With all the delays in processing passports and passport renewals, travelers might be wondering where they can go without a passport—and actually, there are a lot of great options! As reported by WTOP News, your state-issued ID card can still get you to some places that are off the North American continent.
First off, these American territories are open to U.S. travelers without passports: the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (American Samoa still requires a passport, as does Guam—although the WTOP article indicates there may be some wiggle room with Guam).
Another option is something called a “closed loop cruise.” Haven’t heard of this before? Neither have we. And it’s really a non-starter, although more power to you if you can find one. This is a cruise that leaves one U.S. port and travels to another one, and it’s pretty rare because of the 1939 Jones Act which says that only U.S. registered ships can go between two U.S. ports without incorporating a foreign port in between. And since most cruise ships are registered in foreign countries, we’re out of luck (plus, it can be hard to behave or know what to wear on a cruise). However, check out this cruise line that travels on American rivers.
Okay, so what about other countries we share the continent with: Canada and Mexico? Sadly, we do need a passport to travel to these.
So, if you’re going to stay stateside, could we recommend one of America’s incredible national parks? Watch this Netflix show for travel inspiration or peruse this list of the most visited national parks. At the Grand Canyon, there’s a new(ish) hotel and a respectful name change in response to the Havasupai tribe’s formal request. At Yosemite, the famous firefall is over until next spring, but you can still catch killer waterfalls and stunning landscapes—and we’d feel guilty if we didn’t mention the nation’s least visited national park, which deserves a lot of love for its shipwrecks and wolves!
Let this be your wakeup call to update your passport even if you don’t have specific travel in your short-term plans. You would not be alone since more than 50 percent of American travelers in a study said they show up to the airport without a destination in mind!