News & Blog

Passport to Cádiz, Spain

It’s April, which means just three short months until Cádiz, Spain! I’m so excited to be traveling for three weeks, but before I leave, I have to get some things checked off of my list. The first picture below is of me finally getting (my long overdue) passport renewed. I had no idea it expired a long time ago (expires every 10 years), so good thing I checked before going out of the country, phew. I recommend that if you need to renew, that you get it done as soon as possible because getting all of the paperwork together and the delivery time may take a while so just to be on the safe side. I drove to the Westport library and started the whole process. Expect to spend an hour or so getting everything set and make sure you have all of the necessary paperwork(including your previous passport) before you begin. Once I got there, I simply just told the lady at the counter that I wanted to renew my passport, and she gave me the paperwork to fill out. My mom had to write a check for the passport itself as well as pay the people for helping us.

In the photo, I am signing (one of the many) forms about my name, address etc. If you’re considered a minor like me, it is “highly recommended” that a parent be present with you to officially sign off on everything. Also, a note for the parents: (aka the ones who are probably paying for the passport) it costs around $110! Even though this may seem like a boring step, it is very important before leaving the country. Plus, I was actually excited because, for the first time, my passport picture didn’t look like a mugshot.

Above, is a picture of one of the many pieces of paper they give you to sign off on and look over. If you look closely to the right, the information about what you need for a new passport is all in Spanish! (already getting ready for Spain! Thought that was pretty cool.) In the past, I have been pretty indifferent about receiving my passport. I am definitely excited now because it reminds me how much fun I am going to have and motivates me to fill it up so I can visit more places around the world. I’m one step closer to getting ready for this summer!

Now, this is not the first time I’ll be going out of the country. I’ve been to Canada, Japan, India, Panama, Italy, Croatia, Madrid, and Australia (as far as I can remember). Pictured above is a mini collage of some of the more recent places that I’ve been to (Madrid, Zagreb, Australia, Dubrovnik, and Panama). With my travel experience, I would say that I am extremely lucky to have been exposed to so many unique cultures and in fact, I love to travel! It gives me the sense of adventure and excitement to explore a whole new way of living. Especially with Spain, I have taken Spanish all of my life, so getting the opportunity to be 100% immersed will be without a doubt the trip of a lifetime. I am soexited about my trip with the Abbey Road Programs!