U.S. travelers to the Caribbean really should get a passport as soon as possible; it's the best way to avoid hassles when reentering the U.S. But if the new U.S. passport requirements for travel to the Caribbean caught you by surprise, and you need to travel soon, don't worry: It's still possible to have a fabulous Caribbean vacation even if you don't yet have a valid passport. Here's five ways how to travel to the Caribbean with just a birth certificate and driver's license or other form of primary ID:
Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States, making travel here just like crossing a state border: no passport is required for U.S. citizens. Plus, you don't have to clear Customs, either! Puerto Rico has the best air service in the Caribbean, with international flights into San Juan, Aguadilla and Ponce, and can provide a wide range of experiences from the urban sophistication and history of San Juan to the wilds of the El Yunque rainforest.
Another U.S. Commonwealth that is passport and Customs-free for U.S. citizens. St. Croix, the largest of the islands, has two major towns (Christiansted and Frederiksted), a rain forest, and preserved historic plantation homes. Bustling Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas is the most popular cruise port in the Caribbean, while two-thirds of St. John is preserved as a tropical national park.
Sometimes lost in the brouhaha over the passport rules that went into effect in January 2007 is the fact that the requirements only apply to travel via air. That means that, at least through June 1, 2009, travelers can continue to cruise to the Caribbean out of U.S. ports without needing a passport. The exemption applies whether you are cruising out of Florida, elsewhere in the U.S. mainland, or Puerto Rico. Remember that the passport rules apply to reentry to the U.S. only; most Caribbean countries will still admit Americans carrying only a birth certificate and driver's license or other primary ID.
As noted, the U.S. passport rules don't apply to ground or sea travel until 2008, so in the meantime you can still take a ferry from the U.S. territories in the Caribbean to neighboring islands without having to show a passport upon your return. Ferries del Caribe, for example, operates daily ferry service between Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. And
ferries also operate between the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, including service from St. John and St. Thomas to Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke.
Discovery Cruise Line sails daily from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Bahama Island, offering an experience that falls between a ferry service and a cruise ship. One-day party cruises and overnight packages are available.
