Passports now and then

Bonjour tout le monde!
It has been awhile but I am back to write about some of our travels of late.  Last month, I traveled to Paris and Barcelona with twenty-three students and seven adults.  One thing that I'm always anxious about is passports.  If they are lost or stolen, it is a huge pain to get another one, especially if you aren't in a city with an embassy or consulate.  One of the ways you can protect yourself is to make a copy of your passport and carry it in a safe place (NOT with the original, of course); you can also scan it and email it to yourself or bring a flashdrive with you.  And then, you can be extra anal and bring along two new passport photos!  Either way, it's good to be prepared.
So, you're ready to go and have your flights, etc.  Have you checked the expiration date of your passport?  Many countries have passport restrictions - if your passport expires within a certain time (determined by the country), they won't let you in.  Plus, the airlines know this, and the computer is programmed to spit back your passport if it expires within a certain amount of time. Imagine that you are at the airport with 22 kids and three other adults and almost everyone is checked in.  The last person to check in had a passport which expired in June of 2012, and was within the 3 month period.  He couldn't fly!!!  So, our really cool Delta desk person rebooked my student for the next day, and he had to go back home to renew his passport.  If you don't have that luxury, pay attention to the expiration date.  If you are unsure about things, go ahead and renew it sooner than later.
A bientôt mes amis!