Attention, travelers: Your plans have changed

Planning to travel in or to the United States and wondering if the U.S. government shutdown will hit your plans?

Well, you may need to tweak some sight-seeing portions of your itinerary. Never mind that visit to the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Forget visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia. And that hiking adventure at Yellowstone National Park? It won't happen.

Congress, wrangling over spending and Obamacare, failed to renew government funds in time for the start of the new fiscal year on Tuesday, and many travelers -- both domestic and international visitors -- will quickly start feeling the impact of the shutdown.

While rail networks, essential air security and traffic control operations won't be impeded, travelers visiting the country's national parks and other government-run tourist attractions will find the gates shuttered and the doors locked.

All 401 National Park Service sites, which collectively average about 715,000 visitors per day in October, will be closed, according to a park service spokeswoman. (Guests staying in campgrounds and on-site hotels will be given 48 hours to leave.) The Smithsonian's 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoo will also turn visitors away.

In addition to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, the shutdown bars tourists from two of the world's top destinations for aviation enthusiasts: the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Is it safe to fly?

Airport security personnel are considered essential, so travelers please continue to follow Transportation Security Administration rules about liquids, shoes and other restrictions at the airport.

Air traffic controllers, some safety inspectors and other essential employees will "continue working in order to maintain the safety of the national airspace system," said the Federal Aviation Administration, in an e-mailed statement. "Safety is our top priority."

Most immigration, border and customs employees are also considered essential personnel, which means passport controls at U.S. borders and points of entry like airports and cruise ports -- should be unaffected by the shutdown.

Other FAA projects, including facility security inspections, routine personnel security background investigations and development of the next generation of air traffic control technology, will be placed on hold.

What if you're waiting on a passport?

If you're waiting on a U.S. passport, how long that wait will last depends on where the passport agency is located. Passport services, because they are funded by other revenue, are generally "unaffected by a government shutdown," according to a State Department spokesperson.

There's just one possible catch: If the passport office is located within a government building that has been shut down, passport approvals may be affected.

If you need a visa

Because consular services at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world are largely funded by application fees, not annual appropriations, visa applications filed by foreigners wanting to enter the United States will continue to be processed, according to the State Department.

Overseas impact

Even those visitors trying to pay their respects at American military cemeteries located outside of the United States will feel the impact. The Normandy American Cemetery and 23 other overseas cemeteries operated by the American Battle Monuments Commission will be closed to the public for the duration of the shutdown, according to the commission's contingency plans.

"The Normandy American Cemetery presents a special case, as visitors have access to the cemetery via the unfenced approaches from the beach, according to the plan. "Visitors will be asked to leave, but confrontation will be avoided."

Tougher ID requirements begin June 1 for citizens returning to the U.S.

On June 1, U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean by land or sea will face stiffer documentation requirements.

Passports, passport cards, Enhanced Driver's Licenses or "trusted traveler" cards will have to be shown, unless voyagers are youngsters or on certain exempt cruises.

(U.S. citizens already need a passport to return via air from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Caribbean islands except Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

The stepped-up requirements are the final phase of a Department of Homeland Security/State Department anti-terrorism policy called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which took effect in January 2007 with passports required to fly back from neighboring countries.

"The mission is to strengthen border security while facilitating legitimate travel," says Joanne Ferreira, a spokeswoman for U.S Customs and Border Protection.

The various entry cards and information on how to get them are detailed on the agency's website getyouhome.gov.

Passport cards, which look like driver's licenses, have been offered since July and can be used to drive or walk across the border from Canada or Mexico or to take ferries or cruises. They're not accepted for international air travel.

Enhanced Driver's Licenses, embedded with technology that refers border agents to a stored record in a government database, are currently being issued by only four states: New York, Vermont, Michigan and Washington State.

Other forms of acceptable land-and-sea border crossing documentation: "trusted traveler" cards such as SENTRI, NEXUS and FAST (for truckers), which require more screening to obtain. Those with passport cards, enhanced licenses and other cards embedded with identity information can use scanners to speed their trip through some checkpoints.

Those under 16 or teens 16 to 18 who are traveling with an organized group to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will need only a birth certificate, the Customs and Border Protection agency says.

The new rules were to have kicked in January 2008, but they were postponed in part by fears that they would hinder trade and tourism.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters this week that she knows some Americans are unaware of the new requirements or haven't gotten around to getting a passport. The process can take a month or more.

"We'll work with them at the border," she said. That may involve being pulled aside while border agents confirm identity and citizenship.

Cruising already is a sea of confusion.

For instance, cruisers who begin and end their trips in the same U.S. port are not required to show passports under the new law. Technically, they can use a driver's license and birth certificate.

The Cruise Lines International Association says individual carriers reserve the right to require certain identification, including passports and that would-be cruisers check with individual cruise lines when booking.

It's too early to say whether the new rules will further slow travel and harm tourist-dependent areas such as Mexican border towns.

A record 30% of Americans hold passports, the State Department says. But applications, which had been rising, are down in this recessionary year (7.1 million issued through April, vs. 10.3 million in the same period last year).

The cost for an adult passport ($100 purchased in person; $75 by mail) and $45 passport card for first-time adult purchasers ($20 by mail) may deter some vacationers. As might the wait to get them.

So who might profit from the new rules?

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix — are United States territory and continue to be passport-free zones.