If the new year has you thinking about travel plans for the summer and holidays ahead, here is a purchase I would like to suggest.
Get a passport.
Having a passport unlocks new options for you when planning your vacations. Yes, international travel can be expensive - especially for U.S. residents - but traveling within the U.S. is getting more expensive, too. And some of the world's best theme parks - and theme park deals - can be found outside U.S. borders.
Here is the link to get started with applying for a U.S. passport. In addition to allowing you to fly to Europe or Asia, passports can make taking cruises easier, as you can skip the slow lines for people using birth certificates to prove their citizenship. And don't forget that you can drive to Canada and Mexico for additional vacation options, but only with a passport.
Want to ride AlpenFury at Canada's Wonderland? Or check out that new BON Luxury Theme Park that's opening in Nuevo Vallarta later this year? If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a passport.
Disney fans can enjoy an old-school Disney theme park experience - with top-rated new attractions - by flying to Hong Kong Disneyland. Even though you will need a passport, you do not need a visa to enter Hong Kong, and the prices there can be much less than as WDW, once you get past the cost of the flight - and deals for those can be found from time to time. Tokyo Disney is a dream experience, too, with prices far lower than at Disney's U.S. parks.
And in Europe, there are plenty of high-quality theme parks awaiting you, including Efteling, Europa-Park, PortAventura, Phantasialand, and Parc Asterix - not to mention Disneyland Paris and its expanded and renamed Disney Adventure World park.
But if you do not have a passport, all of these options are off the table for you. So if you would like to consider some new-to-you world-class experiences in 2026 - or beyond - spend the $130 and apply for a passport.
+1 to that suggestion, and I also would suggest the Global Entry upgrade, too. It gets you TSA PreCheck along with super-easy re-entry to the U.S.
Also, while I have yet to try it yet, you can add your passport to your Apple Wallet as a Digital ID, which counts as a Real ID when traveling domestically. You can't use a Digital ID to travel internationally, but for folks who don't have a Real ID, or simply don't want to travel with multiple forms of ID, having your passport on your phone as a Digital ID can save a lot of hassle.
I'd also second the recommendation to get Global Entry as part of your passport, which comes with TSA PreCheck. FWIW, pretty much every high-end credit card these days includes Global Entry and TSA PreCheck as an included perk of holding the card (typically along with access to certain airport lounges), and while most of these types of credit cards are charging annual fees, the perks you receive more than make up for the fee. However, I will say that if you don't want to pay for Global Entry, Mobile Passport is a very easy and convenient way to go through customs when returning to the US by completing the entry process through a mobile app that bypasses the long lines (unless you have items to declare). Also, while TSA PreCheck can be valuable, I have noticed that it has lost some of its luster recently, especially in airports where the PreCheck line is shared with Clear and PreCheck Touchless ID (an additional upcharge to the program that uses facial recognition), which allows folks with Clear and Touchless ID to skip the passengers standing in the regular PreCheck line, which in some cases makes the wait just as long as the regular security line (though in most airports PreCheck passengers do not need to remove their shoes or separate electronics from their carry-on bags).
Frankly, I don't understand why every American doesn't have a passport. In my view, it's as valuable as a drivers license (if not more), and when passports were required to cross the Mexican and Canadian borders (and at some cruise ports that used to not have passport control like the Bahamas and Virgin Islands). Passports are good for 10 years (unless you're under 18, when they have to be renewed every 5 years), so the costs are minimal when you spread them out over a decade. International travel is not as expensive as some people seem to think it is. While traveling internationally can be more complicated and there are occasionally language and social barriers that make it more difficult, the raw monetary costs are not that different from a wholistic standpoint. Unless I'm getting in my car to drive somewhere or flying within the eastern or central time zones from my home in the DC Metro area, traveling beyond is going to cost me about the same to stay in the US as it would to cross an international border in North America or across the Atlantic into Europe or North Africa. In other words, if you have the money to fly coast to coast, you can probably afford a trip to Europe if you live on the east coast or a trip to Asia (Chine/Japan/South Korea) if you live on the west coast.
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Pro Tip: Get the Passport Card add-on for +$30.
It's an extra ID that lasts as long as the passport book. While only useful in US, Canada, and Mexico, it's also a spare ID to have that does not contain your mailing address on the card. Worth the $30 for an ID that fits in your wallet for ten years.