Within the 50 states and District of Columbia, it is recognized that the legal age for purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol is 21 years old.
So where can you LEGALLY drink between the ages of 18 and 20, when you don’t have a passport (most other countries have drinking ages of 18 or younger)?
Simple answer: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Because they both are U.S. territories, a passport is not required for travel to either location from the USA. And both have legal drinking ages of 18 years old. Note that drinking ages INSIDE AIRPORTS may revert back to 21 years old. Also, under-21 year old travelers cannot bring alcohol back into the USA from either of these locations.
So what is the catch? Although you won’t have to spring for a passport you will likely pay higher airfare to get to either Puerto Rico or the USVI (compared to flying domestically within the USA). You need to weigh the costs … getting a passport that will last 10 years, or not getting the passport and possibly paying higher airfare to get to a destination with an 18 year old drinking age.
If you need help picking a Spring Break location, give us a call at (888) 221-1209.
