Here are ten tips to surviving our month-long Passport DC 2019. I attended this festival to learn what to expect, and how to approach my experience to get the ultimate enjoyment. I went the first day with a large Meetup Group, and the second day with a friend. Although with the organizer's best intentions, I still did not have a great time because the group was so large, and most of the time I was standing in line in the hot sun. There were over fifty of us in our group, and during the day people wandered away and got lost from the group. The size of our group made the experience feel like Disney Land with strangers and lines. After standing in line for so long and keeping with the group's itinerary, I had lost the group and found myself attending this festival with very sore legs. I think if you follow this advice then this festival will become one of your own personal top things to do in Washington, DC.
- Realize you cannot see it all in one day so getting into one Embassy is not going to be a quick experience. You will have to stand in line. Check in with someone who asks for your Identification and wait for the rooms to empty out before you go into the Embassy. And, this will take time. Even shuffling from one room to the next room takes time.
- Decide which embassies you want to visit before you arrive. A good place to start is to visit Cultural Tourism website, they are the official host for this event. They will give you specific information about which embassies are participating, when they will start and end, and they have a map of all of the embassies locations
- Wear comfortable clothes, shoes, and sunscreen. I cannot tell you enough but put that sunscreen on before you leave the house. Wear compression socks if you must because you will be standing in lines.
- Take breaks where you sit down. Don't spend your time madly going from one embassy to the next embassy to try and see it all. Your legs will need the break. Have a nice lunch at a neighborhood restaurant.
- Distance is further on map than expected. Some embassies are on hills and you don't want to have to walk up a hill after standing half a day in line.
- Consider visiting smaller embassies that do not have large lines to break up waiting in line experiences from the more popular embassies.
- Be aware that embassies that have live entertainment will end the entertainment an hour before closing time.
- It is optional to leave your contact email information on the signup sheet at the embassies.
- Expect to be offered marketing materials to entice you to travel to the countries so bring a bag so that you can carry the items.
- Have fun this is a great family day, and bring friends instead of joining a meetup with 50 strangers.
