Required Travel Documentation

Upon reservation, you will need to provide us with some information required by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Secure Flight Program, as well as by our international and domestic travel partners. This information must match exactly as it appears on your valid government-issued photo identification. These photo identification requirements are as follows:

• For International Tours – Passport valid for at least six months after your scheduled return home.
• For Domestic Tours – U.S. Driver’s License or other acceptable form of government-issued photo identification.

An Important Note about Identification for Domestic Airline Travel

Please note that the Department of Homeland Security has extended the REAL ID deadline to May 7, 2025. Starting on this date, airline passengers on all domestic flights in the United States will be required to show a REAL ID-compliant form of photo identification. This new regulation is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s REAL ID Act, a set of measures designed to enhance airline security.

If you present an up-to-date passport, then you will not need to show a REAL ID in order to fly. If you do not have a valid passport, military ID, or other federally approved document, you will need to present a REAL ID for domestic air travel.

Until May 7, 2025, travelers on domestic flights may continue to show a valid U.S. driver’s license or government-issued photo ID (passport, ID card, etc.) before boarding. For more information on REAL ID, visit www.dhs.gov/real-id.

When renewing your driver’s license (or other form of photo identification), be sure to ask for the REAL ID-compliant version. Note that even if you have renewed your license after your state began producing compliant IDs, you may not have received the compliant version. Some (but not all) compliant states are producing identification cards with stars in the corner of the card to indicate compliance. To find out if your ID is compliant, contact your local DMV.

While travelers will not be affected by this until the May 7, 2025, deadline, we recommend obtaining a REAL ID–compliant form of identification sooner rather than later. Visit the official website of the TSA at www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification for a list of acceptable alternate forms of ID (valid passports, passport cards, trusted traveler cards, and active or retired military IDs are all acceptable).

For up-to-date information regarding passports and REAL ID, see our blog post: Essential Knowledge: Passports and REAL ID.

Before embarking on your trip, be sure to take clear photographs and/or make copies of these important travel documents, and store them in your checked luggage, or another safe and separate place from your primary documents.

• United States passport: If you’re traveling to a foreign country, take photos on your mobile device (or photocopies) of the first two pages of your passport – those pages with your passport number and photograph. In addition, bring along two physical passport-compliant photos in the event that you need to obtain a temporary passport.
• Government-issued ID: If you’re traveling within the United States, take photos on your mobile device (or photocopies) of your government-issued identification card (e.g., driver’s license, passport, government ID card).

Other documents you may wish to copy and carry with you on tour include visas, airline itineraries (with e-ticket numbers), record of inoculations (if required), travel protection information, credit cards, and medical prescriptions.

Sometimes it’s easier to have someone at home to help you replace lost documents rather than doing it from abroad or on the road. And of course, you want to be reachable in the event of an emergency. So be sure to leave with a trusted friend or relative your complete itinerary and hotel information, along with a set of all the important documents mentioned above. Before you depart, we will supply you with hotel contact information on your My Odyssey portal.