As you can see I do not travel much! (Twice to Canada is my total foreign travel. No passport needed.)
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Unfortunately you now need a passport card (Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean), or a passport to travel outside of the US. The EU is now talking about demanding a visa of US travelers. I wonder what impact this will have on tourism in Europe.
Or you can get an enhanced driver's license from your state. Advantage is no hibble-hobble with embassies and mail. In order to get the enhanced license, you will need the pieces of paper that show what names you have gone under (yep, miaden!) and proof of citizen ship...for us natives, it's that awesome piece of paper that not even OBambi could fake, an honest to goodness birth certificate.
You can check with your state DMV so see if ENhanced is offered in your state (supposedly all states will have them by 2020, but I've seen a few extensions granted for different states).