Do you need a passport and visa to travel to Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas or will a valid ID do?

After Dec 31, you need a passport

Yes. You will soon even need a passport to fly WITHIN the US.

If you travel by air (which you almost certainly will for Puerto Rico and Bahamas), you need a passport. You do *not* need a visa for any of those places if you're a US citizen with a US passport.

Right now you can travel by *land* to Mexico with just a valid ID (although it's always a good idea to bring your birth certificate) -- but after Jan. 1 you'll need a passport for Mexico as well. Still no visa, though.

Yes, except for Puerto Rico since it's a US territory.
(copied from the Dept of State website:)
Beginning January 23, 2007, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

Well I have been to those places but was a little while back and is possible things have changed but when i went needed more than just valid ID like a voters registration card and that was sufficiant along with other forms of id

you do need a passport if you were born here in the us. you need to send your birthcertificate, and if you were born in mexico or somewere else you need to go to your consulado.

I can clear one of your questions: If you are departing from US, you don't need a passport to travel to Puerto Rico. Neither the other way around. Puerto Rico is a US Territory.