<p>I want to to my college age kids on a small vacation in January. Their only criteria is that it has to be warm. I was thinking Cancun, but one doesn’t have a passport. Anywhere in the US of A that is in January?</p>
<p>[US</a> temperature January map](<a href=“http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/thematic-maps/usa-temprature-january.html]US”>US temperature January map)
Looks like FL or HI is your best bet. Maybe Key West?</p>
<p>There’s probably time to get a passport, if he/she applies NOW. If not, I agree with the Key West suggestion.</p>
<p>What about Puerto Rico? No passport needed, just drivers license. I believe average temps in January are in the low 80’s…</p>
<p>I’d argue that getting your child a passport is a gift that really lasts… it means, for the next ten years, that they can seize an opportunity to go abroad, without worrying.</p>
<p>Lots of places in the Caribbean that are warm in January. There’s even the US Virgin Islands.</p>
<p>Big fan of Key West here but there is no guarantee that it will be warm. Can run in the low 60’s or the low 80’s. It’s hard to tell. If there is a north wind blowing, it can be COLD!</p>
<p>Maui is very nice in January.</p>
<p>No brainer, Puerto Rico…</p>
<p>Ditto Puerto Rico.</p>
<p>St. Thomas or St. Croix - the US Virgin Islands. No passport needed. And St. Thomas has the only underwater national park - you snorkel around it!</p>
<p>St. John is beautiful too. H and I got married there.</p>
<p>We love Puerto Rico. Great food and easy to get around. We love to stop at the little roadside stands for food. Yum!</p>
<p>Puerto Rico would feel more exotic , and is cheaper to fly to than Hawaii , depending on where you are .</p>
<p>Everything is relative! We have friends in Puerto Rico who won’t even consider visiting Florida from the island in the winter months because they think of Florida as just like going to the North Pole…too cold for them winter time!</p>
<p>San Diego, lots of attractions for the young. You can also visit several good Unis on the way…</p>
<p>For some reason, I don’t like Puerto Rico very much. The food is all flown in from the main land and I think the beaches are not as nice as those in the Virgin Islands and California or HI. It is only my opinion.</p>
<p>The farthest south you can go in the continental U.S. is Brownsville, Texas. But like Miami, huge winter blasts can come blazing down from Canada and freeze both places out from time to time.</p>
<p>I’d go with Hawaii.</p>
<p>San Diego is great for things to do, but not sure I’d say it’s warm there in January…probably 60’s…</p>
<p>We rented a house in Palm Springs CA between Christmas & New Years (thanks to guidiance of CC members!) and had great weather - 70s during the day, low 50s at night. The house had a heated pool & hot tub, where we spent most of our time. It was a ranch where the back glass doors slid open to the entire house. (what was particularly sweet was watching the news reports of the NYC blizzard!). </p>
<p>There was lots to do in the area - we spend a day hiking in Joshua Tree (boring - wouldn’t do it again!), another heading up Mount San Jacinto (where they had snow), however we enjoyed relaxing during the pool during the day, grilling out dinner and playing board games at night.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.palmspringsrentals.com/palm-springs/rentals/central-palm-springs/mc-manus-private-retreat/144[/url]”>http://www.palmspringsrentals.com/palm-springs/rentals/central-palm-springs/mc-manus-private-retreat/144</a></p>
<p>They say, it is more rainy in Cancun in January. We have never been in January, but we have been numerous times (around 14) to Cozumel (across from Cancun, can see Cancun’s lights) in December. It is nice in December, but they would need a sweatshirt for the evening, swimming in ocean is fine. My preference is March, day is whole hour longer than in December, a bit warmer also. But after that, it gets too hot.</p>
<p>While Hawaii is lovely, it is a very long trip from New Jersey. I’m in New England, and I won’t go to Hawaii for less than two weeks, with a stop in California both ways. If you don’t have a lot of time, I don’t suggest it.</p>
<p>The nice thing about places like Cancun, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico is that the time difference is minimal from New Jersey (Cancun is an hour behind, the US Virgin Islands are an hour ahead). No jet lag.</p>