Not a chance.

There are a few members who would be recognizable, even without tags, because they sport an avatar here with their face on it.
Maybe I would be able to couple some Jellies to their online characters, because of catch phrases, or similar word choice.

I think it would be a gas. I would go. Oh course, I wouldn’t be happy if some would come with billy sticks to beat on me!

Sure, I’d try.
I’d love meeting everyone, but not sure I could wait for the gran reveal. If I spend an hour chatting, I’d need to know who is who.

I’d seriously consider it. Depends where and when obviously.

I say Orlando! Lol. Convenient for me and people can also visit DisneyWorld. Any part of Florida at least you get vacation warm weather in the winter so there is an added plus.

Or, if you come up to where I live an hour north of Orlando, it’s less crowded, and we could even rent a recreation center inexpensively if you want a private space. Anywhere, we can always find a restaurant or something though. Or, are you planning this at your house?

Seriously though, I’d consider it wherever it is. Maybe summer is better if a lot of jellies with kids are interested? Because of the school year. Or, maybe it’s just the opposite for them. We’d have to take a poll.

I would.

This used to be a popular topic here on Fluther back in its heyday.

This question should be in Meta.

If it were nearby, I would go. Otherwise I would have to give it some thought.

Before I joined Fluther, I was a member of a similar site, Ask-It-Here. The creator of the site was an active member. He had a meeting at his house, which I did not attend.

I would consider it. If it was in the summer, maybe @luckyguy would have it on his acreage.

I would attend. And since I am facebook friends with a number of jellies I would be okay with no name tags!

I thought we were all going to meet at @luckyguy’s place for the next total solar eclipse visible from North America on April 8, 2024?

Absolutely depending on where and when.

Will there be cake? I’ll go if there’s cake.

Would I have to wear a tuxedo?

That sounds like fun :)
I think I would be able to ID a few and would probably like everyone very much. -So there—

Like others have said, depends on where and when.
Maybe it should be held in a neutral country.

I doubt it. But if I did attend, I would not use my ‘real’ Fluther name.

I would more likely make a nametag that says @seawulf575 or @SQUEEKY2 or @lucillelucillelucille

@elbanditoroso Do it! :)

You betcha. Unveiling Flutherites’ identities would depend on how deep the conversations were.

I’d give it a whirl, but only if the wife tagged along, I’m a shy boy see!!
No need for ID, as I’m sure you’d know who I was on first sight :D

Sure, why not?

Seems unlikely.

I have a personal policy not to meet strangers from the internet in real life. It’s kept me alive (and rape free) so far.

@gorillapaws I’m rape-free and have loved meeting people from the internet – particularly Jellies. But then I’m careful who I meet.

If I could. It would be a blast! And yes. On Lucky Guy’s acreage!

Sure, I would attend a Fluther Ball. But we should host it in the Bay Area (maybe at my house?) since the site was based in SF. :)

I think I would get along with most people. Being anonymous online is a lot different than socializing in person.

I’ll go if @janbb wears a tuxedo.

Depends on how close it was.

A few people have posted pics of themselves. Otherwise, not without observing what they say.

I think it would be tricky to get people to resist immediately talking about who each other are.

@zaku I agree. It would be the first thing out of my mouth. “Hi, I’m Chyna”!

@Zaku Indeed, that would be the fun of it.

I would if it was near me, or someone would provide transportation. (Maybe in Hawaii).

I think this would be a lot of fun. I think I could tell who a few people are. Especially the ones that have posted photos of themselves :p

@anniereborn And if they bring their dogs?

Cato needs some more training to come! Wait…if it’s at Lucky Guys there should be plenty of space for him to run it all out…

Sure. I’d do it.

I’m just gonna print out my profile picture and tape it to my face.

@raum lol

I would need a ride. Maybe @KNOWITALL would swing by and pick me up?

It would be lots more fun if @ucme did not bring the wife. :-D I would be the one chasing him about saying “pinchy pinchy”

There are some I could ID. I would know Stanley when the first two hundred dollar word gets a spoken.

I too demand cake, and/or a chocolate fountain.

It would depend on the quality of the desert table.

I vote for pancake cake

SOMEBODY SAID PANCAKES!!!

@Patty_Melt Contain yourself you saucy mare :D

I’d immediately recognise the core few I get along with, they’d be the happy shiny people see.
Then there would be the ones gossiping in the corner I’d point at singing “sourpuss grumpyface” :D

Yes, though after 11 years here I’d know who most of you are because I’ve seen pics of you.

@ucme is that sung to the tune of I Can’t Help Myself?

How far are we willing to travel for this wing ding?
Sorry I can’t see myself traveling to the east coast of the US for this.
I ask if you are on the east coast could you see yourself traveling to the west coast of Canada for this?

^^If I can time it with a vacation. We love BC.

That’s why I suggested Florida, because people like to vacation there. But, lots of places are food vacation destinations.

Most jellies are in America I guess.

I can understand that someone who drives for a living would not want to transit a continent for a party.

If he did attend, I would spot him right off.
1) OTR drivers have a walk.
2) I could call out “who lost their phone?” The one who does not check his pockets.

I don’t carry my phone in a pocket, and I don’t carry a purse any more. I carry it in a wallet case in which I keep my credit cards, DLicense, and cash. .

@Patty_Melt Depends on where it is, doll, but heck ya, I’ll pick ya up and we’ll have a blast. I love road trips the most!

Pinchy Pinchy…lol, you are funny. I bet you’d make poor @ucme blush. The English restraint see!

@janbb hahaha

@KNOWITALL Restraint? Are we talking a spot of bondage what what? :D
Blush? Well maybe a little :-)

@ucme Hey, I’m an innocent country girl, but those Yankee ladies like @Patty_Melt, you just never know do ya? Pinchy pinchy haha!

Oh you totally would, you scamp!

I forgot to mention, my presence is dependant on two minor conditions…

1) By order of royal decree

2) I receive full VIP treatment

That is all…

Pinchy pinchy pinchy

Picture an old female Benny Hill, bent over and chasing that.

I would rather see the enterprise financed and facilitated by the billionaire among us willing to foot the transportation and upkeep of the “volunteers”. To maximize attendance, it is essential that as many of the excuses we can erect for ducking out be eliminated. Those of us who are bedridden, imprisoned or self exiled by choice—those of us who are broke—all of us should be deprived of whichever crutch prevents our participation, with cowardice the final impediment. Kudos to loli for understanding immediately what the challenge is about

I’d come, and I’d bring a book, cause I’m not sure how polite conversations might be.

@Patty_Melt Now I have the Benny Hill theme stuck in my head, which is a delight…cheers :-)

I would if I had six months time to get a passport and a ride their and back.

I’d definitely be all in, if I could afford the trip.

If we take away the price of getting to it, and focus on just “would I attend,” I’d love to meet everyone. I’d like it to include former members too, though.

I might need a cap, on the amount of alcohol, I could consume…

It might need to be a two day event. The first day would be no name tags. The second day, everyone would know who everyone is. That’s how I’d prefer it.

We might need security, for when Stanley, and the Wulf, got to talking :)

But yeah. I’d love it…

I would but I feel like ya’ll would know who I was before the reveal anyways.

@MrGrimm888 Any particular former members you have in mind?

@ucme By the power invested in me as Queen, I will make sure you get a full military escort, complete with F-16s. I will make sure you arrive in the most luxurious limo known to man, with an endless bar in it too. You will also have personal assistance and will have your food brought to your throne. Do not worry. I got you covered.

@chyna . I’d love to meet Hypocrisy Central, Seek, and countless others. You’re on my list too. I can’t remember the names of all the jellies, who came, and went. There was a specific guy, I want to say Cruiser… I talked a lot of shit to him, but I think we’d be ok, IRL. I don’t know what happened to him. He either left, or was booted.

And I definitely want to meet Andrew, and (Ben?) the other constructors of the site.

To be honest, I’m surprised that I haven’t been booted myself…

Look! It’s our fluther party home videos.

I’m one of the performers. My name is Tanya. Wait for it…

That was great and so appropriate @Patty_Melt!!

@SergeantQueen How very regal of you, I thank you ma’am for your generous hospitality.
However, that all feels just like any ordinary day, but hey…It’s the thought that counts :D

It’s doubtful I’d attend. I’ve been subjected to too much homophobia from other jellies that was left entact by the mods over the ten years I’ve been here. There are jellies on here I actively distrust with my safety.

@Hawaii That are still active now? Theres a lot more of us that would never allow that, I hope you realize. But I get it.

(Dang I miss a lot apparently)

Why never allow it?

@Hawaii_Jake: You think Jellies would attack you physically?

@mrgrimm888 Because none of us should allow discrimination and bullying to anyone and most of all our fellow jellies.

I wouldn’t allow such altercations, to become physical. But, if would be so ignorant, to think they wouldn’t. .

That’s why security, would need to be there.

^This isn’t a rock concert or a rave. It would be mature (I hope) jellies gathering like a family reunion. If I thought that there would be a need for security, I would not attend.

Yeah, what the fuck.
Next thing is they’ll be armed….

Well. You know that we have that we have different opinions. If that scares you off. You should not be there.

Security? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
This would be a peaceful, fun event where I’d have you all eating out of the palm of my hand :D

Seriously though, we’re all grown ass adults & so we’d naturally gravitate to the ones we already like, while also maybe being pleasantly surprised that others turn out to be our cup of tea.

I wouldn’t give a second glance or a moment’s thought to anyone stupid enough to dislike me based entirely on ramblings here.

Best way to arrive at this would be to open your minds, relax & just enjoy, leave your prejudices & bad attitude at the door.

And your guns.

I’d only take one, or two guns….

That’s like a rapist only taking a couple of condoms to a convent…still way too many man!

I would not want to know that anyone had a gun in any social gathering I was at.

Well…I wouldn’t want anyone carrying a gun at an event I’m attending. But I’d probably want to know.

Kind of rethinking whether I’d want to attend this after all. Sorry, penguin. I’ll have to catch you in a tuxedo another time.

I like @Demosthenes offer. Perhaps my view is geographically biased, but it seems that a Bay-area party would be more likely to be gun-free. Figuratively speaking, it would be nice if all the Dan Whites are gone, and only the Harvey Milks & George Moscones remain.

This reminds me of a couple of excerpts from 2 different Bob Dylan tunes:

Yonder stands your orphan with his gun, crying like a fire in the sun.

We knew he’d lost control, when he built a fire on Main Street, and shot it full of holes.

I would attend with expectations like I have at any other social gathering I attend.

I’d have an open mind and expect to have a good time. I’d look forward to meeting some interesting people. I’d also expect that if I weren’t having a good time, I’d stay an hour and then cut out. Violence wouldn’t even be a thought in my head.

How did this go from hypothetical party planning to guns and stuff? Geez.

You guys (unarmed) are welcome at my house. Security is one floofy pup who barks too much and loves you beyond reason.
There will be cake.

The unarmed are welcome but the legless are encouraged to stay away, no drunks please…at first!

Leaked video footage of the meeting

I think people are being wrongly tagged as homophobic. We have plenty of other reasons for not liking someone.
For instance, people who dislike my guns without even meeting them first. I’m likely to take offense. That won’t drive me to a corner to get drunk and weep though.
I’ll be eating cake and scooter dancing.

If there’s cake, I’m definitely there.

“ people who dislike my guns without even meeting them first.”

@Patty_Melt: Umm…they’re inanimate, right?

Wheelchair dancing.

@cookieman, most of the time.

Wow, sounding kind of boring now if no LGBTQ’s are coming, no people with guns and no one who wants to tip bottles.

@Patty_Melt Ya, I don’t know what all that’s about either.

I haven’t seen any homophobic comments on here any time recently.

I’m LGBT and I’d come :) I guess I could bring guns to balance it out: “Pink Pistols” and all that.

I’d recognize @demosthenes. He is always wearing that green shirt. :-)

@Patty_Melt, I don’t care if you have guns, I just don’t want them in my house. :-)

You mean we couldn’t shoot trap in your back yard??^^^

Ha! My back yard is so little that three squirrels constitute overcrowding.

Oh my. I was just kidding about guns… As a side note, no state in the US that has CWP people, are allowed to carry, while drinking. It’s firmly locked, into every CWP. You are NOT allowed to drink, and be armed….

When I was HOS, at any venue, and I noticed a CWP, I would ask if they were armed. If the answer was yes, then they were denied entry. PERIOD.

I personally don’t even carry knives anymore.

Weapons, have no place at a Fluther gathering.

@MrGrimm888 -I plan on leaving mine at home. Future weapons as well.

How about high powered SUPER SOAKERS??

Several of us have sharp tongues. Is that an issue?

I wanna see pink pistols.
Does that sound NSFW?

Honestly I hate parties and large crowds. I’d rather do what I’ve already done and have an individual jelly and their guest over to my home for a few hours. Zebra visited me two months ago with his wife. He brought me some smoked Gouda from his favorite cheese store nearby. That was a pleasant visit and I didn’t need to leave my house. :)

@Jonsblond

Is Zebra Evelyn’s pet? ;-)

@Brian1946 Yep! He’s doing well.

So…. who is Zebra Evelyn’s pet? ...

Zebra.

@Dutchess_lll He was a member who first joined in early 2009 and lives near me. His username was EvelynsPetZebra. He was here for several years before he was banned. He has a love for spiders and taught me to not be afraid of them.

No, I probably wouldn’t. Not unless @anniereborn knocked me out and dragged me there.

^Common Darth. You’d be one of the jellies I’d like to meet.

I’d attend. It would be a hoot to try figuring out who some of my fellow jellies are IRL. As for a location, I would think we would need a couple things right out of the gate. We would need a venue big enough to hold, what, 200 people (jellies and SOs)? It would need to have lodging accommodations nearby and potentially rental car availability. It would be nice to have other things to do in the area…other attractions. I’m thinking somewhere near Atlanta GA since Atlanta/Hartsfield airport is one of the biggest in the country. That would mean most people could get air flights easily enough if they had to come from a long way off. International as well. Stone Mountain maybe?

I will come dressed as a 12yr old girl & will expect a big hello from my big ol’ uncle @MrGrimm888
After all, if It’s held in the states I would have travelled miles with mommy by my side :D

@seawulf575 I thought this was more of a hypothetical question.

@janbb It is a hypothetical. But everyone started getting into the concept of “if it wasn’t too far” and figuring out who could share rides with whom. I thought I’d pop out an alternative thought along those lines.

I mean, have it in CalifornIa some time next June & I’m already there…

@ucme I’d take up donations to buy your tickets if you would come dressed as a 12 year old girl. But you’d have to fly all the way to the States that way and you know I’d have to get pictures.

I’d be in daddy’s private helicopter sucking on lollipops & so your pics may be illegal!

I don’t think any venue would have to hold anywhere near 200 people. There are maybe 30 active Jellies and not all would bring an S.O. Even so, with 30 active Jellies, the number that would be available and able to attend might be half that.

IF THAT!^^
Now I know there are a lot of silent Jellies that would drive that number up,but between work ,cost of traveling and family obligations you might get maybe if lucky a half dozen people that would actually attend.

Maybe we could host a town hall meeting in chat?

Or meet in a phone booth, be room to dance even.

There are plenty of hotels, and places suitable to our congregation. I attended a continuing education event, in Arizona once. It had multiple giant rooms, for us to gather in. It was a resort.

This could happen easily. It would take money though.

@ucme , I wager I could pick you out of a crowd. Especially dressed as a 12 year old girl…:)

@MrGrimm888 Are you hitting on me big fella :D

Lol. No sir.

One thing I’ll say is whenever I met people from online forums in real life they generally are nothing like you imagined them to be.

@ARE_you_kidding_me that’s because the internet is the biggest costume party ever. That’s why I would like to see the party where we try to figure out who is who before the end of the night and the big reveal. It would be interesting to see if the people that annoy you on line are actually quite nice in person or vice versa. Or if you had them pegged from the beginning.

@seawulf575 I have been to several forum meetups. The biggest online bullies were usually so timid and insecure in person that it was hard to reconcile their online persona with the real individual. Nobody looks like you think they may look unless they post pictures but even then pictures are very deceiving. People who post a lot generally don’t talk much in person. The web forums are a bit of an outlet for them. I’m like that, I’m really quite quiet IRL. I have also found in person some of the more outgoing and social types don’t post that much on the forums they frequent.
That said I bet I could identify at least half of the crowd here in person.

@Jonsblond…. I must have had a brain fart. I knew Evelyn’s Pet Zebra. (It wasn’t
Zebra Evelyn’s pet…. I don’t think.)

Killing the echo.

@seawulf575 -I wonder the same thing. :)

@ARE_you_kidding_me I’ll give you a hint with me, should we ever pass by each other. I’ve been told I look like Bill Clinton, or maybe a Kennedy. Personality-wise, I’m pretty much like I am on here…maybe a little less long-winded.

I’m friends with a bunch of Jellies on FB, or former friends, and so they know what I look like already and vice versa.

I recently met my first Jelly in person and they were lovely, warm, and fun to be with for a couple hours.

I would expect nothing less from the rest of you.

So how do we finance the thing? Buy up those lottery tickets?

#crowdfunding

Mmmmmmmaybe so. Though in a world of starving kids snd people desperate for money to fund their chemo therapy, crowd funding a party (while Rome burns) has its downsides. Then again, I suppose the party can be justified BECAUSE Rome is burning. A fk it party!

Life goes on for the rest of us so we may as well have our party, @stanleybmanly!

@stanley Lighten up,

Haha, dude, this is all just pretend…raise the flag up the pole & see if the cat wants to lick it type stuff.

Well. I think we’d all like a get together. But there are logistics involved, that would make it improbable…

@stanleybmanly so…how much have you donated towards stopping world hunger and making everyone in the world healthy?

^Helping the world, goes beyond financial donations.

Yes, clearly all the world’s problems would be solved if we just didn’t have our little hypothetical get together.

@MrGrimm888 that is true, however @stanleybmanly did specify money.

^Well. It would take money, to make our meeting possible.

But, it doesn’t take money to talk to the youth, in our communities, or be a good neighbor….

I have no way of proving this, but would be willing to bet that there isn’t a single soul in this conversation who has not donated more time, money and effort toward charitable giving than the fool!

@stanleybmanly

You’re just trolling here, right? Serious question.

@Darth I have to admit, your bs calling does appear fairly non-partisan.lol
I was thinking the same thing.

@KNOWITALL

To quote Forrest Gump’s mama: bullshit is as bullshit smells.

Oops – just found out I’m busy the day of the party. When is it?

I doubt most of us wouldn’t even want to par take in a Skype conference call, let alone travel across the country for a get together,and I wouldn’t want to travel to the states.
I will happily stay north of the border,if for some chance you might hold it in a hotel in Vancouver I might see myself attending but thats it.

The 4th of October would be fitting.

No, the 31st of April.

Great, two parties, even better.

How about we all just meet in my bedroom at 12am?

I think Denver. It is close enough to the border Jasperdeerguy might be able to pop over. It is nearly an equal ly annoying distance for those on either coast, and convenient proximity to an airport. We might even catch a football game.

@cookieman…who did you meet? I’ve met KNOWITALL and Snowberry. I almost got to meet Caravanfan due to the eclipse but couldn’t get Rick to cooperate. : /

^Dutch, Zebra has many nicknames. All the same person and he was everything I imagined him to be plus more. I consider him a big brother.

Am I wrong, or I have not seen him on Fulther, for a while?

@MrGrimm888 Evelyn’sPetZebra hasn’t been on in years.

I think we should all surprise RedDeerGuy by showing up unexpected at his house one day.

@Zaku

Well now you gone and ruined the surprise.

Now I gotta redeem my tickets.

So now at the end of all this, who here would actually be able to get the time off work and spend the money to go across the country to meet a bunch of people that they have only been exposed to on a internet Q+A site?
Like I said a few posts up most people here wouldn’t even agree to a Skype conference call let alone travel across the country.
So in the end may 5 or 6 tops?

So if there are only 5 or 6 they can come to my house.

I could except it would have to be according to the school schedule, as I have a middle schooler that has school.

I would propose, instead, to create a Fluther map that (roughly) shows where all Jellies reside. You can choose to participate or not, but I’m not thinking actual addresses or even cities. For example, I live in the Boston, MA area.

This way, Jellies that live or are traveling close by could take a look and PM the Jelly or Jellies of their choice and look to arrange a meet up.

Placing yourself on the map means you’re potentially open to a meet up.

Whataya think?

@cookieman Great idea! I’ve been doing that informally for years and have met numerous Jellies, including our Scottish friend. Have been thinking about a trip to Boston just to meet you – and bring cookies!

I wonder if someone clever with graphics (hint, hint) could design the map.

@SQUEEKY Gotta agree. Skeptical many would commit, be hard for me tbh.

@cookieman Great idea!!!

Ahh bollocks then, I’m off to visit @lucillelucillelucille & @KNOWITALL.
Let the games begin!

(pouting)

@Patty If I go, you go sis. Pinchy pinchy!

:-D

@janbb and @chyna: Perhaps I’ll propose it in a new thread to gauge interest.

In the meantime, if y’all ever end up in Boston, I’d be happy to meet. Even without the cookies.

If I could get there, I’ll bring fudge and cookies, if @KNOWITALL will drive.

Wait brothers and sisters! I’m having a mighty vision. We must establish the “church of fluther”. Our great prophet loli is already famous for “divine inspirations”. We have all experienced his/her “speaking in tongues. We must acquire nonprofit status, easily obtained once our “scribes” set in writing our true belief that our salvation depends on the “grand communion” of the membership at some said “ holy location” (I suggest Vegas) to be determined by the scriptures in our holy book. We may then proceed with the sale of “holy luvre” to outsiders in order that they too might be saved. Their salvation of course can be guaranteed for some vague date in the future. Meantime we can direct the inflowing proceeds toward the financing of our little gathering of “we the anointed” our pedigree established through the time honored precedent of arriving first at the “great truth”.

Well. I am a Raiders fan. I’d like to see the new stadium, in LV…

@cookieman one of the motorcycle forums I used to frequent did the map thing. They ended up having a get together on the east coast and on the west coast.

@Grimmy Raider fan?! Why? :)

I remember a long time ago (2008?) in the hay day of Fluther, there was talk of a get together and someone was making a map (or going to make a map) where Jellies could pin their location with a digital push pin. That way we could see where everyone was in the world and possibly plan a get together.

Yeah that was johnpowell, fucker placed me in the middle of the North Sea :D
Visitors must turn up in a wetsuit & scuba tanks :D

@KNOWITALL . I played youth football, as a Raider. From 8, to 11 years old. It only feels right, to wear those colors. I am loyal to everyone who let’s me in. My “family,” is simular. It’s my “tribe,” I guess you could call us. I’d die, for each and everyone involved. And it kills me when one of them dies…If loyalty, is a fault. It’s definitely one of mine.

I’ve threatened scammers, and those who attack us on Fluther.

And it isn’t a bullshit threat. I’d trade my life, for your’s, any day. You don’t get to fuck with my tribe. EVER….Not fucking EVER…

@MrGrimm888 Well fine, you get an exception from my Raider Hater club. :)

And brudda, we’re on the same page.

^Yeah. I know you are a Chief’s fan. That doesn’t blemish my care about you. My fucking brother, is a Patriots fan. I can tolerate, and appreciate good sport rivalry.

Peace n love.

@MrGrimm888 My cousin has a new bf who is a Raiders fan and has been going at me on fb about my Chiefs. So tomorrow at the poker tourney, he’s getting some buck-nekkid Chiefs fans in his rig and won’t get the text pics until we all leave for the night.

Put my cousin in a Raiders helmet and posted to us…aw heck no! Now he pays!

I don’t bet on sports. I bet I’m poker. And a few other games. Where I can control the circumstances…

I would like to play poker with you. What’s your game?

Texas Hold ‘em. I will also indulge in 5 card draw, and Indian Poker. I especially like Indian Poker. It gives me clues to the tells, of others. We usually play a few hands, in the middle of a Texas Hold ‘em night. We usually just do $20 buy ins, with a $10 buy back. I typically lose. But we have 2–3 tables. So, if you win, you can leave with several hundred dollars. I’ve won, like 4, out of dozens. I probably am about even, money wise… The fucking river. I’m not a card counter. A few people I’ve played with are. I beat a great player once. I got about $260. I gave the house $20 , and apparently peed on someone’s car.

I also play Risk, with $20 buy ins. I have won a lot of money, off of that… Way more than poker.

Amazing how side tracked this thread has become, so no matter anyones best intentions I still say you might if lucky get 5 or 6 jellies that actually might take the effort to attend.
I wouldn’t if it’s held state side.

^Like I said, logistics, are the only real issue.

For any Jelly to consider crossing country lines, the first step would be a passport.

I have mine.

Not everyone has theirs.

It takes time and money just for that. Plus you have to gather your birth certificate and other documents, and if you can’t find that, you have to apply for a new one (as I did to get my passport, I had to write to the city I was born in which takes more time and money).

Whatever happened to good old fashioned smuggling??

I could fit, maybe one Jelly in my anus – if I slip them into a condom first.

@cookieman – I’m 10 feet tall and 40 feet wide so that leaves me out.

This is one weird-ass coincidence: the wall around my yard is named lucille! ;-o

@Brian1946—LOL!

Let’s be equal to amount of inconvenience, because attempting convenience is just quite unfair to some great jellies.
Everybody get some good luggage, and passports, and we shall all meet in Hyderabad.

You should ALL have passports whether we meet or not.

Why should we ALL have passports?

Trump is going to go for “Birthers for everyone”???

To come and go on a moment’s notice. Even if you do not anticipate ever having the need for the “investment”, it is one of those assets you should seek for yourself, Rick, your kids and grandkids.

When I was 18, my parents and I were coming back from a cruise ship. It was in Miami. My mother accidentally packed our passports, in our luggage. So, we had no passports reentering the US.They were in our luggage, and already back at our hotel. We had to talk to lots of people, to convince them we were American citizens. One of the guys we spoke to, was a veteran, and my father was too. Both from the Vietnam War. Both from ‘66. He let us in, after a talk with my father. I’m not sure what would have happened, if we didn’t run into the guy. My mother has a deep south accent. I don’t really have any accent. Between the two of them, the guy let us in… That was in ‘98, I know security got more difficult, after 9/11.

How does one get a passport? I always thought you had to be planning a trip out of country to get one…...

Go to Post Office !
Ask for form, get picture taken – - – send to Passport central or some Post Offices will process.

You can probably get one online, these days. But you have to have them. I lost mine, in one of my floods, and my birth certificate. I got another birth certificate, but not another passport.

No..seriously? I thought you had to be “Bond. James Bond.” To get one!
What does it cost?

Anyone is entitled to a passport and you should get to work on getting one. I believe the fee for my first one was $6 when I was a kid. But the fees now increase to match the country’s paranoia. The price increases have also been matched by increasing length between application and completion of the vetting process, which is why you want to renew your passport before it expires (every 10 years). The renewal process is merely a matter of a new photo, a far smaller fee and a much quicker turnaround time. If the thing expires, you’re stuck with whatever the new fees and rigamarole have been added to first time applicants which (believe me) will only increase. And here’s a tip that I bet better than 90% of passport holders are unaware. When you apply for your passport, you should ASK for the option of the additional optional drivers license size card that will cost something like 5 bucks. It will have the same photo as your passport and serve as ID anywhere that will accept your drivers license. It astonishes me that most people (including those with passports) are unaware of this card. I can’t tell you how many bank tellers stare at the thing in disbelief.

@Dutchess_lll you don’t have to be planning a trip to get a passport. You need to get your birth certificate and other documents together. I just did mine at the County Clerk a few months ago. I did expedited for me and my daughter because we were considering going to Scotland in August. It’s over a hundred dollars each and with the expedited option, plus photos, it was about 400 dollars for both of us.

If you and Rick have no plans to go to another country, then I wouldn’t get one. If there’s a chance you’re going to go to another country, including Canada, then they’re good to have so you’re prepared.

@jca2 is right, US and Canadian citizens didn’t have to have a passport to travel back and forth between our two countries but now you do.

Get the passport. If the fee is $100, it’s well worth it. And that $400 expedited ripoff demonstrates EXACTLY why you want to have one handy should the need arise. You wouldn’t want to be without one when EVERYONE wants to get out, and on top of that, the document is one guaranteed form of ID in an age when you’re going to be required to flash ID to use the restroom.

140 each plus photos. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/fees.html

@stanleybmanly It’s on my link, and probably @ica2’s also, but I didn’t click on hers, the passport card is $30, and if you get it at the same time as the passport book it’s still an additional $30.

Way back in the day, maybe 100 years ago, passports were very inexpensive and lasted for 2 years I think. The passport could be extended in the same book if I remember that correctly. That’s not me remembering my own passport, but something I read.

Since I’ve been getting a passport, I was born in 1968, and started getting passports when I was 14, the rules were for children it’s 5 years until expiration, and adults 10 years until expiration.

Edit: I just realized I’m on a different Q than I thought. My link isn’t here for the fees, it’s on a different thread. Anyway, that’s the fee now $30 for the card. If it’s your first passport it’s $65 for the card or $175 for the card and book.

There’s no point in spending the money for a passport and they are over $100 now unless you are going out of the country. But if you do expect to make a trip abroad, allow several weeks for the passport to come. It is more expensive to get one in a hurry. They last for 10 years. You do need to bring documentation with you.

Well that was eye opening y’all. Thank you.
So how often do passports expire…or do they? The answer is probably above but…repeat, please.

every 10 years. Mine is up again in 2025. I knew the fees
had been hiked again, but damned if it doesn’t sound like they’re actually throwing up disincentives.

I feel like @Dutchess_lll probably doesn’t have a lot of money to spare, and so for her, it wouldn’t be beneficial to pay hundreds for two passports that are very likely not going to be used. If she had it to spare, then yes. If she were someone who had plans or maybe might have friends or family that said “hey, let’s meet up in Amsterdam” then yes. Knowing @Dutchess_lll, then no, not at this time, to spend for something not likely to be used.

Sigh….valid points. But remember, you will never pay less for the damned thing than if you buy it now.

Yeah @jca2. It’s not like I could just get 1.

I think there are waivers and reduced fees. But it may be dependent on need.

Nope. But it sounds fun.