Winter break arrives next week for many and spring break is only a few months away.

While a lot of New York families are already booked and busy for trips, some are having trouble acquiring passports, forcing some to have to wait several weeks.

Passport renewals are one of many services that suffered during COVID-19 and created a bit of a backlog. Almost three years since the start of the pandemic, the federal government can’t seem to catch up with demand.

“My plan was to fly all the way to Detroit just to get my passport,” said Shelagh Conley, who was trying to renew her passport.

Conley started booking her first tropical vacation in January.

“When I applied for the passport, it actually told us it was three-to-five week processing time, so I was very surprised,” Conley said.

But right now, according to the State Department, people will have to wait at least two months, and in some cases, nearly three months, to get their hands on a new passport.

“There has been no communication," Conley said. "My passport has been in processing for six weeks now, and I did pay for expedited.”

The delays come at a poor time, with winter and spring breaks coming on the horizon.

“People are prioritizing travel after the pandemic, especially families who missed out on family getaways," said Elizabeth Carey of AAA New York State. "They’re looking forward to these school breaks.”

Of course, people like Conley, who are flying out of country, need a passport.

“There are passport offices, but the closest one to Albany is New York City," Carey said. "There is also one on the other side of the state in Buffalo, but there you have to have a scheduled trip within two weeks.”

It took Conley contacting her local congressman’s office to obtain her passport, just in time for her trip next week.

“Don’t plan your trip before you have your passport in your hand, because it’s too stressful,” she said.

There are some services available, like Rush My Passport, that can expedite the process, but it comes at a cost of hundreds of dollars.

With the delays, you want to get the passport right the first time. There are several requirements to obtain a photo for passports. It must be taken within the past six months, and there is a specific size and quality it has to be. You can have the photo taken at your local post office or AAA location to avoid further snags in the process.