I don't have a specific destination or dates in mind yet, but want to get a passport so I'll be ready when I make up my mind. Does leaving the Travel Plans section in the application that asks where/when I am going send up any red flags? Should I just make up a trip?

No red flags, but long ago a clerk at the passport office told us to put something there if we wanted to speed up the process a little.

Hi PT,

Tell them that you will be leaving in 1 month.

Otherwise you will go to the bottom of the pile.

My husband's relatives waited until 10 weeks before their trip to get their passports, despite my nagging, and they spent a good portion of the week before their trip working the phones to try to get the passports in time. They got them the Friday before they left (they left Sunday). Seems like the wait time is around 3-4 months right now. I definitely wouldn't leave the travel plans blank.

I am still waiting for my daughter's passport renewal ( 14 weeks and counting!). I strongly suggest that you pay the $60 expediting fee. That way it goes to a different pile. Eventough you will not get it in 2 weeks as before, it'll be much better that the nonexpedited way. I think now the expedited passports are taking 4-5 weeks.

We did both our daughter's passports "expedited" 4 weeks ago, and still haven't received them, but thankfully, have another 4 weeks before travel.

I would put a date about 4 months out. Four months is within the guidelines. Too close and it looks as if you did no planning. Expediting would be quicker, but if you really have no plans, you may not want to spend the extra $. I had to travel to Chicago for my sons' passports and it had been about 13 weeks.
By the way to other posters, a child's passport cannot be renewed in the US. The entire process is started from scratch, so it takes a bit longer than a renewal.
Good Luck.
Travelatte

Good luck getting a passport! It's a nightmarish situation. I got mine in 14 weeks (2 days before my travel date!) but only after my Congressman intervened to help.
Put a date for travel that is at least a month before you will actually leave. Count on the process taking at least 4 months (even though their website still says 10-12 weeks).
It seems that they do not start to process the passport till 2 weeks before your travel date. At least, they won't even talk to you until 2 weeks before your travel date. Contacting the Passport Office is ridiculous. If you email, they tell you to contact the website, which tells you to phone, which (if the machine doesn't hang up on you!) tells you to email.
The Passport Office apparently has no way to track what they are doing. My favorite quote from them is "Until your passport is completed, we cannot speculate as to when it will be finished."
Also, I've heard of several people who have finally received their passports and there was incorrect information on them - in otherwords, they were useless.
My advice, apply very early. Check your application carefully for completeness and accuracy (or it will be kicked back). Contact your Congressman for help if needed. Good luck!!

The last time DH renewed he put, "No plans at this time," and it didn't cause any problems. Surely they know some people renew for the sake of keeping a valid passport even when they have no immediate plans.

If you make up a trip instead, they will not follow up and question why you didn't go. The passport office has enough to do these days.

So what does DH mean..."dumb husband"?!

LOL!!

The term DH is often used on this board, it's part of Fodor's lingo. "H" always stands for husband, but I suppose "D" could stand for a lot of things.

Of course, I meant Dear Husband.

You can use any number of adjectives to describe a DH. Of course it's always LW.

If you don't have a destination or date in mind, I would guess that you're not looking to go this summer or fall, but probably next year sometime.

In that case, I wouldn't bother with expedited or making up a trip. You'll get your passport sometime this fall and will be just fine. And you won't be jumping to the front of the line pushing others back for no reason.

If your plans are to actually go sometime this fall, then I would go ahead and expedite the application and include a destination and date. That way they know you really need the passport by then.