My new passport finally arrived back this week from the limbo that is the Passport Office. It took about five weeks, though at least they did text me occasionally through the process so that I knew I was “in the system”.
I’ve felt surprisingly uneasy about not having a passport. It’s not that I was desperate to get away and the lack of one was holding me back – I deliberately waited until a time when I didn’t have any holidays or work trips planned at all, so that the timing wasn’t crucial. Rather, it was the fact that I couldn’t escape, even if I wanted to, that was the problem. It’s the lack of options and choices that bothered me. I feel much more comfortable now that I know I can get away if I want too. Staycations are all very well, especially when the weather is sunny, but there’s so much more of the world yet to see.
They say that if you look like your passport photo, you’re too ill to travel, and that’s certainly the case with mine. These new biometric passports have such stringent requirements on the photo that they are extremely unflattering! However, at least that should be the job done for the next ten years.
