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FEATURE

Ciao! To Germany Via Italy

The MBS Xojo Developers Conference 2026

Issue: 24.3 (May/June 2026)
Author: Marc Zeedar
Author Bio: Marc taught himself programming in high school when he bought his first computer but had no money for software. He's had fun learning ever since.
Article Description: After months of planning, the author embarked on a trip to Europe for the Monkeybread Software Xojo Developers Conference 2026, starting with an adventurous detour to Italy. Upon discovering their passport was expired just days before departure, they managed a last-minute renewal in Seattle, narrowly avoiding travel disruption. In Italy, despite not speaking Italian, the author navigated Rome using a smartphone, enjoying the city's famous sites at a leisurely pace and favoring lesser-known attractions. They then traveled to Florence, where they appreciated the Boboli Gardens' tranquility amidst the city's tourist bustle. The journey continued to Zurich for a scenic train stopover before reaching Andernach, Germany, for the conference. The event featured a range of presentations, from Xojo's latest updates and AI integration plans to practical tools like encryption and self-updating apps. Notably, the author presented on using Apple's AI models with Xojo. Post-conference, despite a travel mishap involving a missed connection to Amsterdam's Keukenhof Gardens, the author managed to explore the vibrant city and reflect on their extensive journey, culminating in a flight home over the Arctic, filled with awe-inspiring views and a renewed anticipation for future travels and conferences..
Article Length (in bytes): 48,463
Starting Page Number: 32
Article Number: 24305
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Excerpt of article text...

After months of planning, my trip to the Monkeybread Software Xojo Developers Conference 2026 began inauspiciously. As usual, I planned to do some extra sightseeing while in Europe, and this time I'd decided to be adventurous and go someplace new: Italy. I planned to fly to Rome, take the train north, attend the conference in Andernach, and return via Amsterdam.

I booked my flight, bought my train tickets, and pre-paid for my hotels. The Friday before my Wednesday departure, as I was beginning my packing plans, I went to find my passport. Something made me open it—perhaps to ensure it wasn't an older document—and I nearly had a heart attack. My passport was expired!

Suddenly, I remembered I'd renewed my Global Entry (a security system pre-check system that facilitates reentry into the U.S.) 18 months before, but not my passport. Doh!

For those of you who know the process of renewing a U.S. passport, this is done by mail and normally takes eight weeks. You can rush it, but even that takes two weeks. Was my trip ruined before I even left?

I quickly went online to the U.S. Passport service and discovered there is another option if your trip is scheduled for less than two weeks—you can apply for renewal in person. However, there are only a few places where you can do that. On the West Coast, that's L.A., San Francisco, and Seattle. Since Seattle is just a four-hour drive, I immediately made an appointment there for Monday morning and then set about gathering all the material I would need for my renewal, including new passport photos.

The unnerving part of this process is that the government cannot tell you if your renewal will succeed or give you a timeline of the case: everyone's situation is different. In my case, it turned out to be relatively easy as my passport was only one year expired, my global entry status meant I'd passed a background check, and I had no changes to my information. (Something like a name change would make the renewal process more difficult.)

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