Just in case there are travelers out there who aren’t already slightly confused about the new passport regulations that went into effect late last month, there are some new rules on the horizon that should pretty much guarantee another wave of passport travel confusion. 
Under the latest set of passport rules, which have not gone into effect yet and may not until next year, children 15 and under could cross U.S. borders on land or on boats with only a birth certificate and parental consent. Children 16 though 18 could do the same if they are traveling with an adult-supervised school, religious, cultural or athletic group (but presumably not just while leisure traveling). To make matters slightly more complicated, all children arriving or departing by airplane will still need to show passports.
The changes are supposed to make the border crossing process easier, especially for families visiting U.S. neighboring countries via car and cruise ships, but can’t you just see customs officials arguing with travelers over the meaning of a “cultural group”? I dunno…
