Alcatraz Prison

Alcatraz Prison is located in a very small piece of island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. The prison was originally an army fort, which was later converted into and used as a federal penitentiary for 29 years (1934 to 1963).

The prison in Alcatraz had 336 cells divided into B & C Block. There were 36 segregation cells, and 6 solitary confinement cells in D Block. Two cells on the end of C Block were used as restrooms for the guard staff. The cells in A Block were only used a few times for short term lock-up periods.

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Most prisoners incarcerated in Alcazar prison were those who were considered violent and dangerous, inmates considered escape risks, and who most probably refused to follow the rules and regulations at other Federal institutions.

Alcatraz Prison

Rules in Alcazar Prison dictated that inmates were not allowed to discuss any matters concerning prison life and there was also to be no physical contact of any kind. Inmates communicated with their visitors by intercom and conversations were monitored most of the time.

A prisoner could earn privileges in Alcazar prison which included working, visits from family members, access to the prison library, and recreational activities such as painting and music. There were only four basic rights - food, clothing, shelter and medical care.

There were no facilities for Capital Punishment in Alcatraz prison so an inmate who had been served a death sentence was transferred to San Quentin State Penitentiary for execution in the Gas Chamber. The average number of inmates in Alcazar Prison during the 29 years of its operation was around 260 and approximately 1545 total men imprisoned there.

After the prison was closed, the American Indians from 1969 until 1971 inhabited the island. Since October 1972, Alcatraz has become a historic site and part of the "Golden Gate National Recreation Area" - supervised by the National Park Service, which is now open to tours.

Alcatraz Prison

Alcatraz provides detailed information about Alcatraz, Alcatraz Ferries, Alcatraz History, and more. Alcatraz is affiliated with Timeshare.

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South Africa Travel Trips - Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans Culture Facts

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so the saying goes, but when in South Africa, it can become quite difficult to follow this with the vast amounts of languages and culture that exists here. A truly diverse nation in every sense of the word, South Africa boasts 11 official languages and a multitude of cultures that have over time blended and mixed to create a plethora of interesting features and people. The most widely spoken language in South Africa is of course English and this is the main platform for businesses and industry in the country. The other languages that are official and that are present in the relevant schools according the region they are located in are Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Venda, Tswana, Pedi, Tsonga, Swazi, Sotho, and Ndebele.

Afrikaans is the languages derived from and still closely related to Dutch or Flemish. Most of the Afrikaans speaking people are of Dutch decent, with some of the Cape Colored community also adopting this as their native tongue. In the farmland regions, Afrikaans is widely spoken and many African people speak this as their second language as opposed to English. The culture of the Afrikaans / Dutch descendants stems mainly from the arrival in South Africa. Jan Van Riebeeck was the first Dutchman to land on South African soil and from here more and more people began to descent upon the peaceful, beautiful and fertile land. Most of the Afrikaans people are farmers and wine makers with Simon Van der Stel being the first person to insist that the Cape Wines could be bottled and sold to create a booming wine industry.

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The most famous symbol that Afrikaaners are associated with is the Voortrekker (pioneer). These were the first of the Dutch immigrants that set off to explore the land of South Africa and acquire new frontiers. Women wore smaller versions of the winged Dutch caps while the men wore floppy felt or cowhide hats, and the rode in ox wagons. Music is very important in the Afrikaans community as is theater and most of the Afrikaans singers and musicians are better supported than the English singers.

South Africa Travel Trips - Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans Culture Facts

The most popular of the African tribal languages is Zulu and Xhosa. The Xhosa tribes come mainly from the Eastern Cape regions and this language is spoken more frequently in the Cape. The Zulus are found further North in the Gauteng and in the KwaZulu-Natal Province which is named after them. The Xhosa language is famous for its clicks which are used in speech. The clicks you hear are used for the letters c, x and q. In Zulu you will not have any clicks, although many of the words are similar. The heritage of the Xhosa people lies very closely with the political nature of South Africa as the famous Nelson Mandela is from Xhosa descent as is most of the ANC (African National Congress) party he formed part of. The current president, Thabo Mbeki is also Xhosa speaking. The traditional dress of the Xhosa people is colorful with lots of beading, embellishments and patterns. They often wear ankle bracelets which are used for making sound effects during dance rituals and celebrations.

The Zulu tribe was very powerful in the time of King Shaka and used to be the main tribe in the land. After the fall of Shaka and Dingaan, there have been less conspicuous Kings / Chiefs with the current Chief being Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The Zulu tribes formed the IFP or Inkatha Freedom Party during the Apartheid years and have a strong following. The Zulus are renowned for their dress. They carry long spears and body length shields usually covered in some kind of animal hide. They wear feathered head dresses and are characterized for their unique dancing style. This style was adapted by the Zulu mine workers to include some Western moves and Gumboot dancing is now a popular dance form.

Beside the official languages that are spoken there are lots of other cultures and religions that form part of South Africa. Muslims form a large part of the community, especially in the Western Cape. There is also a very large population of Indian people living in Durban and its surrounding towns with many Hindus and Islamic religions being recognized. You will also find a strong Jewish sector in most of the main cities in South Africa while other prominent nationalities include Italian, German, Portuguese, Lebanese, and smaller Chinese communities. Each nationality and religion is celebrated and not discriminated against in any way according to the new laws and cultural tolerance.

Cultural tourism is offered throughout the country now, as international visitors are eager to learn more about the different cultures and traditional African tribes that they were separate from during the Apartheid regime.

South Africa Travel Trips - Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans Culture Facts

There are a number of cultural villages in each province that offer tours, education and ritual presentations to showcase the unique heritages that the country offers. Get discount travel deals and country guides for free on FrugalMonkey. Contributor Lisa Jenkins explains how to get the most out of your South Africa travel adventure, and also provides vacation guides for several other countries including Greece, Australia, and New Zealand.

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10 Exciting Places to Visit in Alaska

In terms of area, Alaska is by far the largest state in the United States. The state is well-known for its wilderness and arctic areas, but also contains many tourist attractions as well.

Here are some exciting places to visit on your next trip to Alaska:

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1. Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum (in Anchorage): a museum dedicated to Alaska's aviation heritage that is home to 21 vintage aircraft.

10 Exciting Places to Visit in Alaska

2. Alaska Zoo (in Anchorage): home to a large collection of birds and animals, the zoo contains animals native to the state as well as more exotic creatures such as tigers and elephants.

3. Anchorage Museum of History & Art (in Anchorage): a world-class museum which preserves and exhibits the history and art of the state.

4. Elmendorf State Hatchery (in Anchorage): operated by the state's fish and game department, the state hatchery produces salmon and trout for sport fishing and offers a viewing area.

5. H2Oasis (in Anchorage): think Alaska is too cold for swimming? Think again! H2Oasis is an indoor waterpark that features rides, a wave pool, a water coaster, a 150-foot body slide.

6. The Imaginarium (in Anchorage): a hands-on learning center where you can have fun learning about science by actually doing science.

7. Juneau Trolley Car Company (in Juneau): offers a narrated tour of downtown Juneau stopping at 13 points of interest.

8. Mount Robert Tramway (in Juneau): an aerial tramway that goes from the docks to a height of 1,800 feet. At the top of the tramway is a restaurant, theater and nature center, as well as shops and walking trails.

9. Pioneer Park (in Fairbanks): previously known as "Alaskaland", Pioneer Park is a 44 acre amusement park which celebrates Alaskan history.

10. St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (in Juneau): an impressive Russian Orthodox Church which was built in 1894 and has been in continuous use ever since. The church features a large gold dome and also offers a gift shop.

10 Exciting Places to Visit in Alaska

For information about these and other attractions in Alaska, please go to: http://www.vacation2usa.com/p1_state_alaska_attractions.php

Or discover all 50 states, 800 towns & cities, and over 1,000 attractions! For more information about travel and vacations in the US, please visit: http://www.vacation2usa.com/

This article is Copyright (C) 2007, Answers 2000 Limited.

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Differences of Tour Operators and Travel Agents

Tour Operators & travel Agents are different in Malaysia! And the public have had the wrong perception for long time. In Malaysia, Tour Operators and Travel Agents are different and play different roles. In a factory scenario, a Tour Operator is like the production department and the Travel Agent is like the Sales Department...

A Tour Operator is the organizer and provider of package holidays. It is often referred as the Ground Handler. The Tour Company will make contracts with hotels and resorts, airlines and ground transport companies like private cars, buses, vans, ferries and trains & etc. With all the necessary pricing and information compiled, the Tour Operator will draft detailed tour packages and distribute to Travel Agents in Travel Agent Directory in Malaysia and even overseas.

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The roles & responsibilities of a Tour Operator are booking and arranging:

Differences of Tour Operators and Travel Agents

- Transportation: Chaffered Car, Chartered Bus & Van, Air Ticket, Train Ticket, Ferry Ticket, Cruise Ticket, other transit modes and even special vehicles like trishaw.
- Tour Guide: All Tour Guides must be licensed by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia after attending and examined in a professional Tourist Guide Courses.
- Sight Seeing: Entrance for tourist destinations, eco-tour, adventures tour, jungle trekking, snorkeling & scuba diving, island hopping and even handicraft or cultural & living experiences.
- Food & Beverage: Breakfast, Tea Time or Tea Break, Lunch & Dinner, whether by set, buffet or packed food.
- Accommodation: Hotels, Resorts, Service Apartments, Camping Sites, Dormitories, Training Camps, Chalets, Tree Houses or traditional houses & habitats that accommodating travelers.
- Activities: Tele-match, treasure hunt, paint ball, team building, outside office meeting...
- Special Events: Company dinner, karaoke contest.

On the other hand, Travel Agents do not operate tours. Travel agencies gives traveling advices to travelers, promote and sell the tour packages that they have from various Tour Operators, then administer the tour bookings. Travel Agents usually are set up in prime locations with heavy traffic such as beside the main roads, inside crowed shopping malls or at the ground floor of a landmark building.

The roles & responsibilities of a Travel Agent are:

- Selling ells travel related products and services, particularly package tours to end-user customers on behalf of third party travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, tour operator and tour companies, and cruise lines & etc.
- Most travel agents have a special department devoted to travel arrangements for business travelers, while some agencies specialize in commercial and business travelers.
- Some also serve as general service agents for foreign travel companies in different countries.
- Act as an agent for tour packages:
- Buy tour packages or tour services at discounts & sell with profits.
- Get commissions from suppliers & other tour companies.
- Act as a ticketing agent for transportation (e.g. airlines, ferry, bus, train & etc).
- Other commercial operations are undertaken: insurance, travel guides, car rental, Bureau de change, private tour guide & etc.
- Offer impartial travel advice to the customer.

Next time, if you traveling in small group less than 10 travelers, it is advisable to engage a Travel Agent. Do not try to find the best travel agent in Malaysia. There is no such myth! Just go with the travel agent that suit your traveling needs and budgets or the tour agent that you trusted the most. However, if you are organizing a group tour like company tour, a Tour Operator will be able to provide you a more suitable tailor-made service.

The above information are guidelines and advices that 88Holidays provided to its Corporate Clients in organizing group tour. It is simple but useful information to help organizing a successful company tour with many years experiences.

Differences of Tour Operators and Travel Agents

EIGHTY-EIGHT HOLIDAYS (M) SDN BHD (88Holidays) is the tour company under 88Group of Companies. As one of the top group tour operator in Malaysia, 88Holidays is specialized in organizing company tour, meeting and training packages, conferences & conventions, tele-match and treasure hunt, team building workshops, company dinner & etc for companies & factories! The only testimonial 88Holidays is proud of is its repeating corporate clients who let this trusted tour operator organizes their company tours in Malaysia and even overseas years after years.

If you are planning for company's events, activities and company tours within or outside Malaysia, it is best to first contact 88Holidays at General@88Holidays.com or Malaysia hotline 1-700-80-1388. To view its clients' activities or group photos, please go to http://www.88Holidays.com.

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Volaris Airlines - A New Airline For Mexico

Mexico is getting a new airline and if the carrier meets all expectations it will go a long way in helping Mexican air traffic double over just the next three years. Volaris Airlines, started by Mexican billionaires Carlos Slim and Emilio Azcarraga, is expecting to take its first flight on March 13, 2006. Volaris may impact the airline industry well beyond Mexico especially if its aggressive expansion plans work out.

With the Mexican government in the process of divesting its interest in two airlines, Aero Mexico and Mexicana Airlines, start up carriers are poised to jump in and provide service as fares drop and demand surges. Up to now, the highly controlled Mexican airline industry has put a damper on customer demand as artificially high prices and a restricted market have kept customers away. Volaris Airlines, along with competing start up airline, Interjet, are expected to quickly reshape the Mexican airline industry beginning this year.

Travel Leisure

Volaris is planning to serve at least six Mexican cities and eventually provide service between Mexican and U.S. destinations. No word how all of this will impact wannabe start up Mexus Airlines, currently operating as a "paper carrier" with no concrete plans [or funding] to start flying.

Volaris Airlines - A New Airline For Mexico

Volaris plans on flying 16 A319 aircraft and has an option on 40 A320 aircraft. TACA International Airlines, based in El Salvador, will hold a minority stake in the airline. If all goes well with Volaris, expect the Mexican airline industry to go through a shake up similar to what the U.S. airline industry has experienced.

Source: Houston Chronicle, January 13, 2006

Volaris Airlines - A New Airline For Mexico

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Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is a chosen airline by travelers for several reasons. It offers travelers a network of 89 destinations all over Asia, Europe, North America and South West Pacific and Asia. There are several direct flights and if not so then there are easy interchanges available.

There are several flyer benefits that one can notch up whilst flying Singapore airlines. Singapore airlines fly to several places in Asia such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Hong Kong, Manila and Jakarta to name a few.

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On the long haul flights to London, San Francisco, Sydney, Munich, Los Angeles and Houston. Singapore airlines operate passenger services to 65 cities around the world in 35 countries. Passengers who have traveled by Singapore airlines have loved the cabin ambience that it provides. As soon as you enter the aircraft of Singapore airlines you are overtaken by the refreshingly calm and soothing ambience that sets you right in the holiday mood or for a business meeting. The seats are comfortable and the cabin crew warm and friendly. There is generous amount of leg room for you to stretch and not feel cramped on the journey. The seat pitch for economy class is 32 inches and for business class seats at 40 inches. This is quite a bit of ergonomically designed seating so as to ensure that the seats are made to fit the contours of your body easily and the flexible hand rests allow you support and flexibility. The upholstery did in leather gives you the luxuriant and comfortable feel along with the comfortable storing space for hand luggage.

Singapore Airlines

Most of the aircraft operated are the latest and therein offer the passenger the best of traveling experience. The cabin crew at Singapore airlines come from diverse cultures and speak several different languages to make the passengers feel comfortable at all times. They are friendly and professional with the right training under their belt to take on any kind of situation. They help the passengers to unwind and provide the most relaxing and ideal of service miles above the ground. They are there to assist the passengers in all respects and ensure that the multi-lingual ability makes them connect with one and all on board. The cabin crew will help you with the luggage, connecting flights, answer your questions and queries and in short be there throughout the flight to make the flight a wonderful experience for the passenger.

Also, the in-flight dining and entertainment is an experience by itself. The menu comprises of the right mix of oriental and western fare which is perfect to suit several different tastes and palettes. There is an emphasis on the local cuisine which many passengers love to taste during their journey. In case of any special dietary requirements that is taken care of at Singapore airlines.

There is a loyalty program that one can participate in and redeem frequently flyer miles to notch up more travel by Singapore airlines.

Singapore Airlines

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History of Travel & Tourism

2000 years Before Christ, in India and Mesopotamia

Travel for trade was an important feature since the beginning of civilisation. The port at Lothal was an important centre of trade between the Indus valley civilisation and the Sumerian civilisation.

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600 BC and thereafter

History of Travel & Tourism

The earliest form of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of historic antiquities was open to the public in Babylon. The Egyptians held many religious festivals that attracted the devout and many people who thronged to cities to see famous works of arts and buildings.

In India, as elsewhere, kings travelled for empire building. The Brahmins and the common people travelled for religious purposes. Thousands of Brahmins and the common folk thronged Sarnath and Sravasti to be greeted by the inscrutable smile of the Enlightened One- the Buddha.

500 BC, the Greek civilisation

The Greek tourists travelled to sites of healing gods. The Greeks also enjoyed their religious festivals that increasingly became a pursuit of pleasure, and in particular, sport. Athens had become an important site for travellers visiting the major sights such as the Parthenon. Inns were established in large towns and seaports to provide for travellers' needs. Courtesans were the principal entertainment offered.

 
This era also saw the birth of travel writing. Herodotus was the worlds' first travel writer. Guidebooks also made their appearance in the fourth century covering destinations such as Athens, Sparta and Troy. Advertisements in the way of signs directing people to inns are also known in this period.

The Roman Empire

With no foreign borders between England and Syria, and with safe seas from piracy due to Roman patrols, the conditions favouring travel had arrived. First class roads coupled with staging inns (precursors of modern motels) promoted the growth of travel. Romans travelled to Sicily, Greece, Rhodes, Troy and Egypt. From 300 AD travel to the Holy Land also became very popular. The Romans introduced their guidebooks (itineraria), listing hotels with symbols to identify quality.

Second homes were built by the rich near Rome, occupied primarily during springtime social season. The most fashionable resorts were found around Bay of Naples. Naples attracted the retired and the intellectuals, Cumae attracted the fashionable while Baiae attracted the down market tourist, becoming noted for its rowdiness, drunkenness and all- night singing.

Travel and Tourism were to never attain a similar status until the modern times.

In the Middle Ages

Travel became difficult and dangerous as people travelled for business or for a sense of obligation and duty.

Adventurers sought fame and fortune through travel. The Europeans tried to discover a sea route to India for trade purposes and in this fashion discovered America and explored parts of Africa. Strolling players and minstrels made their living by performing as they travelled. Missionaries, saints, etc. travelled to spread the sacred word.

Leisure travel in India was introduced by the Mughals. The Mughal kings built luxurious palaces and enchanting gardens at places of natural and scenic beauty (for example Jehangir travelled to Kashmir drawn by its beauty.

Travel for empire building and pilgrimage was a regular feature.

The Grand Tour

From the early seventeenth century, a new form of tourism was developed as a direct outcome of the Renaissance. Under the reign of Elizabeth 1, young men seeking positions at court were encouraged to travel to continent to finish their education. Later, it became customary for education of gentleman to be completed by a 'Grand Tour' accompanied by a tutor and lasting for three or more years. While ostensibly educational, the pleasure seeking men travelled to enjoy life and culture of Paris, Venice or Florence. By the end of eighteenth century, the custom had become institutionalised in the gentry. Gradually pleasure travel displaced educational travel. The advent of Napoleonic wars inhibited travel for around 30 years and led to the decline of the custom of the Grand Tour.

The development of the spas

The spas grew in popularity in the seventeenth century in Britain and a little later in the European Continent as awareness about the therapeutic qualities of mineral water increased. Taking the cure in the spa rapidly acquired the nature of a status symbol. The resorts changed in character as pleasure became the motivation of visits. They became an important centre of social life for the high society.

In the nineteenth century they were gradually replaced by the seaside resort.

The sun, sand and sea resorts

The sea water became associated with health benefits. The earliest visitors therefore drank it and did not bathe in it. By the early eighteenth century, small fishing resorts sprung up in England for visitors who drank and immersed themselves in sea water. With the overcrowding of inland spas, the new sea side resorts grew in popularity. The introduction of steamboat services in 19th century introduced more resorts in the circuit. The seaside resort gradually became a social meeting point

 Role of the industrial revolution in promoting travel in the west

 The rapid urbanisation due to industrialisation led to mass immigration in cities. These people were lured into travel to escape their environment to places of natural beauty, often to the countryside they had come from change of routine from a physically and psychologically stressful jobs to a leisurely pace in countryside.

Highlights of travel in the nineteenth century 

·        Advent of railway initially catalysed business travel and later leisure travel. Gradually special trains were chartered to only take leisure travel to their destinations.

·        Package tours organised by entrepreneurs such as Thomas Cook.

·        The European countries indulged in a lot of business travel often to their colonies to buy raw material and sell finished goods.

·        The invention of photography acted as a status-enhancing tool and promoted overseas travel.

·        The formation of first hotel chains; pioneered by the railway companies who established great railway terminus hotels.

·        Seaside resorts began to develop different images as for day-trippers, elite, for gambling.

·        Other types of destinations-ski resorts, hill stations, mountaineering spots etc.

·        The technological development in steamships promoted travel between North America and Europe.

·        The Suez Canal opened direct sea routes to India and the Far East.

·        The cult of the guidebook followed the development of photography.

 

 

Tourism in the Twentieth Century

 

The First World War gave first hand experience of countries and aroused a sense of curiosity about international travel among less well off sector for the first time. The large scale of migration to the US meant a lot of travel across the Atlantic. Private motoring began to encourage domestic travel in Europe and the west.  The sea side resort became annual family holiday destination in Britain and increased in popularity in other countries of the west. Hotels proliferated in these destinations.

The birth of air travel and after

The wars increased interest in international travel. This interest was given the shape of mass tourism by the aviation industry. The surplus of aircraft and growth of private airlines aided the expansion of air travel. The aircraft had become comfortable, faster and steadily cheaper for overseas travel. With the introduction of Boeing 707 jet in 1958, the age of air travel for the masses had arrived. The beginning of chartered flights boosted the package tour market and led to the establishment of organised mass tourism. The Boeing 747, a 400 seat craft, brought the cost of travel down sharply. The seaside resorts in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Caribbean were the initial hot spots of mass tourism.

A corresponding growth in hotel industry led to the establishment of world-wide chains. Tourism also began to diversify as people began to flock alternative destinations in the 70s. Nepal and India received a throng of tourists lured by Hare Krishna movement and transcendental meditation. The beginning of individual travel in a significant volume only occurred in the 80s. Air travel also led to a continuous growth in business travel especially with the emergence of the MNCs.

History of Travel & Tourism

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Passport Fees - How Much Does a Passport Cost?

Passport fees that an applicant must pay depend on the type of service requested and how quickly the travel document is needed. That being the case, the cost of a passport can vary from to several hundred dollars. This article will provide you with a breakdown of the fees that you will need to pay in order to get a passport.

The application fee for a new passport book for an adult is 0. This is the same whether you are applying for the first-time or replacing for a lost, stolen or damaged one. The application fee for a new passport book for a minor is . Passport cards are less. Adults pay while the fee for a minor to get one is only .

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Both minors and adults must pay an execution fee of when submitting form DS-11. This is paid to the agent where the application is submitted. This can be at a local application acceptance facility or a regional agency. There is no execution fee when an adult applies for a passport renewal.

Passport Fees - How Much Does a Passport Cost?

A fee of 0 is required of applicants who are unable to submit evidence of U.S. citizenship to request. This pays for a file search of an applicant's previous passport or Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

There are only 16 visa pages in a 24-page passport book. If you travel often, this may not be a sufficient number of visa pages to last the length of the passport's validity. You may be required to apply for additional pages. There is a fee of for this service.

Passports services for which there are no fees include a name change if the request is made within one year from the current passport's date of issuance. There is also no fee for if you need to apply to correct data errors in your travel document.

Applicants who need to have the passport application processed in 2 weeks or less can request expedited service. There is an additional fee for this service. Same day service is only available at regional agencies. You can submit the application in person or get a professional expediting service to do it for you if you live to far away or do not have the time.

The passport fees listed above are based on the most recent fee scale. The cost of most services was increased. Even so, the amount is less than the passport fees charged by many other countries. Consider this, a new passport for an adult costs only .13 a month over the 10-year validity of the passport.

Passport Fees - How Much Does a Passport Cost?

Visit U.S. Passport Service Guide for step-by-step instructions for getting a US passport. Download application forms, get a checklist of requirements and access a directory of passport expediters to quickly compare expedited passport services.

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Fun Facts About South Africa

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Perhaps the most famous South African movie is "Tsotsi" by Gavin Hood."Tsotsi" is a story about a gang leader.On March 5, 2006, "Tsotsi" won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film in Los Angeles.
In his speech, Gavin Hood said, "God bless Africa. Wow. I have a speech, it´s in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine´s way too long. Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I´m accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film. It is sitting right there to start with.Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva. I´ve got ten seconds.Ten seconds I just want to thank my fellow nominees who I´ve become deep friends with. We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They´re about the human heart and emotion. It says please wrap.Thank you so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you".
Winner: "Tsotsi" (South Africa)
Finalists:
-"Sophie Scholl" (Germany)
-"Joyeux Noel" (France)
-"The Beast of the Heart" (Italy)
-"Paradise Now" (Palestine)

Travel Leisure

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Fun Facts About South Africa

For the first time since 1960, South Africa sent a delegation to compete in the Olympic Games. Certainly, South Africa sent 94 athletes to the 1992 Olympic Games, which were held in Barcelona, Spain.The African delegation had athletes competing in seventeen areas: archery, badminton, boxing, kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, weighlifting and wrestling. They returned to South Africa with two silver medals.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

Nelson Mandela was one of the most important leaders in the 20th century.He played a fundamental role in the recuperation of the nation´s democracy. Under his leadership, South Africa adopted one of the best constitutions in the world.Mandela once said, "And so it has come to pass that South Africa today undergoes her rebirth, cleansed of a horrible past, matured from a tentative beginning, and reaching out to the future with confidence. Our pledge is : never and never again shall the laws of our land rend our people apart or legalize their oppression and repression".
Since 1993, in South Africa you can feel the freedom. Different from Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe, South Africa is a democracy where the civil society has immense influence and power.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

South Africa has loads of national parks and reserves that are the home of some amazing wildlife. The Kruger National Park is one of the most popular tourist spots in the African continent. It is one of the world´s most beautiful national parks. The Kruger National Park provides an ideal habitat for animals such as elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, monkeys, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, hippopotamus, gazelles, elands, lions, and African wild dogs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

South Africa has three capitals: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).However, Johannesburg is the most important economic, industrial and cultural center in South Africa.It is one of the most industrialized cities in the Third World along with Taipei (Taiwan), Mexico City (Mexico), and Seoul (South Korea).In 2006 Johannesburg had a population of 2.6 million

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

For the first time, Africa will host 2010 FIFA World Cup.The Football World Championship to be held in South Africa.In 2000,Joseph Blatter, FIFA president, wanted the FIFA to vote for South Africa.However, New Zealand´s Charlie Dempsey ducked out of the final vote and Germany nicked it.For this reason, Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006.
In 2007,Thabo Mbeki, South African president, said: "I have no doubt that our local organising committee, government at all levels, and everybody concerned will do the necessary work to guarantee that we host a better tournament in 2010 than the excellent 2006 German World Cup".
It also noted that millions of dollars have been spent in the past years on reforming South Africa´s sporting system.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

About half of the world´s gold is produced in South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

South Africa has many famous people: Christian Barnard (surgeon), Miriam Makeba (singer and anti-AIDS activist), Caron Bernstein (model,actress and singer), Nelson Mandela (former president and anti-AIDS activist), Nadine Gordimer (writer), Athol Fugard (writer),Mathosa (singer), Zola Budd (sportswoman), Charlize Theron (actress), Ilene Hamann (actress and model), Harry Oppenheimer (anti-apartheid industrialist), Richard Goldstone (international judge), Musetta Vander (actress and model), Danny Koppel (singer), Zakes Mokae (actor), Juliet prowse (dancer and actress), and Joe Mafela (actor).

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The South African Penny Heyns, won the 100-and 200-meter breaststroke events at the 1996 Summer Olympics.She is considered among South Africa´s national heroines. Like Anthony Nesty (Suriname), Felipe Muñoz (Mexico), Claudia Poll (Costa Rica), and Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe), Penny Heyns is a Third World swimming icon.

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South Africa has many World Heritage Sites by UNESCO: Greater Saint Lucia Wetland Park (1999), Robben Island (1999), Drakensberg Park (2000), Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (2003), Vredefort Dome (2005), and Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2004).

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On March 26, 1998, American U.S. president Bill Clinton visited South Africa.

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South Africa has more Nobel Prizes than Mexico(3) India (2) Brazil (0)Argentina (3) Cuba (0), and the People´s Republic of China (1).

South Africa has six Nobel Prize winners:

1960: Albert J. Luthuli (Nobel Prize for Peace)

1982: Aaron Klug (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)

1984:Bishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Prize for Peace)

1991: Nadine Gordimer (Nobel Prize for Literature)

1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. de Klerk (Nobel Prize for Peace)

2003: John Maxwell Coetzee (Nobel Prize for Literature)

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The people of South Africa are proud that their country is a society of people with many different backgrounds. Many people are mixture of several nationalities and races. About 2 million Asians live in South Africa. The ancestors of the most of them came from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

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South Africa superstar Charlize Theron is an icon in Africa. She is a woman one can not fail to admire.

Academy Award winning actress, Halle Berry worked as a fashion model in the 1980s.Berry is not the only Hollywood star who made a living from special jobs before becoming famous. For many actresses, this early experience came in useful in their acting career. The South African actress Charlize Theron -who has appeared in over twenty films in a movie career lasting over ten years- was a supermodel in the 1990s.

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron was born on August7, 1975, in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa.She has German and French ancestry. Charlize grew up to be a beautiful young woman and attracted the attentions of many people.She speaks English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

Charlize had been an international model since the age of 16. She began her career in Milan, Italy. In late 1996 she became an actress.On February 29, 2004, Charlize won an Academy Award for Best actress for her role as Aileen Wuournos in the film "Monster". She became the first African actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress in the history.

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in the world.The elegant clothes she wears complement her perfect body.
Filmography:"Celebrity" (1998), "Reindeer Games" (2000), "The Yards" ( 2000), "Men of Honor" (2000), "The Italian Job" (2003),
"Monster" (2003), "The Life and Death of Peters Sellers" (2004),"North Country" (2005), and "The Brazilian Job (2006).

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The Nobel Prize Nadine Gordimer is a human rights activist. Her proudest moment was when she testified at a 1986 treason trial on behalf of 22 South African anti-apartheid activists.

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South Africa has had famous athletes in the past century: Reggie Walker (olympic 100m gold medallist in 1908), Esther Brand (olympic high jump gold medallist in 1952), Joan Harrison (swimmer,won 1 olympic gold medal in 1952), and Sam Atkinson (olympic 110m hurdles gold medallist in 1928).

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Mathosa was one of the best singers in South Africa. She was called "South Africa´s Madonna of the townships". In the 1990s, Mathosa was considered among the most talented artists in Africa.

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The 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to South African author John Maxwell Coetzee. He was the fourth African Nobel laurate for literature after Wolle Soyinka of Nigeria (1986), Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt (1988), and Coetzee´s countrywoman Nadine Gordimer (1991). J.M Coetzee was born on February 9, 1940, in Cape Town, South Africa. He was cited by the Swedish Academy as an author "who in innumerables guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider".Certainly, Coetzee is one of the most famous South African authors in the 21st century.

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South Africa hosted the 1999 Pan African Games.

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The golf is a popular sport in South Africa. South Africa has had famous golfers throughout its sports history.In the 1960s and 1970s, Gary Player was one of the best golfers in the world. He won many tournaments such as the Masters Golf Tournament ( 1961,1974, and 1978), the United States Open (1965), the PGA Championship (1962 and 1972), and the British Open ( 1959, 1968, and 1974).His countryman Bobby Locke won the British Open (1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957). Furthermore, South Africa won two times the World Cup Golf: 1965 (Gary Player and Harold Henning) and 1974 (Bobby Cole and Dale Hayes).

Fun Facts About South Africa

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer.Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry.He´ve studied political science and journalism.He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso".He is an expert on foreign affairs. Futhermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are “The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad” (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and “Murder of a Gentle Land” (by John Barron and Anthony Paul).His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty o f their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.

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AA Route Finder

Most people will have to plan a trip at least once in their life time. Today, with the help of technology, planning a trip has become much easier and simplified. AA Route Finder is one of the best known tool to really simplify your trip planning process.

This simple tool can be found on AA's official website, and it is free for anyone to use at anytime. It uses Google Map to show the routes, which has the nicest layout and fastest to load, in my opinion.

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AA Route Finder

It also features a few very cool options to get additional information for your trip. You can search for the nearby restaurants or hotels, and it also gives you an option to take or avoid motorways. It also has a pretty good layout for printing - you just need a copy or two of the entire trip, and you are good to go.

If you are in UK or Ireland, this tool offers some extra features like traffic alerts. It already has a ton of value and offers a great deal for free, however it adds even more reasons to use this tool if you are in the area. AA being the Great Britain company adds extra benefits to those who use the tool the most.

One of the downside of AA route finder is the cluttered layout. It is surrounded by many ads including both the ones of their own (AA's) and also 3rd party ads (such as Google's sponsored ads). Nowadays most web-based companies tend to have non-cluttered and clean-looking websites, yet this one still seems to have a lot of ads that the users do not necessarily want to see on the page.

There are both good and bad sides to AA route finder. However, in my personal experience, its benefits cover any of the negatives there may be, and there is really no excuse of delaying your route planning. If you have not given it a try yet, go to their site now and give it a try. You will find it very easy and intuitive, and possibly fall in love with the simplicity of this great tool.

AA Route Finder

If you want more information about AA Route Finder please visit my website by following the link. There also is a video walk-through on the sample use of AA Route Planner.

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