Getting your walking papers

Being a Jetrosexual implies international travel, and I don't mean Detroit-Windsor, or Niagara Falls-Niagara Falls, or even San Diego-Tijuana. In fact, even these old drivers' license/birth certificate standbys will require a passport by 2008.

By age thirty, most everyone should have a passport. If you are over thirty and don't have one, I won't waste any time criticizing. I'll just say that there's no better time than now to start the process, and we here at SI have made the process a little easier by sifting through the US State Department's travel site - travel.state.gov - for information on obtaining a US passport.

The State Department operates several passport agencies, located in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Norwalk (CT), Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington (click the city name for info on that particular agency). Lastly, passport applications can be picked up and submitted at almost all US Post Offices.

You can also download and print a first-time passport application: here.

The total cost (in United States Dollars) for a first-time passport is $97 for anyone aged 16 and over and $82 for anyone under 16. The charge is broken down into the passport fee ($55 for 16 and over/$40 for under 16), the security surcharge ($12 for both), and the execution fee ($30 for both). If you apply for your passport directly through the State Department at a passport agency, the total cost may be made in one payment and in several methods. If applying through the post office, the passport fee and security surcharge must be made payable to the Department of State, while the execution fee must be made payable to the US Postal Service (check or money order only).

Additional requirements include a copy of your birth certificate as proof of United States citizenship and a state- or federal government-issued photo id for proof of identity, along with two 2x2-inch passport photos that can be taken at any FedEx-Kinko's or certain stores and pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS, or Wal-Mart. A list of other acceptable documents and forms of id can be found here.

Passports can take up to 6 weeks to arrive, but can be expedited by visiting a passport agency, or requesting rush service with the application at the post office, for an additional $60. More information on an expedited passport can be found here.

You can also check on the status of your passport application here.

Passports for adults are usually valid for 10 years. Passports for children are valid for less time and require a different application procedure (check here).

Most foreign governments require that a US passport be valid for at least another six months after the conclusion of the trip. An adult renewal passport costs $67, and more information can be found here.

For Jetros who are running out of room in their still-valid passports, extra pages can be ordered, or you can get a newer, thicker passport here.

Any other information you might want, need, or forgot to ask...check the website, because we're through with this.

Ché responds to the 11 Commandments of a Jetrosexual

In order to advance to the level of a true jetrosexual, grasshoppers, you must not only commit these to memory (in theory, at least), but you must live by the mantras espoused here in your everyday actions:

11. Thou shall have thine passport ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Ché says: Naturally.

10. Thou shalt have a favorite airport and be prepared to explain why it is thine fave.

Ché says: The new Hong Kong International. A triumph of glass, steel, and light, HKG at Chek Lap Kok is a monumental yet supremely user-friendly temple to transcontinental air travel. You could get lost, but there’s plenty of English around to make sure you don’t wander onto the runway. If only they could keep the new terminal but bring back that classic Kai Tak landing.

9. Thou shalt not be a Chatty Cathy with thine seatmate.

Ché says: Never. In fact, the eyes are lowered into a vintage Toni Morrison before the seatbelt light goes on.

8. Thou shalt never hold up the security line.

Ché says: Even though it is ridiculous that only United States security personnel require shoes to be removed, it’s even more ridiculous to continually set off the alarm with the Herringbone you got last weekend at Flea Market USA.

7. Thou shalt be able to order a beer in at least six different languages.

Ché says: Let’s up the ante a little on this one, shall we?
Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred.
Martini de vodka. Sacudarido, no revuelto.
Vodka martini. Secoué, non remué.
Vodka martini. Ristet, ikke rørt.
Martini, που τινάζεται βότκα μην ανακατωμένος.
揺れるウォッカマルティーニかき混ぜられない。

6. Thou shalt respect the five minute rule when using thine lavatory.

Ché says: This is a tough one on those 17-hour New York to Bangkok flights. Just try to go before you leave home. And don't eat too much.

5. Thou shalt be able to pack a week’s worth of clothes into a single carry-on bag.

Ché says: A good laundry service at your destination and appropriate clothing selection can stretch that week to a month if necessary.

4. Thou shalt not own one of those inflatable neck pillows.

Ché says: While they may be comfortable, they look horrid. Style and comfort must be balanced.

3. Thou shalt have at least one passport stamp from a country that now goes by a different name.

Ché says: This may be difficult for some of the less-seasoned jetrosexuals. A stamp from a country on the US State Department's travel advisory list will do.

2. Thou shalt travel Economy class, on rare occasions, just to keep thine self humble.

Ché says: This is relatively easy when thou payeth for thine own ticket.

1. Thou shalt leave terra firma behind in order to move business and culture forward.

Ché says: Done.

Now, copy and paste this handy pocket-sized list of jetrosexual commandments to print for quick reference in the event of kidnapping or memory loss.

welcome . bienvenidos . karibu . 歓迎

Hello. I'm Ché, card-carrying Jetrosexual-at-Large, and I'd like to welcome you to Salón Internacional: virtual departure lounge for those hip, urbane wunderkinds who move business and culture forward.

Contrary to popular opinion, the jet set is not an exclusive domain limited to those with exorbitant amounts of money or power. Jetrosexuals can come from all walks of life and socioeconomic situations. All it takes is a little creativity, a little attitude, a little internet surfing time, and a lot of get-up-and-go, and you'll be in the mile-high club before your luggage even makes it onto the plane.

The term jetrosexual was coined in a 2005 marketing campaign by the UK's Virgin Atlantic Airways as a way to put the glamour and excitement back into air travel - to spawn a new Jet Age, populated by a group of "high fliers" whose mission is "to achieve greatness" and "raise the bar in their industry or simply succeed where no one else could." These go-getters who get around were dubbed jetrosexuals. Well, we here at Jettin' have appropriated that concept (giving Virgin full credit) as a way to encourage more would-be adventurers to get up, brush the potato chip crumbs off their trousers, and get themselves to the nearest airport to advance their own professional objectives or to add a little flair to their otherwise vapid existences.

Here you'll find out how to score cheap airfares, pack appropriately for a two-week hot- and cold-climate voyage in the same carry-on, elbow up to VIPs in the airport Champagne Room, haggle for the best price on that souvenir Incan death mask, and much much more. Soon, you'll be telling us about which business class service has the best merlot and why only slackers fly British Airways (that was a joke, BA).

Whether you're already a platinum elite plus member with enough miles for a free first class ticket to Alpha Centauri, or you're a Customs and Immigration virgin, there's sure to be something you'll find of use or interest here at Jettin'.

Please check back regularly, as the information here is subject to frequent change and updates. You don't want to be the one who missed out on that sweepstakes for a week in Paris gratis because you forgot to stop by and speak to your friend, Ché.