While we are closely watching hurricanes make their way through Cancun Mexico, we thought it was important to provide you with some important information if you’re thinking about booking a trip for this fall (or next) to the Caribbean or the Southern part of the US.
The biggest part of preparing is taking into consideration that you will be traveling during hurricane season. While this might not impact you in any way whatsoever, if it does, things can get hairy and we want you to be prepared.
Here’s everything you need to know about traveling during hurricane season:
Hurricane Months
Hurricane season is considered June through November, but hurricanes are most likely in August, September and October. These months apply to destinations in the American South (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia), as well as the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, North Coasts of South America and East Coasts of Central America.
Now, the good thing is the likelihood of you being caught completely by surprise by a hurricane is slim to none. You’ll likely know weeks in advance if your destination is threatened by an oncoming hurricane. Once you or your travel agent have notice of it, you can then respond accordingly by taking the appropriate actions for your vacation plans. You don't want to be stuck in Hurricane season without a travel agent on your side.
Hurricane Destinations
However, if you want to be particularly safe, there are Caribbean destinations that are much less likely to be hit by a hurricane. The ABC Islands — Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao — are very unlikely to be hit. They lie outside the Caribbean’s hurricane belt, so the likelihood is always low. Other Caribbean destinations that are generally safe include Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
The Pros Of Traveling During Hurricane Season
While you might consider traveling during hurricane season to be a little risky, there are actually some perks. Because it’s considered risky traveling during hurricane season, your travel agent can often find better deals on flights and hotels, as carriers and properties lower their rates to attract travelers during a season that might not be desirable to everyone.
When you’re booking that great deal, though, we encourage our families to pick a destination and length of stay that you can do later on in the year, in the event that your trip is canceled due to a storm. You want to make sure that you can still take the trip you paid for if you’re delayed.
Protecting Your Investment. While traveling during hurricane season can be less expensive as far as flights and hotels, the downside is that you’re absolutely going to want to buy travel insurance for this trip, which will increase your overall cost, but it’s a minimal additional expense when you have a couple of thousand dollars riding on your trip. Even if you’re someone who generally turns down travel insurance, this is the one time you won’t want to do that especially with new procedures and policies when traveling during COVID-19. We suggest travel insurance to each of our families when traveling whether it is hurricane season or not!
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