The normal passport turnaround time is six weeks, but since the beginning of the year, the passport agencies have received about a million applications a month, resulting in a backlog of about 500,000. Girlawhirl has friends who have had to postpone trips or worse, cancel them all together.

But for most Americans, it's just an annoyance. Because of the backup, the rules that were supposed to take effect on January 23, 2007 have been adjusted. So travelers who've already applied for a passport, but are still waiting for it, can travel to Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada and Bermuda with a printout from a passport center showing that the application is being processed. Of course they'll still need to bring their license or state ID card and any other required documents, but through September 30, 2007, there's no need to panic if they haven't received a passport.

And congress passed a law a couple of weeks ago that lets the State Department bring back retired employees to help process the passports. They're also going to hire additional help, and get them trained, so that by the end of the year we're back to the normal six-week turnaround. As it turns out, since there are sensitive identification materials involved, the employees who process passports must have a pretty high security clearance and lots of training, it's difficult for the State Department to deal with fluctuations in demand.

For more information on what to do if you're traveling to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean or Bermuda, click here.

For the most updated information on passport turnaround times, click here

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