Itching to escape to the Caribbean but don’t have a passport? Several US territories in the Caribbean don’t require international travel documents for US citizens, provided they travel nonstop from the US Mainland. These US territories are some of the most beautiful in the region with many national treasures anchored across the Caribbean Basin.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is perhaps the best known island in the U.S.Caribbean. Long been popular with visitors for its natural beauty, colonial charm and general U.S. standards, the island is also home to some of the region’s best beaches, like Carolina, Luquillo and Seven Seas. When not relaxing on the sand, check out the narrow alleys of Old San Juan, try your luck at the casino, or dance till dawn in the city’s high-octane nightlife scene.
Culebra, Puerto Rico
The polar opposite of San Juan’s urban eclecticism and just a short flight away, sleepy Culebra has no mega resorts or nightclubs. On this Puerto Rican island you’ll enjoy unspoiled, natural beauty with few other visitors. Most lodgings are guest houses or small inns and visitors spend their days on world-famous Flamenco Beach, dining in small home-style restaurants and snorkeling in clear turquoise water.
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Another of Puerto Rico’s islands, famed for natural beauty, Vieques is known for its bioluminescent Mosquito Bay, where tiny organisms light up when disturbed at night—leaving wakes from kayaks or small boats a brilliant neon blue. Paddleboarding, snorkeling, or relaxing on a secluded black-sand beach are other popular activities here. Visit this Puerto Rican island by plane from San Juan or ferry from Fajardo.
St. Thomas
The US Virgin Island of St. Thomas is another spectacular part of “America’s Caribbean”. The mile-long, sugar-sand beach of Magen’s Bay is world famous, and many an Instagrammer captures views of Charlotte Amalie from Paradise Point. The island is cosmopolitan yet laid back in a manner similar to Puerto Rico, plus it’s a shopper’s paradise. U.S. visitors have twice the duty-free allowance of other Caribbean destinations.
You won’t need a passport here, but not everything is the same as the US—they drive on the left side of the road in the US Virgin Islands.
St. John
Equally overflowing with natural beauty and just a ferry ride away from St. Thomas, St. John has secluded beaches well-positioned for snorkeling and boating, a national park and ranger-guided hikes to explore the local flora and fauna. You can even peek into ruins of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation or do an underwater snorkeling trail at the Virgin Islands National Park at Trunk Bay—complete with underwater signage.
St. Croix
St. Croix is somewhat removed to the south from the other US Virgin Islands, but it’s well worth a visit for its pristine beaches and diverse diving. Visitors explore Buck Island National Monument by snorkeling through underwater trails to see hawksbill turtles and a wealth of sea life or go pier, wall and wreck diving. The island has plenty of beaches for non-divers, from those right in the town of Frederiksted to more secluded spots elsewhere on the island. St. Croix has consistent air service from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and the US Mainland.
