7 Tips for Traveling to the Caribbean

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1. Plan Ahead

Travel demand for the Caribbean is surging at the moment. Many Americans have a pent up desire to escape to somewhere warm.

Places like the U.S. Virgin Islands have seen a significant increase in travel compared to last year.

What this means is that flights might be full, car rental companies at capacity and hotels booked. It’s best to choose a destination and book early.

2. Choose the Right Destination

The first step in planning ahead is to choose a destination. Here are some of the best Caribbean islands to visit.

● St Kitts and Nevis
● Antigua
● Puerto Rico
● St. Croix

These are all islands that are open to U.S. tourists and have protocols in place designed to keep travelers safe.

3. Understand COVID Travel Restrictions

Although a lot of the Caribbean has opened back up for travelers, there are still coronavirus travel restrictions in place.

You’ll need to carefully consider any restrictions before booking your travel.

The last thing that you want to do is arrive in a beautiful locale only to discover that you will be required to quarantine in your room for the first three days of your vacation.

Each island has different protocols for arriving passengers, and these vary depending upon your country of residence.

In addition, airlines have various restrictions, as well. Some airlines need evidence of a negative COVID test before travel, while others require temperature checks.

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4. Maintain a Distance When Exploring

The Caribbean is a great destination for a socially-distanced vacation as there are plenty of natural, outdoor attractions. Who knows, you might even uncover some hidden “gems,” in the Caribbean.

Here are some ideas for socially distanced activities in the Caribbean:

Take a self-guided photography tour. The Caribbean is full of stunning Instagrammable spots, such as the Altona Lagoon in Christiansted, St.Croix. You don’t have to be a professional to take stunning travel photos — all you need is a smartphone and a photo editing app, such as Ribbet, which you can use to edit your photos on the go.
Create a travel video story. This is another fun travel activity that is easy to do while social distancing. A travel video is a great way to share the beauty of the Caribbean with others and document your memories. Fastreel and Clipchamp are two programs that you can use to create beautiful video stories.

5. Pack the Right Travel Gear

As you adjust to the ‘new normal’ you will probably have to change the way that you travel. One of the things that you’ll want to do is revise your packing list. Here are some gadgets to bring along for a bit of peace of mind.

Extra face masks. Face masks are here to stay. They are required no matter where you travel in the Caribbean. So, make sure you bring extra. You’ll need them.
Pens. Forget about using hotel pens that everyone has likely had their hands on. You’ll want to bring your own.
Travel hand sanitizer. Although most airports and hotels have hand sanitizer, you’ll want to bring your own. Having hand sanitizer handy will be helpful when you are exploring.
No-touch thermometer. Before COVID, you probably didn’t need a thermometer for travel. Now, it’s a must. Check your temperature the night before your flight. If you have a fever, you’ll want to contact the airline to see what their policy on flying is.

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6. Have a Plan B

Make sure you have a plan B in case you experience lockdowns at your destination. Even if everything is open at the moment, that could change.

Make sure you have a list of activities that you could do if the restaurants and sights are closed to tourists once you arrive. Perhaps create a photo collage of beautiful images from your destination.

With an app like BeFunky, you could literally spend hours adding textures to the backgrounds of your photos or adding funky frames to your pics. These are fun and easy things you can do at your hotel if there is a lockdown.

7. Consider Staying Awhile

Wondering how many days to stay? Why limit your vacation to a week? You can spend the entire winter on a sun-soaked island in the Caribbean if you’d like. A growing number of countries in the Caribbean are allowing digital nomads to work from the beach. This is a perfect opportunity for freelance photographers to shoot beautiful landscape photos.

The Caribbean offers so much more than just sandy-white beaches— it has some of the beautiful landscapes in the world — making a great place for creative types who are looking for inspiration.

Antigua and Barbuda are two of the latest nations encouraging nomads to work in paradise. These two tiny nations are friendly and welcoming, and they offer no shortage of beautiful beaches — more than 300 of them to be exact.

There are lots of beautiful sights to photograph in Antigua and Barbuda. Even if you’re not a professional photographer, you can get great photos for your travel-related business using photo editing apps and software.

The photograph below was taken at Shirley Heights, Antigua, which overlooks Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Center. The best part is that it was taken by a non-professional and edited using BeFunky, a tool that allows anyone with a smartphone to edit stunning photos.

Final Thoughts

The Caribbean is a great place to travel to this year — whether you stay a week or a month. Prepare properly, and you will have a great time. Just make sure you bring along your smartphone, all your travel necessities, and plenty of sunscreens!