Next week, I’ll be in the Eternal City exploring ruins, drinking wine, eating gelato, and of course, shopping. But before I can say Ciao, I need to make sure I’m prepared for my trip overseas.

Thanks to Marybeth’s post on travel docs, I have the 411 on everything from entry requirements to the exchange rate‚a necessity for calculating how much the “must have” Italian shoes and bags will cost me. Speaking of shopping, it’s a good idea to make note of your credit card limit and to find out how to report a loss of your card abroad. And don’t forget to get a number that you can call while overseas since the 800 numbers don’t work. You may also want to ask if your card has a “foreign currency conversion fee,” which can sometimes be up to 3%.

I’ve also learned from other overseas trips to leave my travel itinerary and copies of important documents (passport, will, driver’s license, etc.) with a family member or friend. But what do I do if my passport is lost or stolen in Italy? Or, I unfortunately get sick?

USA.gov’s International Travel section is full of useful links that can answer these questions and many more. You can get customs and health info, tips for long-distance calling, emergency services facts, and much more. There’s also important info on how to stay safe on your trip abroad at Pueblo.gsa.gov.

Feel free to share any stories, tidbits, or helpful websites on traveling overseas. In addition to the resources I’ve linked to, I always have found Budget Travel and NBC’s Travel Editor, Peter Greenberg, to be invaluable.

Starting next week, the Wednesday posts will be written by our substitute blogger, Colleen. Although I'm moving on to a new opportunity outside the government, I can’t wait to read her weekly entries since they always manage to provide the right mix of great info and humor, whether they’re about Philly, the Boss, or Beantown. Thanks for reading my posts each week—I’ve really enjoyed our conversations!

I am going to Vancouver this summer so I applied for a passport last week to avoid passport delays that can plague travelers in the spring and summer months.

What I didn't expect was to save money. I saved because the Department of State raised passport fees on Friday, February 1. The difference between the old and new prices is $3. The fee to expedite a passport did not change. The new passport fees are:

Adult passport book - $75  + execution fee $25 = $100
Under age 16 - $60 + execution fee $25 = $85

DOS also started accepting applications for the new passport card on Friday. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will eventually require all travelers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. The card carries the same validity as a passport book, but does not allow you to travel internationally by air. The card will speed up the border entry process for citizens re-entering the country from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by sea and/or land. DOS plans to start sending cards to applicants in the spring. The passport card fees are:

Adult passport card - $20 + execution fee $25 = $45
Under age 16 - $10 + execution fee $25 = $35

Also DOS now requires that children under the age of 16 must now appear in person to apply for either a passport book or card.

Recently, I saw the movie “Into the Wild,” which is a screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s acclaimed bestseller. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from college, donates all his money to charity and heads on a journey out West.

When I read the book several years ago, I was not only struck by McCandless’ inner journey but also his outer one through the American West. It’s a part of the country that I haven’t really explored, but the spirit and scenery has always fascinated me. And seeing the breathtaking images of the Pacific Crest Trail and Denali National Park on the big screen only heightened my curiosity and sense of adventure.

If I truly wanted to “go west young man” (or lady in my case), where would I go and what would I want to see? At pueblo.gsa.gov, I found two helpful publications, National Park System Map and Guide and National Trails System Map and Guide. These full-color maps list activities at more than 300 parks, monuments, and historic sites, along with 17 national trails. They’re a great starting point for discovering all that our national parks and trails system have to offer.

Another great resource is USA.gov. Just typing “national parks” in the Search box gave me tons of quick links and images to help make my planning easier. You can find a national park by name, location, topic, or activity. This link is great for someone like me who likes to swim and hike but isn’t so into snow skiing. There’s also a link to National Register Travel Itineraries, which can take a lot of guesswork out of your planning.

Once you’re ready to explore, visit Recreation.gov to make reservations for campgrounds and tours and to buy an annual pass for national parks and federal recreational lands. If you aren’t able to take a trip sometime soon, don’t worry—you can still experience the wonder of our national parks with the National Park Service’s Soundscapes. Make sure to check out this sound clip of a bison in Yellowstone!

My daily commute makes me want to take a holiday from travel when the holidays come round. I’m staying put this year, but I know what it’s like to be one among millions of Thanksgiving travelers.

When I’ve flown home in the past, I’ve had good luck with early morning, nonstop flights. Unless weather is an issue, morning flights tend to leave on time; and, if you have the option of taking a nonstop flight, they generally save time, negate the connecting-flight worry, and decrease your chances of losing your luggage.

Other time-savers if you’re flying include checking for airport delays before leaving home and knowing the rules about prohibited carry-on items so that you aren’t delayed at security checkpoints.

News reports on holiday travel often focus on airports, but the vast majority of Americans actually drive to their Thanksgiving destinations. A few resources for drivers include:

• USA.gov’s Road and Train Travel page, where you can look up road conditions and find the cheapest gas prices wherever you are.
• Easy-to-follow guidelines on maintaining your tires (I like the tip about using a penny to check the tread).
• Glove Box Tips from the Federal Citizen Information Center, including a section on preparing your vehicle for winter weather (particularly helpful if your Thanksgiving travel will take you from a temperate to cold climate).

It can be difficult to keep a sense of humor when your holidays are disrupted by traffic jams, overbooked flights, bad weather, and other elements beyond your control. For a little help tapping into holiday travel humor, a pre-Thanksgiving viewing of Planes, Trains and Automobiles might be just the thing. 

Nothing good ever came out of Boston, except Tom Brady.

However, my best friend from college was getting married in Beantown, and I was in the wedding. During the six years we've known each other, I've made the trek up north several times for visits and a slew of wedding-related activities. It's never been a good experience.

This has nothing to do with my pal, she's still the best. It has much more to do with delayed flights, horrendous weather, traffic jams... and the fact that gals from Philadelphia and those hailing from Boston speak entirely different derivatives of English.

The big weekend had finally arrived and the time had come for me to venture to New England once again.

Things pretty much went south the second I left my office for the airport. En route to catch my flight, I stopped at the dry cleaners to pick up my dress for the rehersal dinner (a fabulous little black halter number that was the perfect balance of "cute" but not "TRYING to look cute".) On Tuesday when I dropped it off, I specifically asked and was assured that it would be ready and waiting for me on Thursday by 5pm.

It was 5:30pm and there was no dress. I was told to "call this number, it should be here tomorrow." A lot of good that'll do me when I'm 440 miles away. Reacting shockingly like my mother, a few flavorful words flew, fists were clenched, and the door was slammed as I hurried to the airport to hop on my flight. At my gate I was greeted by a big, fat "delayed" sign, much like every...single...other...time I've gone to Boston.

Fast forward through a taxi scam, ending up at the wrong hotel, lost luggage, and lots of rain- Sunday afternoon I found myself back at the airport to head home to DC. After what I will only describe as a "series of events" involving a buffalo chicken calzone and a friend needing emergency wisdom teeth surgery- I missed my plane.

In an occurance as suprising as the Colorado Rockies going to the World Series, the employee behind the counter (who informed me that there was zippy chance of making my flight) was extremely helpful and polite, tippy tapping on his keyboard until he found a way to get me back to the District. Eleven hours, two airports, and another delay later, I was home.

After a full recovery day of sleep, I decided to take action. I whipped out my Consumer Action Handbook and flipped right to the section about complaint letters. No chance I was going to let those dry cleaners get away with denying the public the privilege  of seeing me in all the fabulousness of my black halter dress. I also drafted a second letter to the airline, informing them of their most helpful employee and how much I appreciated all his efforts. The handbook is useful for this and many other situations. It also includes a list of key consumer infomation resources, general buying tips, insurance information, and much more.

Suffice to say, someone is going to need to offer me a heap of cash or a pair of Manolo Blahniks to get me back to Boston anytime soon.