The Caribbean is one of the most beautiful places in the world to travel or take a vacation. You can hop from one island to the next whilst traveling on a budget or splash out on a luxurious Caribbean vacation. Whichever way you decide to visit this part of the world, there are a few things to be aware of to make your trip perfect. This article describes a few not-so-obvious ways to get the most out your trip with booking hotels, getting around, and saving money.
Getting the Most Out of Your Hotel:
If you’re taking a vacation and want to stay at a decent hotel, you should aim for one with at least a four-star rating. This may be more expensive, but will probably make it more value for money. You need to remember that the quality of the hotels around here is lower than back at home. So, you may not get the same level of comfort as a three-star hotel back at home on one of the islands. It’s better to spend a little extra to start off with than to be very disappointed when you arrive.
Getting Around the Easy Way:
The Caribbean is full of islands and so the most obvious way to get around is by boat. You can usually island hop from one place to another relatively easily without spending a fortune. But this only really works to the nearby places. If you want to explore ones a bit further afield, you may be faced with long and expensive journeys.
This isn’t ideal. So, what’s the solution for traveling long distance? The best way is to book a flight. You don’t need to arrange flights from one island to the next if you want to explore several places. There are several companies online that offer multi-stop trips and if you book online, you can probably get a decent discount. This way is much cheaper than booking up individual flights and is an advantage for budget travelers.
Money Saving Tips in the Caribbean:
Everyone wants to save money whenever they can regardless of if you’re here on a budget or are having a luxurious vacation. A trip doesn’t have to break the bank if you’re careful and go about it with a bit of diligence.
The first way to save money is to consider where you’re going to fly to and from. There are a few low-cost flights that connect the United States to some, but not all, of the islands. Use this to your advantage. It may be cheaper to fly from one island and then take a ferry to the next.
Accommodation is probably going to be the most expensive part of the trip. You can cut costs by choosing the cheaper islands to visit and to look for any special promotions at the resorts. An example of this getting a free night if you stay more than five nights. You can also try to contact the resort directly during the low season and ask if they can give you a special discount. This may work if you’re lucky during the low season when the resort or hotel is empty. But, I should also warn you not to go for the absolute cheapest option. You don’t want to arrive at a hotel expecting comfort to find yourself in a tiny, barely livable room.
Other ways to save money is to bring plenty of US dollars along with you. Most of the islands accept dollars along with the local currency. This means you don’t have to deal with paying a fee to convert into the local currency and then changing the excess back before you leave.
Other Important Tips:
Believe it or not, in some islands in the Caribbean it’s against the law to wear camouflage patterns. This applies to everyone, including children, and can get you into a lot of trouble if you don’t follow their laws. The law is to help the authorities tell who works for the military and who doesn’t. Yet, in more recent years, there has been discussions on dropping this as the pattern is quite a popular in modern fashion.
Before you leave your home country for the vacation of a lifetime, you should consider bringing a few essentials with you in your luggage. The first is sunscreen and aftersun cream. You’re probably going to be under the sun for long hours during the day and the products at your destination may not be as strong as you need. Aftersun can also be very expensive. Another essential thing to bring with you is bug spray. It’s not uncommon to see pests including mosquitoes and roaches as well as others crawling around your room. If you have the spray with, you’re prepared to deal with them without panicking.
Depending on which island you go to, it may not be a good idea to go wandering around on your own in the cities. Whereas in others, it’s perfectly fine to be out at all times of the day. Compare Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands, for example. Just make sure you’re aware of this before you go and to plan your trip accordingly.
The Takeaway Message:
A trip to the Caribbean will be an unforgettable experience. But, at the same time, you should know how to get the most out of your trip. I hope these suggestions will help you have a better time when you’re visiting these beautiful islands.