No passport? No worries.

The passport situation has gotten so dire that I got a notice from the county clerk yesterday saying, "Look, you know that whole Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative thing? Our bad. We underestimated the popularity of Canada, and the current wait for a passport can now be measured in light years."

Luckily, my beloved doesn't expire again until 2014. For those less fortunate in matters of good timing, viva Puerto Rico! It's U.S. territory, so you can hop in and out with nary a worry. And it's not exactly a sacrifice, especially if you stay at the fabulously boutique-y Bravo Beach Hotel on Vieques. The hotel has been featured on the CN Traveler Hot List, but they still haven't jacked up their prices accordingly -- rooms, in all their iPod-dock-and-frette-linen glory, start under $200. The restaurant is actually a tapas bar and wine gallery, and they'll even pack you a box lunch for the beach. How warm 'n' fuzzy is that?