It has probably not been publicized nearly well enough yet, but soon you’re going to need your passport to go anywhere outside the US by plane.
On January 23, anyone traveling by air between the US and any foreign country will be required to have a passport to proceed through immigration. This includes Canada and Mexico.
Right now, it’s not necessary to have a passport for our neighboring countries – a birth certificate and picture ID will do – but that’s about the change.
It’s important to note that this year’s change only applies to people traveling by air. The following year the same rules will go into effect for people traveling by ship or car as well so you should apply for your passport now to beat the rush.