More Than A Number

While many vacations that you will take with your family after the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes into effect on June 1st, 2009 will require you and your family members to obtain passports, this won’t be true for all travel outside of the United States. If you’re considering Cancun all inclusive trips via air, having a valid passport will be a must. But if you’re looking to take a cruise, that might not be the case.

If a U.S. citizen is traveling on a cruise that starts and finishes at the same domestic port (also known as a closed-loop cruise), he or she won’t need an actual passport. However, proof of U.S. citizenship is still required. This can be a birth certificate and a valid picture ID (laminated and used by the government). However, if you’re looking to travel without obtaining your U.S. passport, you might want to consider such a cruise over all inclusive family resorts in Mexico or the Bahamas.