With the news filled with talks about the current government shutdown, you may be worried about how your approaching travel plans to or from sunny San Diego will be affected. You’re wondering what travel related government services may have been furloughed. The last shutdown was almost twenty years ago, in 1995 and 1996, so many people aren’t sure what to expect. The truth is, we’re 14 days into the shutdown and as a San Diego airport taxi company, we believe it’s important for visitors know the shutdown’s effects so you can adjust your vacation itinerary accordingly.
The bad news is that if you’re waiting on a passport to take off on an international vacation, there is a good chance you’ll be waiting for a while. The US Department of State’s passport offices will be closed and will not be accepting or processing new applications. Some 200,000 passport applications went unprocessed during the last government shutdown.
National parks, museums, monuments, and historic sites will be closed to the public during the shutdown. Only the employees responsible for protecting property and providing emergency care are deemed essential. If you’re headed from San Diego to Yosemite National Park in California or the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., you’ll likely have to change your plans.
The good news is that Transportation Security Administration and air traffic controllers will continue to work through the shutdown. That means that airports will stay open and most flights will go on as regularly scheduled. You will still be able to leave the country and fly abroad as long as you already have your passport. And of course, you’ll still be able to reserve private airport transportation to the San Diego Airport to catch your flight.
Most local transportation will not be affected in any way. Law and traffic enforcement are exempt from the furlough so the roadways will continue to operate normally. Public transportation, including city buses and subways, will run as usual to get people to work and around town. You won’t notice any problems getting around San Diego during the government shutdown.
Have other questions about transportation in San Diego? Click here for our standard San Diego Airport transportation rates or contact us today for specific questions about San Diego travel and cost.