The 5 Geekiest Places to Take Your New Passport

Attention, geeks: There's no need to leave to your love of science fiction, fantasy and comic books behind when you travel abroad. In fact, applying for a new passport opens up a whole new world of geekdom. Need some inspiration? Here are the five geekiest destinations to take your new passport:

 

London, England

 

London makes a great base for exploring the UK's fantasy geek side: it's the setting of Harry Potter, and Potter-themed tours of the city abound. It's also a just an hour away by train from Oxford, the old stomping grounds of fantasy writers CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

 

New Zealand

 

You don't have to travel to Middle-Earth to get to the Shire...it's actually located in New Zealand, along with Mount Doom and other locations from the movie version of "Lord of the Rings." The forest of Lothlorien is located near Queenstown- if you're lucky, perhaps you'll spot an elf! Soon, there will even be a "Lord of the Rings" museum, with props and other paraphernalia from the movies.

Tokyo

 

Tokyo is a haven for geeks, particularly anime and manga fans. Appropriately, there's a wealth of "theme restaurants" that let you chow down surrounded by Gundams, vampires, and even ninjas.

 

Vulcan, Alberta

 

Trekkies should add Vulcan, Alberta to their bucket list. To capitalize on its name and attract tourists, the town has created a Star Trek-themed installation that includes Trekkie memorabilia and a virtual reality game called "Vulcan Space Adventure." It's the next best thing to a holodeck!

 

Tataouine , Tunisia

 

In the Star Wars movies, scenes that take place on Luke Skywalker's home planet were filmed in the Tunisian desert, near the real-life town of Tataouine. George Lucas used the Sidi Driss Hotel in Matmata to represent Skywalker's boyhood home- you can still see some of the props and decorations used in the movie in the hotel today.

 

Bonus Future Destination: Aqaba, Jordan

 

King Abdullah II of Jordan is a noted Trekkie, and soon, he'll have a Star Trek-themed playground of his very own. The Jordanian city of Aqaba plans to open a $1 billion dollar theme park based around the science fiction series no later than 2014.

 

So, what are you waiting for? New passport applications can take at least six weeks to process, so you should apply as early as possible. The world awaits!

About the Author

Alison Kroulek is a freelance writer and blogger with a focus on the travel industry.