Deadline to get your Real ID for travel has been extended again

If you don’t have your Real ID yet for travel, don’t worry. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today said enforcement of the Real ID driver’s license has been extended by 24 months to May 7, 2025, from May 3, 2023. The initial deadline was in 2008.

May 7, 2025, is when you must show the new form of identification if you’re age 18 or older and want to fly within the United States.

Americans with state IDs that don’t comply with the federal government’s new “Real ID” standards won’t be able to get past airport security checkpoints. A state-issued driver’s license is the most common form of identification for air travel.

“This extension will give states needed time to ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement. “DHS will also use this time to implement innovations to make the process more efficient and accessible.”

Work on the Real ID began in 2005 based on a recommendation in the 9/11 Commission report that the federal government should “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification.”

Find out if you need a Real ID

If you haven’t had to renew your driver’s license for a few years, chances are you don’t have a Real ID. To check, look for a star at the top of your license conveying it’s certified as a Real ID. Instead of a star, California uses a star on a golden bear and Ohio uses a black cut-out star.

Many Americans are unaware that traveling by air will require a Real ID at airport security checkpoints, according to the U.S. Travel Association (USTA).

In addition to a Real ID license, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners will accept 15 other identifications including, a valid U.S. passport/card, a Global Entry card or a permanent resident card. If you have TSA Precheck or Clear, you still will need a Real ID or other acceptable form of ID.

To see if you will need a REAL ID for upcoming travel, answer some questions on the Homeland Security website.

Confusion over the Real ID

A USTA survey in 2020 found that many Americans don’t have a Real ID or are confused about it. Among the findings were:

• 65% thought their driver’s license was not a Real ID or they were confused
• 36% say they’re certain their license is not a Real ID
• 21% say they’re unsure if their license is a Real ID
• 15% thought they had a Real ID and could correctly identify the star
• Of the 52% of Americans who say they plan to fly in the next two years, 54% have a federally approved ID, such as a passport, but don’t have a Real ID or are unsure.

The numbers probably haven’t changed much since the USTA in May requested an extension in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

How to get a Real ID

To get a REAL ID, you must go to the DMV and bring proof of identity, which varies by state. Check with your state’s DMV for specifics. Some DMVs do not accept laminated social security cards. The DHS website provides a map with state-by-state information on getting a REAL ID.

Anyone under age 18 doesn’t need to show identification to travel within the United States with a companion who has identification. That typically includes children flying as “an unaccompanied minor,” who is escorted by an adult with identification. Check with your airline first because each carrier has different rules about children, especially unaccompanied minors.

For more information, go to the FAQs page on the DHS website.

Traveling soon? Here’s what you need to know

Traveling is a lot more complicated than it used to be thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. And travelers must be savvy to stay abreast of the fast-changing landscape.

If you plan to travel this spring, summer or beyond, here are two helpful articles I recently wrote for AARP:

• Traveling Soon? Don’t Forget These 6 Health Documents, March 11, 2022
• The Latest Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines and Travel, Jan. 20, 2022

And while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed its indoor mask guidance based on COVID-19 community levels, you still must wear a mask on U.S. public transportation, such as airplanes and trains, and in transit hubs, such as airports and depots. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration just extended that federal mask mandate for public transportation and transit hubs by one month to April 18, 2022. Update: On April 13, the CDC extended the federal mask requirement to May 3 as #COVID19 cases rise.

If you plan to travel internationally, all air passengers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, still must show a negative COVID-19 test to enter or re-enter the United States within one day of departure.

Have COVID-19 vaccine will travel this summer

Regardless of how and where you plan to go, the summer travel season this year promises to be busy.

After being cooped up for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are expected to be out in droves this summer as more people get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (14 days after receiving your last recommended vaccination dose), restrictions relax and more businesses reopen or extend their hours and services.

Many states and countries have or are planning to ease travel restrictions in time for the traditional summer tourist season.

Rental cars are expensive and more people are flying. The number of people traveling through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints at U.S. airports topped 1.5 million for the week ended April 25 vs. 128,875 a year earlier.

Travel search skite Kayak has seen an increase in travel searches for warm-weather leisure destinations such as Hawaii and Mexico.

Travel within the United States

Some states and countries still have testing, mask and quarantine regulations in place, but that’s gradually changing.

Some states have done away with testing requirements to enter and 17 states, including Iowa and Wisconsin, had fully lifted their mask mandates as of early May. Other states, such as California, Minnesota, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, plan to lift restrictions to some degree in May and June.

Check out CNN’s updated list of coronavirus-related travel restrictions by state.

TSA has extended its face mask requirement for all U. S. public transportation, including airports, commercial aircraft, buses and all rail systems, through Sept. 13.

Travel outside the United States

Internationally, one of the biggest changes recently occurred, when the European Union (EU) indicated plans to welcome vaccinated American tourists in June. Now, travel to Europe is limited.

The vaccines given in the United States — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) — “will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told The New York Times. The EU would recommend its 27 member countries relax current border restrictions, but it will be up to individual country and travelers probably will have to show a vaccination certificate.

Some countries are setting their own tourism rules to welcome back travelers ahead of the EU.

In mid-March, Iceland eased border restrictions for vaccinated Americans and other international visitors. As of April, Croatia ended its COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated American travelers. Croatia also is open to travelers who aren’t vaccinated if they meet certain requirements.

More countries are following suit to help jump start their economies ravaged by the pandemic, including:

* In late April, Greece lifted its quarantine restrictions for Americans and some other international travelers who provide a valid vaccination certificate or negative COVID-19 PCR test result 72 hours before arrival, and plans to reopen fully to tourism in mid-May.

* Italy is preparing to have a health pass ready in mid-May to welcome foreign travelers.

* Starting June 9, France plans to welcome U.S. and other foreign tourists with a “health pass,” according to Reuters. By then, bars and restaurants will be back to offering outside service, and museums, cinemas and theaters will have reopened. And France will start raising its 7 p.m. curfew to 9 p.m. on May 19, 11 p.m. on June 9 and and erased on June 30.

* Spain said it plans to open to travelers from outside Europe in time for summer and is preparing to implement a digital health certificate, which it will start testing in May at all of its 46 airports.

Meteore, Greece, is one of that country’s top tourist destinations. (Photo by Sheryl Jean)

The Points Guy blog provides a comprehensive country-by-country guide of where you can travel to once you’re vaccinated. Kayak also has a web page of pandemic restrictions by country.

Some countries, such as Estonia, Poland and Romania, still have bans on vaccinated U.S. tourists.

5 tips to free up room in your luggage for holiday travel

It’s that time of year again, when we travel far distances to be with family and friends for the holidays.

Whether you’re flying or driving, space is at a premium. Packing light is a priority.

Here are five tips on what not to pack and how to better pack what’s necessary:

1. Leave your toiletries at home. Whether you’re in a hotel, AirBnB or a relative’s house, chances are they’ll provide shampoo. If you can do without your favorite brands for a few days, leave behind your soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and other common toiletries. You also can buy them at your destination. If you must have a certain brands, carry the travel sizes. That will not only save room in your checked bags but it meets TSA regulations for carry-on bags. Also pack smaller sizes of other items, such as a hairbrush.

If you must pack toiletries, bring the item on the left, which is smaller than 3.4 ounces. (Sheryl Jean)

2. Think like a European. Do you really need six complete changes of clothes and five pairs of shoes for a four-day trip? Recycle your clothing. That’s what Europeans do. Pack color coordinates items to mix and match pieces of clothing. Your relatives may not even notice you wore the same blues two days ago if it’s underneath a sweater.

3. Roll, don’t fold. You’ll save room your luggage by rolling your clothing instead of folding them flat. That method also reduces wrinkles and makes it easier to see what’s in your bag. I was rolling long before Marie Kondo recommended it.

This is how I roll my clothes before placing them in a bag. (Sheryl Jean)

4. Pack for the weather. Check the weather forecast for your destination before you pack. If there’s no chance of rain, don’t pack an umbrella and raincoat. If it’s supposed to snow, replace high heels with boots and wear them on the plane. Always wear your heaviest items when flying to free up more room in and reduce the weight of your luggage.

5. Don’t duplicate. If you have an e-reader, do you need to bring books? If you have a smartphone, do you need a travel alarm clock? Do you need both a tablet and a laptop? Pick technology or go Old School, but not both, and don’t duplicate your technology.

Note: The featured photo at top is from took a pic via Pixabay.

Talking turkey: Thanksgiving air travel could soar

The Thanksgiving travel season promises to be one of the busiest ever for fliers, and I’m not talking about turkeys.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects more than 25 million people to travel through airports across the country this Thanksgiving season (Nov. 16 through Nov. 26). That’s nearly a 7 percent increase from 2017, making the holiday season one of TSA’s busiest on record.

Last year, the TSA noticed a shift in Thanksgiving air travel patterns it expects to continue this year: The big travel crush starts the Friday before Thanksgiving, instead of one day before the holiday.

Still, the busiest travel days are expected be the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday afterward when people are returning home.

If this Thanksgiving might log record travel numbers, should we expect Christmas travel to do the same?

Most outlooks for the December holidays aren’t out yet, but it’s a good bet. In its 2018 Holiday Outlook report, PricewaterhouseCoopers expects more than a third (35 percent) of consumers to travel for the winter holidays. That figure is even higher for younger people: 52 percent for older millennials (age 32-36), 46 percent for young millennials (age 23-26) and 40 percent for Generation Z (people age 17-22).

Overall, travel volume to and within the United States has been growing each year for nearly 10 straight years, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

And the winter holidays always have been busy times of year for travel as children come home on college break and other family members gather from afar.

Here are some quick holiday air travel tips:

• Plan to arrive at the airport early. That means two hours before the departure of a flight within the United States and three hours before an international flight. Allow extra time for traffic congestion, parking, returning a rental car or checking luggage.
• Check this list from the TSA of items you can and cannot carry through an airport or onto an airplane.
• Be prepared to move quickly through airport security. Have your identification and boarding pass ready. Remember to remove from your carry-on bag any electronic devices larger than a cell phone and the quart-size plastic bag containing liquids and gels in 3.4-ounce containers or smaller (unless you have TSA PreCheck).
• Travel light. The less luggage you have, the easier it will be to move around. It could cost you less since many airlines have raised their checked baggage fee.
• Dress light. You must remove shoes, coats or sweaters and empty your pockets at airport security checkpoints. You also may need to remove watches and jewelry, if you’re wearing any.

5 tips for summer travelers to avoid new food screening at airport security

Get ready for longer airport checkpoint lines this summer as travelers may have to remove fruit, sandwiches and other snacks from their carry-on bags for separate screening under new security measures.

Transportation Security Administration agents recently asked a friend of mine to remove fruit and snacks from her carry-on bag at three airports — Dallas Love Field, Denver International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Although food is allowed in carry-on bags, the new screening is part of the TSA’s enhanced measures to raise the “baseline for aviation security.” Now, TSA officers may require travelers to separate items from their carry-on bags, such as food, powders and “any materials that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine.” (Tips to avoid this at end.)

Pack your carry-on snacks in a separate bag for easy separation at the airport security checkpoint. (Photo by Sheryl Jean)

Under the new rules, items that cannot be identified (does that include a mangosteen?) and resolved at checkpoint cannot be taken on an airplane. The entire process could hold up security lines and make waits much longer even though the TSA is adding over 1,600 more security staff at airports in preparation for the summer crush.

Oh yeah, the TSA expects to screen a record number of U.S. travelers this summer: 243 million people vs. more than 239 million during summer 2017.

The TSA’s stronger security measures began last summer — with requiring travelers to separately place all electronic devices bigger than a cell phone (laptops, tablets, e-readers and game consoles) in bins for X-ray screening.

Its appears that travelers with TSA PreCheck, a program that moves low-risk passengers through security quicker without having to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts and jackets, won’t be subjected to the enhanced screening measures.

Here are my tips for getting through airport security faster this summer:

1. Review TSA’s list of banned carry-on items before packing for your trip.
2. The TSA encourages travelers to organize their carry-on bags and avoid overstuffing them to avoid screening gridlock. Pack your snacks in a separate bag, whether it be a canvas or plastic bag, so you can easily separate it from the rest of your carry-on items. (See my photo at upper right.)
3. Join TSA PreCheck ($85 for five years) or Global Entry, a similar program ($100 for five years) that also provides faster U.S. Customs clearance.
4. Buy your snacks at the airport after going through the security checkpoint.
5. Consider buying food on the airplane. It’s still not the most affordable option, but food options and quality have improved.

Photo at top of a security checkpoint at Chicago’s Midway International Airport is by Chris Dilts, Creative Commons via flickr.

3 tips to help make holiday travel jollier

A record 107.3 million Americans are expected to travel to grandma’s house or some other destination this holiday season, according to AAA.

Most people will drive, but more travelers will fly because holiday airfares cost nearly 20 percent less than last year and are at a five-year low.

Regardless of your mode of transportation, you’ll probably experience crowds, lines and congestion at airports, on roads and at bus and train stations. Here are three tips to help make traveling jollier this holiday season:

1. The big question for many fliers is whether to wrap gifts that you’ll pack in your luggage.

Transportation Security Administration agents can open wrapped gifts to check what’s inside. It’s especially an issue with checked baggage because you’re not with your luggage at that point in the process. The TSA’s blog says wrapped gifts are allowed, but “not encouraged.”

Tip: Instead, bring wrapping paper, bows and tape with you or buy them when you arrive at your destination.

2. If you’re flying, remember that liquids are limited to 3.4 ounces in a quart-sized plastic bag within carry-on bags. If you have TSA Recheck (it will be printed on your boarding pass), you don’t have to put liquids in a baggie and separate them from the rest of your baggage. There’s no restriction if you pack liquids, such as wine, in a checked bag.

The TSA expands the definition of “liquid” to include aerosols, gels (such as some lip balms), creams (such as lotion) and pastes (such as toothpaste) as liquids in carry-on bags. Medications and infant/child nourishments are exempt from the rule.

Tip: If you must give wine or another liquid as a present, ship it ahead through a mail service or buy it once you arrive at your destination.

(Creative Commons via Pixabay)

3. No matter how you travel during the holidays, space is sure to be a precious commodity. Most airlines charge at least $25 to check a bag and some have tightened their carry-on limits this year. Choose gifts that won’t occupy too much space in your luggage or car.

Tip: Think small, light and easy-to-pack, such as jewelry, socks, winter accessories, electronic gadgets, candy and gift cards.

Happy holidays!