The Pitons of St. Lucia courtesy Shutterstock

Since its release 10 years ago, the U.S. Passport Card has been issued to more than 17 million Americans, or around 10 percent of all passport holders, according to the State Department. Although half the price of a Passport Book, which grants full access via air travel to nearly all of the world’s 200 countries, Passport Card holders can only access 10% of nearby international countries and are limited to land or sea travel.

In other words, Passport Card holders can travel by car throughout North America, or by boat to the Bahamas and much of the Caribbean. More specifically, they can legally enter and exit the following countries: Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire; Sint Eustatius and Saba; Curaçao; Sint Maarten), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, and Turks and Caicos.

For Americans with only a Passport Card, what’s the best foreign place to visit? Of the 19 countries allowed, these are the top-rated destinations, according to online traveler reviews, media rankings, and my own personal experience. Continue reading…