Three Travel Tips: Planning a Caribbean Vacation in Hurricane Season

Travel Blog  •  Jim Benning  •  08.21.07 | 1:45 PM ET

palmtreePhoto by blahidontreallycar e via Flickr, (Creative Commons).

Travel tips are easy to find on the Internet, but some are better than others. Each week, we’ll bring you World Hum-approved travel tips from around the Web.

1) Play the odds. “Travelers can minimize the risks by choosing islands like Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao or Trinidad and Tobago, all located so far south that they are rarely hit by major storms.”—The Washington Post

2) Don’t wait for a hurricane to develop before buying travel insurance. “Most travel insurance policies will cover a trip disrupted because of a hurricane (when you are forced to arrive late or leave early for your trip), but you’ll be reimbursed only for the affected days until the airport or resort reopens. You will usually be reimbursed for the days you are forced to stay at a resort during a hurricane, but be sure to read the fine print on your policy to make sure you are actually covered. And remember that you’ll usually only be covered if you buy your insurance at the same time you book the trip or before any kind of hurricane watch or warning is issued; otherwise, the hurricane might be deemed a pre-existing condition, which means no compensation for you.”—Fodors

3) Consider a cruise. “If you are planning to visit the Caribbean during the summer and fall, a hurricane is least likely to interrupt your fun if you opt for a cruise vacation. Unlike resorts, cruise ships are outfitted with advanced weather-forecasting technology and are mobile, allowing them to identify hurricane-force winds and sail away to calmer waters. Should a hurricane hit, you will still get a complete vacation.”—SmarterTravel.com

 

 

Tags: Insurance, Islands, Caribbean, News and Briefs


6 Comments for Three Travel Tips: Planning a Caribbean Vacation in Hurricane Season

E.M. Rogers 08.21.07 | 5:29 PM ET

Don’t forget to consider the time of year. While hurricane season runs from about June to November, some months experience more activity than others. According to the National Hurricane Center, late August and September are the peak times.

TambourineMan 08.21.07 | 5:43 PM ET

4) Stay home.

John W. Cook 08.22.07 | 7:17 AM ET

I want to stress that you should read your travel insurance policy carefully.  Not all policies are created the same and they will handle natural disasters differently and some not at all.  There is a simple natural disaster policy matrix at:  http://www.quotewright.com/weather/hurricane-natural-disasters.html

Craig of Travelvice.com 11.18.07 | 11:55 AM ET

For the love of everything sweet and good, skip Trinidad and Tobago.

http://www.travelvice.com/archive/?by=country#Trinidad+and+Tobago

Ada 06.25.08 | 10:10 AM ET

Thank you very much for this article. I found some interesting information about my future holiday! I mean it! I am preparing to leave with my husband for a <a rel=“follow” href=“http://www.cruisevacationcenter.com/royal_caribbean_cruise_line.htm”>Royal Caribbean trip! I think it will be awesome!

Rathna 10.23.08 | 2:19 AM ET

Thank you very much for this article. I found some interesting information about my future holiday.

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