The Simple Mistake That Wrecked My Vacation Before It Began (And How To Avoid It)
It happened a few years back, but I remember as if it was yesterday. My wife, son and I will never, ever forget that day.
We were at the airport, excited to begin a dream family vacation to Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, soccer, sangria... we couldn't wait.
But we never got on the plane. They wouldn't let us even go through security, even though our passports were valid -- and would be for the entire trip.
What we learned, however, is that that isn't good enough. Spain requires all passports to valid for at least 90 days past your arrival date. Mine was. My wife's was. My son's was not.
After a not-so-brief moment of pondering leaving him with the grandparents while we tour Spain, we thought better of it. After all, he was a middle schooler. It was his fault, not ours.
I wrote about it for Business Insider after it happened. Check it out to get the full story. (My troubles sparked coverage in Southern Living and this passport services site, too.)
The big takeaway: Make absolutely, positively sure that your passports are good for at least six months after your scheduled arrival date. Not all countries require that much time, but it is definitely better to be safe than sorry.
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That's it. Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Matt
