14 June 2006 Don't forget your passport
Holidaymakers are being warned it's not just tickets that need to be organised ahead of time, as nearly one in five people leave it until the day before their trip to dig out their passport.
Out-of-date passports can cause unnecessary expense and stress at what is supposed to be a relaxing period, especially as according to a survey by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), 15 per cent of holidaymakers only start looking for their passport a few hours before a trip.
Last summer more than 100,000 people were forced to pay-out the £48 same-day passport renewal service fee because they failed to check their passport details.
Home Office Minister Joan Ryan said: "The advice to holidaymakers from IPS is to check now that they have their passports and that they are still valid, to avoid disappointment and to ensure they are not left grounded at the airport."
With 80 per cent of the British population now in possession of a passport, the IPS predicts that the number of passport applications and renewals is expected to rise again this year, to around seven million.
Brits travelling to the USA are advised that, under the US Visa Waiver rules everyone, including children, is required to have their own individual, machine-readable passport. 
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