Passport expiring soon? Visit these countries within your 3-month renewal deadline

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Have you looked at your passport's expiration date recently? If you think you're in the clear for summer travel because you have six months or less remaining until your renewal date, think again.

Even those with less than eight months of validity remaining on their passports may already find it's too late for summer travel to many countries. This is because of the six-month validity rule that you'll find applies to most European countries in the Schengen Area — including France, Italy and Spain — which all require your passport to be valid for a minimum of six months after entry.

Europe isn't the only place you need to be careful: This six-month validity rule also applies to large portions of Africa, Asia and South America. Additionally, many other countries are even stricter and enforce three-month validity requirements for passports. This can further limit your travel options if your passport expiration date is looming.

Couple that with wait times for passport renewals — which range from two to three weeks for expedited service to six to eight weeks for regular processing — in the U.S. In the United Kingdom, wait times can last at least three weeks for regular processing, one week for expedited service or one day if you can travel to a passport office for the fast-track service. With wait times in mind, if you're not diligent, you can quickly find yourself traveling nowhere soon.

Don't despair, though. You can still travel internationally with just a month or two left on your passport before expiration. I learned this firsthand when researching vacation alternatives for my family. I had to cancel our spring break trip to Kenya (with a six-month passport validity requirement, plus a visa) after I discovered my son's five-year passport would expire a month after our planned trip.

Wondering where you should head instead? Here are all the options where passports need to only be valid at the time of entry or for the duration of your stay. Note, though, that you will still need a blank passport page for an entry stamp unless otherwise noted below.

The Bahamas and Bermuda

If you're looking for Caribbean surf and sun, these two countries will welcome you as long as your passport is valid at the time of entry. Extra bonus: Both Bermuda and the Bahamas are included in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's 15 international preclearance locations. The Bahamas also offers TSA PreCheck in Nassau, making your return to the U.S. almost as easy as a domestic trip.

Canada

Oh, Canada. Thank you for being a friend. The entire country — including summer favorites such as Victoria and Vancouver in the west and Francophile destinations like Montreal and Quebec, plus Toronto, in the east — only requires a passport to be valid at your entry date. Like Bermuda and the Bahamas, Canada also offers CBP's preclearance program at locations in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta; Toronto; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Montreal; Ottawa, Ontario; Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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United Kingdom

England turned out to be my family's spring break savior. London provided an easy getaway from the East Coast, and there was nonstop airfare available to book within a short time frame. If you choose this option, you can visit Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with the same passport as long as it's valid for the duration of your stay. (Note, though, that you can't combine a trip to the U.K. with European countries that have three- or six-month passport validity requirements.)

Ireland

The Emerald Isle is another easy-to-reach country from the U.S. (and another spot my family has visited for a surprisingly sunny spring break in the past). Ireland only requires your passport to be valid for the duration of your stay. Extra bonus: Customs preclearance is available at airports in Dublin and Shannon before you return home.

Mexico

Another easy destination to reach from much of the U.S. is Mexico, and it doesn't require passports to be valid past the duration of your stay.

Seychelles

Long-haul travel is an option with a passport that has a short validity. Head directly to the Seychelles, a country comprising 115 sun-kissed islands off the eastern coast of southern Africa. You'll need a passport valid for the duration of your stay (and plenty of sunscreen).

US options

It's worth noting that there are several U.S. territories and commonwealth islands where you won't need a passport at all to visit, including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

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