridge. Make sure all of the dishes are done. Pull any food you are taking with you into one spot in the fridge/on your table (depending on the type of foods you're taking). Make sure the sink is clean and free from any junk that could stink up your house. 
• Packing: Pack all of the stuff that you've been piling up near your suitcase. Double check your packing list. Don't forget PJs, underwear and a swimming suit! Make sure to lay out what you will be wearing the next day. In addition to your luggage, make sure that your personal items (purse, backpack, etc.) are packed as well. Don't forget your electronics cords!
• Charge Devices: Before you go to bed, make sure that you have everything you need charged or charging. 
• Take Out the Trash: Take it out from every room! It's no bueno to come home from a nice vacation to a stinky smelling house. 
• Leave a Note: Write a note and stick it on your suitcase/purse/phone with any last minute things you need to pack before you leave the next day. 

The Day You Leave:

• Last Minute Packing: Pack the things you couldn't the night before like phones, tooth brush and tooth paste, food, etc. 
• Turn Off and Un-Plug: Turn off all the lights and un-plug any devices and power strips.
• Check Your Heat/AC: Turn down your heat if you're leaving during the cooler months (but make sure it is still warm enough so pipes don't freeze). Turn off your AC if you're traveling in the warmer months. 

Our Top 5 Money Saving Travel Websites

I am always on the lookout for a good deal. This is especially true when it comes to travel. We have traveled quite a bit considering our very meager travel budget for our first few year of marriage, and I owe it all to the fact that we took the time to research our vacations and really look for the best deals possible. I have rounded up my 5 favorite websites that have helped us save tons of money.

1: Hotels.com

We have used Hotels.com from the very first time we traveled together. I love it because you can get awesome prices for hotels, they have very reliable reviews and you can set your own budget. My other favorite part is that by booking through them, you earn rewards towards free nights at hotels through their sight. Most hotels you book qualify. Just sign up for their rewards program and start earning your free night! 

2: Pinterest

While Pinterest has very little to do with shopping, it is probably my go-to source for finding activities to do at our destinations. There are lots of articles out there with lists of free or cheap things to do wherever you are traveling to. I also use Pinterest to find money saving tips for travel. Finally, I use Pinterest to find cheap, easy recipes for yummy snacks and meals we can take and eat during our travels. Make sure to follow us on Pinterest where you will find lots of pins on different destinations, travel tips, and other money saving travel ideas. 

3: Google Flights

When we were looking at international flights for our trip this summer (stay tuned for more info!), the first place I went was Google Flights. You can put in your dates of travel and they give you the best prices they can find as well as better prices on days that are near your preferred travel dates. The way I was able to find fairly cheap tickets was to book one-way tickets instead of round trip. 

4: Air Fare Watchdog

For flights within the U.S. I love Air Fare Watchdog. You can set your departure and arrival cities and they will send you alerts for when airline prices are a good deal. You can also further specify with dates and get the best deals for those dates that you plan on traveling. 

5: Amazon

When it comes to random travel things that we need, I usually look to Amazon first. While I don't always buy things straight from Amazon, they generally have the best deals on lots of things. I also use the prices on Amazon as reference points for if I'm getting a good deal on an item in a regular store. Currently some things on my traveling wish list from Amazon are these and this. 

How to Get a Passport

I have never had the opportunity or made an opportunity for myself to travel outside the continental United States. I thought maybe I would leave the country when I went on my LDS mission, but I went to Pennsylvania which is now one of my favorite places in the world. I also did not go on a study abroad experience during college, I went to Washington D.C. for an internship instead. Consequently I have never possessed a U.S. Passport or gone through the process of getting one. That was until recently.

Why get a Passport?
I had never applied for a passport before because I had no reason to. I wasn't leaving the country so I didn't need one. For me the reason to finally get one was because of a special trip we are going on this summer (watch the blog for more on that). It isn't cheap to get a passport so I don't know that you should rush out and get one without a reason, but it can also take a while to receive your passport. So if you need to be able to travel quickly for business or some other reason you should probably start early.

What You Need:
I was applying for a new adult passport (an adult is 16 or older). For that you need to have filled out the proper application form(DS-11), have your driver's license or ID card, and your birth certificate. Note that you do not have to bring your social security card, but you will need to provide the number on the form. You will also need to have a 2 in. by 2 in. photo of yourself, although this picture can be taken at the time you apply if the location you apply at has the facilities.

There are other ways to prove your identity if you don't have your driver's license and/or birth certificate, but they are complicated. My favorite is bringing someone else who has proper ID to swear that you are the person you say you are.

I found the wiki how article to be very helpful in figuring everything out.

Where to Go:
There are only a few places you can go to get a passport. You can find locations in your area by using this website. One thing you want to look for is if the location also takes pictures, although this will incur an additional cost it is worth it to know it is done right and won't be rejected. In my area only the post office did pictures so that is where I went.

The post office I went to did have the DS-11 forms on hand and some people were filling them out there, but I would not suggest this since you need a lot of information and it is easier to just print the form out and fill it out at home where you can easily gather the information.

How Long Does it Take?
There are two parts to the how long does it take question. The first part is, how long do I have to stand in line to submit my application? and the second part is, how long will it take my passport to arrive?

Unfortunately neither of these questions are easy to answer. Meagan and I stood in line at the post office for about an hour, there were about 5 or 6 people in line ahead of us when we arrived. Many more people showed up after us, probably about 10 or so. Part way into our time there the man behind the counter asked us to close the door to that part of the post office because he would have to go on lunch break soon. 3 or 4 more people tried to come in after that but were told to come back in the afternoon. A few of the people in line behind us gave up waiting and left, saying they would come back another time. I imagine that the experience differs widely by location and timing, but I would say always give yourself a couple of hours at least and don't expect it to be fast.

As far as waiting for my passport to arrive it only took a couple weeks for the passport to arrive and my birth certificate came back shortly thereafter. Meagan's renewal and name change took about a week longer. They told us to expect it to take about 6 weeks, so don't push it too close to your trip unless you want to pay extra for an expedited passport.

Sum Up:
In the end getting a U.S. passport was not as painful a process as I had anticipated, but that was mostly because Meagan filled out all the forms for me and helped me know where to go and what to do. Just make sure to give yourself plenty of time both when you apply and while you are waiting.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only and represents my personal experience. It should not take the place of checking with the proper government websites and agencies yourself.