Post-Storm Caribbean Travel Updates
The Caribbean is open for business. Some travelers are surprised to learn that most Caribbean destinations are open, including Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Other islands, including St. Barth's and Turks & Caicos, are making swift comebacks from serious hurricane damage.
But some islands will take weeks or even months to recover. Barbuda, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, and both the U.S. and British Virgin Islands are putting most tourism on hold for now.
What to do if you have travel reservations in a damaged destination. If you have plane tickets, check in with your airline to see if your flight has been postponed. Airlines have been offering more and more flexibility in the face of natural disasters, and they may waive fees for cancellation or changes in reservations. Check with cruise lines and hotels to find out how to cancel or revise your reservations. To learn more, read “When a Hurricane or Wildfire Damages Your Destination.”
Travel insurance 101. Most people prefer not to think about travel insurance -- they hope for the best instead of planning for the worst -- until disaster strikes. We do recommend a “cancel for any reason” policy when you are planning a trip to the Caribbean. But first check with your credit card company -- you might already have built-in trip insurance. To learn more, read “Travel 101: Read This Before You Buy Trip Insurance.”
How you can help. According to FEMA, those hoping to participate in Hurricane Irma and Maria relief and recovery operations should volunteer with local or nationally known organizations—you can find one that suits your abilities, or register as interested and organizations will reach out if you fit their needs. (Sign up here for volunteer efforts in Puerto Rico and here for the U.S. Virgin Islands.) But as much as you might want to drop everything and go asap, please don’t—unexpected arrivals in affected communities can create an additional burden for first responders whose attention is better focused on those who need immediate assistance, so be patient. In the aftermath of a disaster, it’s often easy to forget that these conditions won’t be alleviated overnight—the survivors will need help for months and even years to come. A few options: All Hands Volunteers’ immediate response team is operating in the USVI after Hurricane Maria, and the organization should be accepting applications for volunteers once the most pressing concerns have been addressed. CARAS, based in Puerto Rico, runs regular group-service trips, and AmeriCares offers a database of disaster-relief volunteer opportunities.