Vivid Vacations by Akesha Scott

04/21/2025

Don’t get scammed into sharing sensitive information like your social security number or paying for free services on third-party websites! When applying for your passport, ensure you are on an official .gov site (not sites ending in .com, .org, or .us). If you're renewing your passport online, submit your application at mytravel.state.gov. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (that’s us!) is the only provider of U.S. passports. If you go through a third-party, they just serve as a middleman and will charge you more to pass us your application. Protect your privacy and avoid upcharges by going directly to travel.state.gov/passport. If you qualify, you can find information on how to renew online at travel.state.gov/renewonline

04/03/2025

We issue Travel Advisories with Levels 1 – 4. Level 4 means Do Not Travel. This level is assigned based on local conditions and/or our limited ability to help there. These places are dangerous and you may be putting yourself at extreme risk by visiting.
The Travel Advisories for the following countries are currently Level 4 - Do Not Travel:
⛔Afghanistan
⛔Belarus
⛔Burkina Faso
⛔Burma
⛔Central African Republic (CAR)
⛔Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
⛔Haiti
⛔Iran
⛔Iraq
⛔Lebanon
⛔Libya
⛔Mali
⛔North Korea
⛔Russia
⛔Somalia
⛔South Sudan
⛔Sudan
⛔Syria
⛔Ukraine
⛔Venezuela
⛔Yemen
Find the travel advisory for your destination at travel.state.gov/destination

04/01/2025

Wondering if you qualify for online passport renewal? Here are the key requirements:
✅The passport you are renewing is/was valid for 10 years, and you are age 25 or older.
✅ Your passport is either expiring within one year or has expired less than five years ago.
✅ You live in the United States (either state or territory).
✅ Your most recent passport is in your possession and was never reported as lost or stolen.
✅ You are comfortable paying online and uploading your own passport photo.
Learn more at travel.state.gov/renewonline

03/26/2025

You can find A LOT of important pre-travel information all in one convenient place at travel.state.gov/destination. Even if you're going somewhere you’ve been before, entry requirements, local laws, and safety considerations can change. Get in the habit of looking up the latest information before each trip.

10/08/2024

Amazon Prime deals for travel. Dare to be Different. 🤯

Amazon Prime members will have exclusive access to unbelievable savings on all the travel essentials for a savvy journey.

09/18/2024

Have you been to any of these "low key" countries? Would you consider them as your next vacation location?

Let’s refresh that bucket list.

09/12/2024

The U.K. government has set the deadline for when Americans and Canadians will be required to apply for and obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for travel to the U.K.

Starting on Jan. 8, 2025, all Americans and Canadians will need an ETA to get into the U.K., regardless of how long they are staying or their reasons for travel, including simply connecting through a U.K. airport.

All other international travelers, except for Irish nationals, will also need an ETA, including Europeans, though their deadline is later than January 2025. Those from Qatar have been required to obtain an ETA since November 2023 and others, including those from Saudia Arabia, the U.A.E., and other Middle Eastern countries, have been required since February 2024.

The application portal for Americans or Canadians with travel plans starting on Jan. 8, 2025, will open on Nov. 27, 2024.

08/16/2024

Travel advisory: Be aware of ships that depart or end in Amsterdam – protesters are preventing or delaying ships from getting into the Dutch capital.

As reported by the Maritime Executive, Dutch environmental protesters have already struck twice. The first time, on Aug. 10, the environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion prevented Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas from docking at the port by blocking locks the ship needed to pass through. The ship was forced to backtrack and disembark guests at the smaller port of Ijmuiden about 25 miles away from Amsterdam.

Guests scheduled to embark the same day in Amsterdam had to make the same journey to get to the ship in Ijmuiden. Royal Caribbean and the Amsterdam Port Authority provided the transfers both ways.

The following day, Aug. 11, protesters returned and again blocked the lock, this time delaying Seven Seas Mariner by about three hours.

While police did not stop the protest in the first case, they did force them to stop in the second, allowing Seven Seas Mariner to continue on to Amsterdam.

There have been no further protests but the next ocean going cruise ship is not due into Amsterdam until tomorrow, Aug. 16. Serenade of the Seas is scheduled to stop in Amsterdam on Aug. 19 and Jewel of the Seas is due back to the port on Aug. 22.

The protests come a little one month after the City of Amsterdam announced it will cap cruise ship visits to just 100 per year starting in 2026, and will end all ocean-going cruise visits by 2035.

Please contact your travel advisor if you have an upcoming cruise porting in Amsterdam.

07/09/2024

Starting July 1, 2024, Aruba will implement a $20 Sustainability Fee for visitors arriving by air to the island. This fee will support a number of projects aimed at enhancing and improving sustainability efforts on the island.

The sustainability fee will be charged through the online Embarkation & Disembarkation (ED) Card platform while one is completing the ED card to enter Aruba. The website is https://edcardaruba.aw/.

Stay informed: If you are traveling to Aruba in the (near) future, return to this page before you travel, as we are continuously updating details regarding the sustainability fee as they become available.

We strongly recommend to download the Aruba’s Health App on your smart phone prior to your travel, which is solely used by the Public Health authorities of Aruba to properly assist you and inform you on COVID-19 measures, instructions, for more information

03/06/2024

Hey Vivid Vacationers, get ready to pay more. Beginning March 5, Delta will increase fees for first and second checked bags by $5 for most U.S.-originating domestic and short-haul international routes,” Delta said in a statement to TMR on Tuesday.

The first checked bag for most passengers will now be $35, up from $30 and the second will be $45, up from $40. The increase is for new tickets—anyone previously booked will pay the old prices even if their flights are scheduled for after March 5.

01/31/2024

Please be aware of the advisory change for Jamaica travel.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.