Avoid last minute passport panics by:
# Check your passport before booking a holiday. Your insurance will not pay out if you miss your trip because your passport is out of date.
# Remember some countries require it has 6 months left before expiry date, while others (e.g. South Africa) insist you have a least two blank pages in your passport. Check these requirements (and whether you need a visa) at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
# Do allow four to seven weeks for a new passport to arrive. Streamline the service by using the Passport Check & Send service at the Post Office. It costs an extra £9.75 (2017) but useful if you are short of time.
# If you end up needing a last-minute passport, there is a premium one-day service costing £128 (2017).
Source: Item in Good Housekeeping, June 2017
