How To Get A Second United States Passport

Interested in getting a second United States Passport? Follow this guide below and in 2 days you can have your own second passport.

What: A second United States Passport. A passport is your right to travel abroad and the single most important thing you need while traveling. A second passport is a backup passport, either issued from your home country or from a country you have a dual or tipple citizenship with. In this scenario we are going to assume the only citizenship you have is with the United States of America and that you need a copy of your current passport for the reasons found in the ‘why’ section.

Why: People who need duplicate passports fall into 3 categories. The first category is people who want a second passport in the event they lose their original one. This is the most basic reason for a second United States Passport and the most common. The second category is people who want to hide evidence of travel. For American citizens this is often people who have been to Israel and want to hide that fact so they can visit the list of countries who do not recognize Israel (Afghaanistan, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, etc… ) Finally, the third category of people are those who just want a second passport to feel like a spy. While having a second passport from your home country is ‘cool’ you will feel more like a spy with a second passport from another country that is not your own

Who: As mentioned above: People who need a duplicate because they fear they will lose their passports. People who want to hide evidence of foreign travel. People who want to feel like a spy. A second United States Passport is also good for anyone who does not have enough time to apply for visas between trips.

Where: The best place to get a second passport is through VISAHQ.com – VisaHQ offers an expedited processing time (as soon as 1-2 business days) and reliable online global tracking service.

When: How about now. Getting a second passport has never been easier and now is the time to do it. With a quick turn around time and added security a second passport is an absolute must for anyone who travels abroad.

Resources: VisaHQ.com

What To Pack For Mount Kilimanjaro

What To Pack For Mount Kilimanjaro

Trying to collect, index, and purchase all the required gear for a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro is often as hard as the climb itself. Luckily for you, I have put together this handy guide for EVERYTHING you will need to pack for Mount Kilimanjaro.

*Note: All of the clothes listed come in alternative colors and sizes. For the ease of display I have shown the mens model but if you click through the link you will be able to see the womens model as well. Same goes for color schemes*

Clothes:

Water Proof Shell – Marmot Exum

One of the most important things you should pack. It should be breathable, water resistant, and have vents to keep you cool. Bonus, this one weighs about 15 ounces

Soft Shell – North Face Kishtwar Jacket

Great for the cool weather. Waterproof, lightweight, soft, and breathable.

Down Coat – First Ascent Peak XV

This jacket is reserved for the higher altitude coats when you really need the warmth. Not as necessary if you are hiking in the warmer months but check the current conditions to make sure

Hiking Pants – Columbia Head Wall Pants

These pants are kind of like wearing a super comfortable wet-suit. They will help protect you from the elements and keep your legs scratch free as you push through the prickly plants that line the trails.

Base Layer – Mountain Hardwear Men’s Integral Crew

Standard long underwear but this brand comes with a built in salt-ion finish that will keep you smelling nice after 7 days on the trail.

Gloves – Marmot Summit

Soft and element proof. You can wear them with or without the fleece liners depending on how hot you want your hands. In the warmer months, the liners make pretty good gloves themselves.

Sweater – Mountain Hardwear Nitrous

Hard to get excited about a sweater but this model is super lightweight, warm, and weighs around 10 ounces. Better yet, it fits into a standard sandwich bag and looks pretty cool while worn

Boots – La Sportiva FC ECO 3.0 GTX

Your best option for footwear is a pair of trail runners that don’t need to be broken in. Kilimanjaro doesn’t require super rugged boots so something flexible and light is your best bet.

Gear:

Day Pack – Black Diamond Equipment Octane

You’ll use your daypack to hold your ‘quick reach’ items like snacks, camera, ipod, chopstick, water, or jacket. This model is around 1,800 cubic inches and can be used off the mountain when you get home.

Sunglasses – Julbo Explorer

Normal sunglasses are not recommended here. As you get closer to the summit the sunlight and suns reflection off the snow is intense. Properly protecting your eyes is a must.

Sleeping Bag – Marmot Lithium Membrain

Weighs less than 3 pounds and will keep you warm up to 0 degrees! The price might be a little steep but its 850-fill goose down and trust me, a good nights sleep is the one thing you will want every night.

Sleeping Pad – Therm-A-Rest Nedair

This sleeping pad weighs less than a pound and will protect your back and butt from the rocks you will inevitable be sharing a sleep space with. Another plus? It helps keep your body heat with you instead of escaping into the ground below you.

There you go. While it is not an exhaustive packing list, it will definitely get you started on your journey to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. For anyone who has done this climb please feel free to leave you recommendations in the comment section and I will be sure to add them to this list.

Resources: Kilimanjaro – A guide to Africa’s highest mountain – Kilimanjaro – To the Roof of Africa – Kilimanjaro: A Trekker’s Guide – Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

How To Smoke On An Airplane

Is it possible to smoke on an airplane in teh 21st century?  Short answer, YES!  In today’s post I am going to show you two different ways you can smoke on an airplane.  As always, both are easy but one is obviously more risky than the other.

2 Ways To Smoke On An Airplane

Method 1:  Use The Airplane As Your Personal Vaporizer 

This method is definitely the more riskier of the two and involves actually lighting a real cigarette in the airplane bathroom.  For this method we are going to assume that you want to smoke an actual cigarette and not an e-cigarette (see next method).  To smoke on airplane using a real cigarette use the following steps.

Step 1:  Lock yourself in the airplane bathroom

Step 2:  Locate the smoke detecter in the bathroom and place a 10 inch x 10 inch piece of plastic rap over the detector.  On some planes the smoke detectors are difficult to find so just look for an perforation in the ceiling and place the plastic wrap there.  Be sure to not mess with any switches, wires, or cables.

Step 3-  Press and hold the ‘flush’ handle on the sink unit.  Place your hand flat against the bottom of the sink and check to see if the suction is satisfactory.  I tend to gauge the suction on weather or not the skin pulls on my hand.

Step 4-  Keep the ‘flush’ handle pushed down, put your cigarette in your mouth and light it with your mouth/cigarette as close to the suction as possible.  Its best if you use a lighter instead of matches as lighters dont emit smoke residue when struck.

Step 5 – Keep your head in the sink with you mouth and cigarette point directly down the drain.

Step 6-  Smoke away!

Step 7 – When finished run the water in the sink with the ‘flush’ handle pushed down as before.

Good luck and happy smoking!

Method 2:  Purchase an E-Cigarette

E-Cigarettes like PURE E-Cigs have become extremely popular as the list of places you can smoke is geting small and smaller.  E-Cig’s emit a water vapor from the tip instead of smoke. There is no fire, lighting, matches, or smoke.  Perfectly legal and safe for any environment including an airplane.  Please note however that different airline carries have different rules regarding electronic cigarettes.  Its best to check with the flight attendent in your section to see if its OK to use your device.  My recommend method is to ask if its ok to use your “nicotine inhaler”.  Flight attendants tend to show a little more sympathy/apathy towards that request than if you were to ask if you can use your e-cigarette.

Here is a video of someone using an e-cigarette on a flight back from Hawaii.  Notice the ‘smoke’ coming from his mouth is actually water vapor from the device, not smoke.

Nice!

So there you go.  Two simple methods to smoke on an airplane.  Good luck and be safe!!!

Resources:  Pure E-Cigarettes – The Cig Store – E-Cigs on Amazon.com