New Passport Rules Take Effect Today

If you're driving to the Great White North or Old Mexico remember to bring your little blue book:

Headed to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean? Here's a tip: Take your passport to avoid a headache coming home.

Beginning Monday, the slow squeeze of border security will tighten further when a rule takes effect requiring U.S. and Canadian citizens to present passports -- or a very limited number of other travel documents -- when entering the United States at land and sea borders.

Air travelers have been required to carry travel documents since January 2007. But the number of people crossing land borders is far greater, and the June 1 deadline has been viewed with some trepidation, especially in Canadian border communities where cross-border travel by citizens of both countries historically has required minimal documentation.

I feel safer already. This always reminds me of one of my favorite fake statistics: that only 10% of Americans have a passport. According to the State Department the number is closer to 30%, which still doesn't make us the most curious travelers in the world but considering how large the country is and how expensive overseas travel can be it's understandable.