Joan Scales Travel - Travel and Explore with Joan Scales

Need an Irish passport in a hurry - how to get one

29/2/2016

Getting a passport renewed in less than three working days is possible in the Dublin Passport Office with the rapid renewal service. Each day a number of appointments are reserved for emergency passport applications. They are released from 12.30pm online and you will need the details of your travel plans to apply.
Generally appointments will be between 9am - noon, and passports will be issued after 3pm. This service is only available for renewal of passports. For children’s renewal both parents/guardians must attend the appointment. The cost for a rapid renewal will be €150, passportappointments.ie

If you are travelling between three and 10 days you can use the appointment service in Dublin and Cork, costing €95. You will be given a date and a tracking number and can check the progress of your application online. Sometimes it will appear your passport is stuck at a stage, then suddenly it will be at the last stage.

The fastest and least expensive option to get a passport is by using An Post Passport Express. It will cost €89.50 and usually takes up to 10 working days for it to be delivered back to you. Normal passport applications cost €80 and can take up to 15 working days or more at busy times.

All passport applications must have a completed form, four photographs, two signed by a witness, usually a garda, stamped and have the form number written on the back, and the correct fee. Forms are available from Garda stations, post offices, libraries, and the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.

You can ask questions and query applications on (01) 6711633, by email – passportdublin@dfa.ie and passportcork@dfa.ie – or on Twitter @PassportIRL. Afternoons tend to be busiest. The Passport Office in Dublin has moved to Knockmaun House, 42-27 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2. Cork Passport Office is at 1a south Mall, Cork, (021) 4944700. dfa.ie/passports-citizenship

Online travel agent - should you use one?

20/2/2016

What is an online travel agent?OTAs are companies such as Low Cost Holidays, Budgetholidays, Gohop.ie , Travelcheaper, Travelfox, Expedia, Budgetair, Steintravel, Flycork.ie and ClickandGo.com. They operate under the same rules and regulations as normal high street agencies. They can be the online offering of an existing agency. However not all OTAs you come across are registered in Ireland.
Lately I have had a number of questions from people who used a non-Irish-licensed OTA. When things went wrong they did not know where to turn.
In one case, a family was travelling to Hong Kong from Heathrow. Their flight from Dublin was via London City airport with just a few hours to make the connection. In another case, a person got sick before their flight and Aer Lingus could not deal with them.
When you make a booking online, unless it is directly with an airline, hotel or car rental firm, your contract is with the OTA.
Beware, as well, of websites that seem like travel sites. There are a lot of comparison websites, but all they do is pass you on to another company to provide the actual travel services. They earn a commission on your bookings.
So be careful when you are making bookings with online travel agencies; recognise them for what they are. If prices seem very low, look carefully at what you are buying.
Irish online travel agencies have to comply with the Package Holidays and Travel Trade Act 1995. They must also be registered with the Commission for Aviation Regulation. You can check licences on aviationreg.ie. Generally you can trust them to sell you what you think you are buying. However, before you press send, look at the “About Us” part of the website to see exactly who you are dealing with.to edit.