Paris, France. A city of beauty, art, music, and cuisine. Paris has been around for years and has cemented itself as the number one tourist spot in the world, and it will probably hold that title for years to come. It’s nice, but it isn’t going anywhere soon. So what about those niche travel spots that might not be around in the future? They say that polar bears will go extinct soon, so you may as well catch a glimpse to brag to the grandkids someday. Today we’ll be looking at places you can go to today but may not be able to in the future. Remember, Many of these places are outside of the U.S. and require a valid passport. If your passport is about to expire soon, consider getting a passport renewal.
Komodo Island
Komodo Island is known for its sizeable acid-breathing lizards. No, not Godzilla, but the native komodo dragon.
Should you make the trip this year, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the number of ways you can approach the island. If you’d like to get more intimate with the island, several Indonesian-based tour companies will take you to explore the island chain. That’s right, it’s more than one island, three.
These tours will take you through walking tours of the islands’ native flora and fauna, and chances are you’ll even get within walking distance of a komodo dragon. If walking isn’t your thing, the islands are also a great place to dive, and most tours include this in the package.
For those who just want a glimpse before moving on, a few cruise lines, including Viking Cruises, take a route that begins in Australia and has a day-long stop on Komodo island for sightseeing.
The Great Barrier Reef
No fluff here; ocean pollution is a problem. Our ever-rising population has led to record high levels of consumption which produces a load of pollution. Coral, those colorful rocks that dot reefs, are animals, not plants like some may think.
Coral is sensitive; even touching coral can cause its structure to break down due to the natural acidity of the human body. With this in mind, the ever-changing climate and acidity level of the ocean, coupled with the trash collected in our oceans, has led to massive coral die-offs worldwide. This includes one of the most iconic reefs in the world, The Great Barrier Reef. Over half of the reef has been reported to have died since 2016.
For those unfamiliar with the death of natural ecosystems, that’s fast. Unfortunately, coral reefs take decades to form as the hard coral we think of is a build-up of the dead animal organism that is the coral.
What To Do
So, what’s a traveler to do with a rapidly dying ecosystem on the verge of collapse? Typically if you want to see the Great Barrier Reef, you begin your journey in Australia, which officially administers the reef. From there, you’ll most likely have to join one of the many tours that visit the reef annually. Since the reef has been a money maker for travel agencies over the years, many companies offer tours for everyone’s budget.
If you enjoy snorkeling/scuba, many tours will gladly provide you with diving gear to get intimate with the reef’s inhabitants. Be warned, the reef’s inhabitants include a few species of sharks, so if you watched Jaws as a child and are still scarred, perhaps our next option is more your speed.
You can still view the reef from a glass-bottom boat for those with acute aquaphobia. These boats are what they sound like, with a transparent glass bottom that allows their riders to look down and enjoy the sights of the reef without any close encounters with hammerheads. Either way, head to The Great Barrier reef before all of the once vibrant coral turns a bleached white.
Venice, Italy
Italy is known for being a prominent tourist destination with a wide range of cities, From Rome to Venice– Oh yeah, Venice might not be around in the future. This is also linked to human pollution and, more importantly, climate change. With the increasing climate comes rising sea levels. For those unfamiliar, Venice is known for canals that crisscross through the city. The waterways make travel by boat in the city viable. For many, it’s the preferred mode of transport through the city as the entire city is located on several small islands connected by a series of bridges. The combination of its scenic waterways and being in Italy has made Venice a popular tourist spot.
With the rising sea levels, however, it’s likely that soon travel by boat will be the only method of travel in the future as the sea may soon overtake pedestrian walkways. Climate change may not be the only culprit. However, some researchers cite shifting tectonic plates as one of the reasons the lagoon may soon disappear.
This makes the issue plaguing Venice a combination problem; the island is sinking while the sea around it rises. If the local government doesn’t begin to look into solutions, the entire city is slated to be underwater by the year 2100. However, if things are heading that way shortly, the city may be evacuated instead rather than an actual fix being implemented. All that considered, it may be a good idea to head over sooner rather than later. Trust me, a gondolier ride through the thriving city of Venice is much more romantic than a gondolier ride through the half-sunken remains of Venice.
Island Power Hour
All this talk of sinking cities has got me thinking of all the small scenic islands that may go the way of the dodo once sea levels rise too much. Instead of going in-depth with all these individual islands, I’ve decided to group them for time.
Let’s first start with a list of all islands at risk of being swallowed by the sea:
- The Maldives
- Micronesia
- Tuvalu
- Fiji
- Seychelles
- Torres Strait
- Palau
- Republic of Kiribati
- Samoa
- Nauru
- Marshall Islands
- Solomon Island
Now, some of these aren’t islands but rather a series of islands called an archipelago. Fiji, for example, is an archipelago that contains about 330 islands. Some, like Tuvalu, are comprised of as few as nine islands, all slated to disappear within the next few decades.
Those with particularly sensitive FOMO senses may feel tingly right now. Worry not; even though Tuvalu is a prime candidate to join the “hello, I’m underwater” club, there is also some evidence to show that it’s growing as fast as it’s sinking.
All these destinations have different travel requirements and passport validity requirements. If you need a passport renewal, apply before booking your ticket!
So far, Tuvalu is the only island outgrowing the threat of rising sea levels. If you haven’t visited any of the locations listed above, consider an island-hopping adventure to cross off as many as possible in a single go, you don’t have much time, after all.
The Arctic Circle
Now we get to talk about polar bears! All water contributing to rising sea levels has to come from somewhere, and the arctic circle is one of those places. Rising temperature means the ice that usually sits comfortably at the north pole is melting at alarming rates. Currently, NASA claims that arctic ice is decreasing by an alarming 13% a decade. This has several unfortunate consequences in The Arctic Circle. However, the good news is that under all that ice is a solid piece of land, so species like the penguin may not go completely extinct should a mass melting happen because they’ll have somewhere to be. Polar bears may not be so lucky.
Under the massive ice sheets of the north pole is nothing but ocean. While some land masses like Greenland and some of Canada’s northern territories extend into The Arctic Circle, they don’t make up a large part of the Polar Bear’s habitat. In other words, once all the ice up north melts, the polar bears will either go extinct or be forced to move further south.
How to get to the Artic Circle
Regarding visiting The Arctic Circle, you’ll probably be heading there via boat or cruise ship. Cruises typically include excursions such as polar bear and whale watching. Naturally, there are no airports in The Arctic Circle because it’s mostly ice, hardly anyone lives there, and hardly any non-disabled tourist wants to go there. Some fly-over tours begin in Alaska and then head north to give passengers an aerial view of The Arctic Circle.
Unfortunately, no matter how you approach an arctic tour, it will cost you in the thousands, so maybe skip this spot and catch a polar bear in the zoo if that’s out of the realm of possibility for you.
Why You May Need a Passport Renewal
You may have noticed that all locations listed are outside the U.S. You will need a passport to travel to these international destinations.
Most countries require travelers to have up to six months of validity on their passports from the day they leave their country to the day they return from their vacation.
You may wonder why it matters to have six or more months before your passport expires to leave the country. This requirement is simply put in place to avoid complications. For example, an extension of your trip or an emergency can prolong your stay outside of the U.S. Not being able to travel back to your country because of an expired passport can be extremely frustrating and challenging.
Do You Need A Passport Renewal?
If you need a passport renewal in a hurry, The Passport Office is here to help you. We’ve been helping travel lovers acquire passports for years. Whether it be a new passport, passport renewal, or replacing a lost/stolen passport, we’ve got you covered.
Apply today for a passport renewal in Hollywood, Miami, Orlando, or Tampa.
