National Passport Month is Good Reminder

National Passport Month, an effort to increase the number of US passport holders (currently estimated at 27 percent) which was spearheaded by travel publisher Lonely Planet, kicked off September 1. It's intended as a reminder to get your passport so you can get traveling -- and getting your passport right this minute is an especially good idea considering the January 1 deadline on which new Homeland Security rules take effect. The new passport laws will require travelers to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Bermuda and Panama to show a passport when re-entering the US; travelers must currently show only a birth certificate and guv-issued photo id.

It's a safe bet that passport processing will get sloooow by December as travelers needing passports race the calendar. Set September's end as your own deadline for moving on your passport application, and you should make it. Get the skinny on passport procural and how to get a passport in a rush if you must, and hit the road.

• How to get your first passport
• How to get a passport in a rush
• How to get a passport without a birth certificate

Related: Latest news on passports and travel to Mexico, Canada | What documents will I need for student travel? | Passport holder review