Where Can I Go Without A Passport?
“Where can I go without a passport?” is a question often asked by Americans since 2/3’s of them still don’t have passports. While I highly recommend that everyone see more of the world than the country they are born in, there are many beautiful spots that Americans can travel to without a passport.
Here are my favorite spots:
1. United States Virgin Islands
St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas make up the US Virgin Islands and are easy to reach from the US. These islands are great for snorkeling and have beautiful beaches. And shopping is made easier by the fact that you can use US dollars.
2. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is close to the Virgin Islands, so if you have a longer vacation, you can easily go to both. If you are looking for more exciting nightlife with a mix of rainforests, then Puerto Rico is your spot.
3. Hawaii
I lived in Hawaii for three years, and its beauty stunned me everyday. Hawaii is the land of rainbows, volcanoes, and sunshine. The diving is great, and the food, with its Asian influences, is some of the best you will eat in the world.
4. Guam
Guam is still one of the top places on my bucket list. Know that you will need proof of US citizenship to enter Guam, but you won’t need a passport. This tropical island paradise is great for shopping (hint: it’s duty-free status means that name brands are cheaper than from their country of origin). The beaches are gorgeous and the food is spectacular.
Photo Credit: Thomas Hawk via Compfight cc
5. Miami
With its multicultural scene, being in Miami does almost feel like being in another country. Don’t miss the shopping, the amazing nightlife, the vibrant art scene, or some of the best restaurants you will ever dine at.
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Great list. I’m not American but I’d be more than happy to visit any of these places
Dan recently posted…Protect Your Luggage With This $5 Trick
Thanks, Dan!
Canada, The Bahamas, Guam, American Samoa, U. S. Virgin Islands, the Carribean, the Northern Mariana Islands, Anartica, and the Artic. I bet there are more place.
American Passports were not required by statute until the Travel Control Act of 1918.
Before that, some citizens were issued passports by local authorities, sometimes a special one was used during war time, Between 1921 and 1941 there were really no passport requirements. In 1941 there were wartime passport requirements, but a 1978 amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act fo 1952 made it illegal to enter or depart the United States without an issued passport even in peacetime. The passport reads:” The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the United States named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful aid and protection.” What this means is that the bearer of the passport is subject to the laws of the country where he/she is visiting or living. No one is exempted except by explicit permission of the host government and this includes members of the US embassy.
Thanks for sharing! How interesting…
That’s a nice list! The comments mention not needing a passport for Canada and “The Caribbean” from the US? That’s definitely wrong.
Kenin recently posted…Heritage Park Calgary – A Stroll Through Canada’s Past
Yeah, I thought so, too!
Yeah that commenter is way off, Antartica? I’d like to know how you’ll get there w/o a passport seeing as you’ll have to go via Argentina ;).
A great site to make sure you have the most up to date “do I need a passport to go there” information is IATA’s Travel Centre – http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm –
Devlin @ Marginal Boundaries recently posted…Life on the Road – The Business of Travel Blogging
OMG, you have NO idea how many times a day I hear this question Val. You may or may not know that I live in Italy because my husband is in the US Air Force. It seems like just about no one that gets stationed overseas has a passport. We get what is called a government issues No Fee passport that contains our visa to live in our host country, but you cannot travel for leisure on this passport. Every single day I get questions about whether they can go to Slovenia, Austria, ect without a passport since there are “open borders”. The answer is a big fat NO! Just get a damn passport!
Jennifer recently posted…Elephants at a Watering Hole in Tarangire National Park
No, Jennifer, I didn’t know your husband is in the Air Force…Yeah, I don’t understand at all why people wouldn’t get a passport. It’s so easy…Wow!!
Places that you recommend it all the Western Hemisphere 🙂
Why no word about Europe? I think this is a great freebie for the Americans, they do not need a Schengen visa, it’s super.
Sergey recently posted…Belovezhskaya Pushcha
Because the article is titled, “Where Can I Go Without A Passport?” not “Where Can I Go Without A Visa”