Travel notes

Associated Press

Passport cards are a hit, U.S. officials say

The State Department's new passport cards, wallet-size identification cards designed to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, are proving popular already.

More than 350,000 Americans have advance-ordered the passport cards, according to the State Department.

The card is not valid for any type of air travel. It can be used only for land and sea crossings between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

Next June, travelers will be required to present documents proving both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border. For Americans who drive to Canada or Mexico or cruise regularly to the Caribbean but who do not expect to fly abroad, the passport card is a cheaper, smaller, more portable alternative to a conventional passport book.

It is the size of a credit card or driver's license and has identification information and a photo on it. It also contains a chip with a random number that allows border officials to retrieve your data instantly.

Passport cards are good for 10 years and cost $45 ($35 for children younger than 16). You can apply for one at any passport-processing site. If you have a passport but want the card anyway because of the convenient size or quick scanning, it's $20 and can be ordered by mail.

For details on how and where to get a passport card, go to http://travel.state.gov.

More than 7,600 cards have been mailed out. All existing orders are expected to be filled by Sept. 30. New applications will take about four weeks to process.

Ethical destinations

In an effort to get travelers off the beaten path and support destinations in developing countries, a group called Ethical Traveler has published a list of the ”10 best ethical destinations.“

The organization said in a statement that many countries ”are making noble attempts to preserve their natural assets, create a user-friendly infrastructure, and build an economy where their citizens share the benefits of tourist revenue. By bringing our commerce to such places, we encourage their efforts, and inspire neighboring countries to support these values as well.“

To create the list, Ethical Traveler looked at environmental protection, social welfare and human rights in the world's developing nations. The honorees on the Ethical Traveler's list, in alphabetical order, are Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua and South Africa.

The organization used various resources to make the determinations.

For more details, go to www.ethicaltraveler.org.

Fun in airports

Stuck in an airport with kids? Your wait time might not be as dreadful as you fear.

Cheapflights.com has compiled the ”Kids' Airport Diversion Guide,“ listing play areas and on-site aviation museums to keep children occupied until boarding time. To find the complete list, go to www.Cheapflights.com and scroll down the right-hand side to the section titled ”2008 Kids' Airport Diversion Guide,“ then click on the link.