If you're looking forward to a fun vacation in the Caribbean this summer - be smart about it. After all, this is the hurricane season.
I hate to um, rain on your parade, but remember the devastation that hurricanes and tropical storms caused in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Coast last year?
This year will probably be no different. In fact, the National Weather Service "indicates an 80% chance of an above-normal hurricane season, a 15% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 5% chance of a below-normal season" for the Atlantic Hurricane Zone, which includes the Caribbean, along with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast. This does not mean ignore this part of the world completely, it just means you need to do your homework before venturing off.
First...
Find out what regions in the Caribbean are most at risk. The Caribbean Hurricane Network makes a list of these regions. Sorry travelers, Bahaman cities top the first 4 spots of the list.
If not the Bahamas, then where?
Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - part of the the ABC Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago, are usually skipped by hurricanes because they are farther south than the other islands. In fact, only 11 named storms have visited Bonaire and Curacao in the last 150 years.
Get a Hurricane Guarantee
Ask your hotel or tour provider if they are offering a hurricane guarantee. The Beaches and Sandals Resorts offer this type of guarantee for travelers, but with anything, read the fine print. Their policy states that if a hurricane disrupts all activities in the resort, a replacement vacation can be given. However, this means hurricanes and only hurricanes. Tropical storms do not count.
Look into Travel Insurance
As with the Hurricane Guarantee, read the fine print. A good travel insurance policy will cover you and your family in case your flight is delayed or if your whole vacation is delayed or cancelled due to the hurricane season. It's not enough to read the fine print, however.
The upside to this year's hurricane season are the deals! Some travel sites are offering incredible travel deals to the Caribbean this time of year, including Travel Zoo and Independent Traveler.
