Passport expiring? You should know this before going on holidays

Suitcase? Check. Boarding Pass? Check. Passport? Ah, shite.

Ah yes, the good old passport. It's a silent friend of ours that pops up from time to time. In some ways, it's lucky because the only time we take it with us is when we're going for a break away somewhere. However, when it's not in our back pocket boarding a plane, it can be found in a drawer, somewhere in the house and it will be forgotten about. We don't mean to neglect our old passport amigo but when it's out of sight, it's completely out of our heads. 'Sure we're not going on holidays again until next year, I'll find it then' says you. Fast forward to your next holiday and you will be desperately trying to find that passport again and if you come to the horrible realisation that it's set to expire around the same time as your holiday, do not panic. According to the Irish Times, Gardaí have told people not to bother going to the Garda Station to renew their passports and in order to save time in their crisis period, they should do it on the internet instead. The Department of Foreign Affairs launched a new online portal back in March for Irish people to renew their passports with a turnaround time of 10 working days. Going to the Garda Station to do the same thing can take almost twice as long but it seems that many Irish people are unaware of this new online tool. So, if your passport is expired or expiring and your holiday is in two weeks time, you may just be in luck. Don't forget though, if it's your first time getting a passport, it has to be applied for by mail or in person at a passport office.