You Wont Need a Passport to Visit These 10 Spectacular Islands

Catalina was already an attractive resort colony in the 1920s when Al Jolson crooned about a vacation romance in the town of Avalon. Today, the trappings of the era remain, from the famous circular oceanfront casino, where visitors can roller skate in the Art Deco Wrigley Ballroom, or ride horses along the mountainous island’s winding trails to scenic overlooks. The island has largely maintained the character it had during Hollywood’s Silent Film era, so if you’re looking for throwback vibes and a positively Mediterranean atmosphere, this is the place.

Getting There: The Catalina Express runs ferry trips from Long Beach, San Pedro, and Dana Point daily. There are also helicopter flights from Santa Monica and Long Beach.

Lodging: The recently renovated Pavilion Hotel or the rooms with a view at Avalon Hotel.

Also known in Tlingít as Sheet’-ká X’áat’l, Baranof Island is home to the city of Sitka—one of the most picturesque towns in Alaska, with totem poles and a historic Russian Orthodox church nestled between the spruce-blanketed mountains and the open ocean. Sitka was the capital of Russian Alaska until its 1867 sale to the United States, and remained the primary city until the capital moved to Juneau in 1906. Today, shops sell Russian and Tlingít crafts and souvenirs, and you can even get a steaming hot bowl of Russian pelmeni dumplings to refuel after hiking through the temperate rainforest.

Getting There: Alaska Airlines offers daily jet service into Sitka’s Rocky Gutierrez Airport.

Lodging: Southeast Resort or Aspen Suites.

Washington State’s San Juan Islands are in a microclimate. The islands are often sunny when the rest of the region is blanketed under clouds, and the atmosphere is rural and laid back. Lopez Island, like the other islands in the group, has no stoplights, shopping malls, or chain stores (not even Starbucks!) Visitors can rent a bicycle (or bring their own) to explore the island’s “pocket beaches” and historic farmsteads, intimate ocean-view restaurants, and funky boutiques.

Getting There: Washington State Ferries runs from Anacortes, and reservations are recommended if taking a car onboard during the summer months. There are also several seaplane services available from western Washington and British Columbia.

Lodging: The Lopez Islander Resort

Just off the coast of Bradenton, Anna Maria Island maintains a less-developed atmosphere, with the white sand beachfront mostly dotted with low-rise boutique hotels and guesthouses. The island is also a hub for ecotourism, with many buildings and businesses using solar power and harvesting rainwater. The island also focuses on maintaining the vitality of its beaches as a sea turtle nesting ground, dimming beachfront lights, and educating visitors to remove their personal belongings overnight when the turtles are known to come ashore to lay eggs.

Getting There: Anna Maria Island is 35 minutes from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport or an hour from Tampa International Airport.

Lodging: Bali Hai Beach Resort offers a number of oceanfront accommodations, some with kitchenettes or full kitchens.

It’s Texas, but the vibe on Galveston Island, just south of Houston, has shades of the Caribbean. There’s miles and miles of beach here, and a historic 1940s Pleasure Pier that invokes a carnival atmosphere. For the full carnival experience, the island also hosts one of the region’s largest Mardi Gras celebrations. Texas history buffs will get their fill at the Bryan Museum, and animal lovers can check out the pyramids recreating rainforest and undersea habitats at Moody Gardens.

Getting There: Galveston is a 30-45 minute drive from Houston.

Lodging: The Grand Galvez Hotel, a pink oceanfront tower over a century old, recently underwent a top-to-bottom renovation.

Puerto Rico is worth visiting in itself, but the tiny island of Vieques off the island’s eastern shore—also part of the territory—is a world unto itself. Half the island is taken up by one of the most ecologically diverse wildlife refuges in the Caribbean; the rest is a tranquil stretch of sugar sand beaches (including at least one black sand beach) fronting the unattractively-named Mosquito Bay (take bug repellent). The bay is also known as Bioluminescent Bay, where visitors take nightly paddling trips (the best kayaks have clear bottoms) and spend their days exploring historic forts or spotting wild horses.

Getting There: Vieques is a 25-minute flight from San Juan on Cape Air. There’s also a ferry from Aguas Claras on Puerto Rico’s east side.

Lodging: Try the hilltop boutique hotel Finca Victoria, which focuses on ayurvedic wellness.

Quieter than the more built-up island of St. Thomas, St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has a distinctly international feel. The USVI is the only U.S. jurisdiction where traffic moves on the left side of the road (vehicles are North American standard left-side drive). In the town of Christiansted, the national historic site preserves 18^th-century Danish architecture, including Fort Christiansvaern and the Steeple Building (the U.S. purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917). There’s another historic fort in Frederiksted, as the island was once frequently threatened by pirates. Grog fans can get their daily ration at the Captain Morgan Visitor Center, take to the crystal-clear waters on a boat charter or from one of the island’s beaches, or simply kick back and relax at any number of restaurants or bars.

Getting There: There are numerous daily flights to the island from U.S. continental gateways on a number of major airlines.

Lodging: The Buccaneer Resort is noted for its three stretches of white sand beach and 18-hole golf course.

Fresh off a starring role in the HBO series The Gilded Age, Aquidneck Island is home to Newport, playground to the “Four Hundred” of New York high society of that era. Visitors can stroll stretches of the dramatic Cliff Walk, explore mansions like the Vanderbilts’ The Breakers, or poke through the local boutiques and seafood restaurants of the downtown Wharfs. A brand-new Center for Black History by the Newport Historical Society will open on Juneteenth. To get out on the water, sign up for sailing lessons or take a scenic cruise on the waters of the bay.

Getting There: Newport is 40 minutes from T.F. Green International Airport in Providence or 30 minutes from the Amtrak station in Kingston, RI.

Lodging: The historic Hotel Viking celebrated a grand reopening in May to celebrate its 100^th anniversary.

Set in New York’s Thousand Islands Region on the St. Lawrence River, Wellesley Island is so international its northern shore is also the US-Canada border (and yes, there is anecdotal evidence the chain of islands is the same “Thousand Island” of salad dressing fame, and there are actually closer to 2,000 islands between the US and Canada). Visitors can take sightseeing cruises to the mansions of the Gilded Age, like Boldt Castle and Singer Castle, or discover the wineries, breweries, and distilleries that make use of the region’s fertile soil and abundant supply of fresh water.

Getting There: Wellesley Island is 30 minutes from Watertown International Airport by car, or 90 minutes from Syracuse.

Lodging: 1000 Island Hart House is a historic bed and breakfast.

Yes, you can go to Asia without a passport. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, just north of Guam, are an unincorporated territory of the United States, and U.S. citizens and permanent residents do not need a passport to visit (provided they don’t transit another country to get there). Visitors here will enjoy uncrowded beaches, world-class WWII wreck diving and snorkeling, and the rich, ancient culture of the Indigenous Carolinian and Chamorro people. Adventure travelers can paddleboard alongside sea turtles or try their hand at paddling a traditional outrigger canoe.

Getting There: To visit Saipan without a passport, visitors must transit Honolulu and Guam by air. United Airlines offers daily flights from Guam, with onward connections to Honolulu. Connections via Japan or a third country require travelers to have a passport.

Lodging: Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.