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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Traveling Abroad with Your Child

If you are a single parent or if you have re-married and take your child abroad, make sure you have a notarized letter from the non-traveling parent giving permission. Some countries require it. On our last trip home from Greece, the border agent intensely questioned my daughter's step-father (my husband) since she had a different last name than we did. So err on the side of caution, and get this done whether or not the country you are traveling to requires it.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Caribbean Travel Documents: What do You Need?

With internationals rules constantly changing, it is hard to know exactly what kinds of Caribbean travel documents you need when leaving on vacation. Ever country has specific rules and regulations, so you should check ahead by calling the airport, but in general, you’ll need ID and a passport at the very least to fly into a foreign country or foreign territory.

First and foremost, no matter what documentation you have, travel to Cuba is illegal for most United States citizens. Cuba is under a strict communist dictatorship rule, and United States citizens risk their lives by going there. The only people allowed to travel to Cuba are special government officials with certain clearances. Traveling to Cuba by going to another country, like Canada, is also illegal. You can be caught quite easily doing this because the U.S. customs officials will see the Cuban stamp in your passport. It is smarter and safer just to avoid traveling to Cuba, because you will be less likely to get hurt while in the Caribbean and less likely to face charges when entering the United States to get home.

For most Caribbean countries, you will need a passport to travel from the United States into the country. The Caribbean is not a country on its own—the region is actually made up for number of small island countries and European territories. Therefore, every time you enter a new country, you will need to present your passport to be stamped. Regardless of if you need a passport by the island’s law or not, you will need a passport to reenter the United States. If you lose your passport or otherwise find yourself without a passport in a foreign country, contact the airlines immediately to find out what to do.

In some Caribbean countries, you will also need to present your airplane ticket showing that you have a ticket to return home or a ticket to fly on to another country. Immigration is a problem, and if you have not figured out when you’re going to leave, some countries will not let you leave the airport at all. Make sure you have a return or forward flight, regardless of where you go.

When traveling, keep your documentation, tickets, and identification in a safe place that is quickly accessible. Remember that your luggage may arrive long after you actually get to the Caribbean, so keep everything on your person instead. It is a good idea to use a small outside pocket to carry this or to have one person from the family in charge of all of the information in order to prevent it from getting lost.

Avoiding Crime during Caribbean Travel

Crime is one thing that can ruin your Caribbean vacation in a heartbeat. If your information is stolen, you may have to rebook flights, leave early, contact your credit card company while on vacation and generally stress out over the items that were stolen. Most anything is up for grabs, including money and traveler’s checks, cameras and other technological equipment, passports, plane tickets, jewelry, and other things that you carry with you or leave in your hotel room. If you want to enjoy your Caribbean vacation the best way possible, take steps to avoid being the victim of crime in the Caribbean.

First and foremost, if you are a tourist, local pickpockets will assume that you are an easy target. Don’t be. Stay aware of your surrounding at all times and if you are carry money or anything valuable, make sure that if is somewhere very secure. For example, carry a purse under your arm instead of a backpack, which can easily be unzipped without you noticing.

Another common way to avoid crime is to consider how you are dressing. Of course you’ll want to look your best, but if you dress too flashy, thieves will know that you are a tourist and that you have money. Avoid wearing expensive jewelry or carrying designing purses. Instead, go for a more casual look. You’ll be more comfortable that way anyway.

In fact, leave your valuables at home all together. That’s the best way to keep them from getting stolen on your Caribbean vacation! Travel light—if you look like you’re ready to run after a thief to catch him or her, the thief won’t approach you. However, if you’re carry two heavy suitcases and have a camera case around your neck and a purse under you arm, a thief can quickly grab the money from your back pocket and run off without worrying that you’ll case him. If you do have to carry valuables with you for whatever reason, keep them locked in the hotel safe during the day. Remember, maids and other hotel personnel can rob you too, unless you use the safe, and that will be hard to prove if it happens.

Lastly, remember to protect your items at home as well. Have someone watch your house while you are traveling to the Caribbean to make sure that it is safe. You can even ask a friend or relative to stay there to defer thieves as well as take care of your pets and plants. Another tip is to make sure that your luggage is clearly marked with your name and address in case it gets lost, but at the same time, make sure that this identification is covered so that the person standing next to you can’t clearly read it. If a thief sees an entire family leaving on vacation ad reads you address, he or she can easily rob your home since you will definitely not be there.

Weather Watch: Planning Caribbean Travel

The fastest way to ruin a beautiful paradise vacation is to find out that the weather forecast is calling for rain in the Caribbean during your entire stay. There’s not much you can do to change the weather, but there are a few things you can take into consideration when planning a Caribbean vacation. Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy beautiful sunny weather during most of your stay.

Obviously, the Caribbean is often hit hard by hurricanes. Therefore, your first and foremost plan is to not book a Caribbean vacation during hurricane season. Hurricanes and tropical storms can occur during various times in the year, but most fall during the official hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Most of the storms happen specifically between August and October, with September being an especially volatile time. Try heading to the Caribbean during a different time of the year.

However, if you must plan your trip during hurricane season, try visiting islands that usually do not get hit. Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, which are sometimes known as the Netherlands Antilles islands or the ABC islands are rarely in the path of the storm, and you can avoid a direct hit by traveling to Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Barbados. If you want to learn about a specific island’s weather report, contact a travel agency dealing with travel to this location or a tourist center on the island itself.

In fact, before you plan your island vacation, learning about the weather on specific islands is crucial. For example, if you plan to visit Dominica, you should be prepared for some rain. The wildlife there is beautiful, but they get over 300 inches a year, more than anywhere else in the world. Another example would be Bermuda. It’s actually a northern Caribbean island and has a climate close to that of North Carolina, so if you visit in the winter, you won’t want to lie on the beach or swim in the ocean. You’ll have to head south for warmer weather there.

About a week or two before you leave, track the storms and weather happening on your island. Remember that every storm hits not every island. If you work through a travel agency or buy a packaged deal, sometimes you can get your money back if a hurricane hits your island and you can’t fly in for your vacation; otherwise, make sure that you know some of the indoor activities to do as well, like spending time at the resort or touring local museums. These will help battle your rainy day blues.

A Good Time for the Caribbean

Right now is a good time to go to the Caribbean. Yes, I realize it's hurricane season. The odds of getting hit by one still show that it's not likely you would be in harm's way. Besides that you would have enough of an advanced warning to get out in time. What a vacation tale that would make!

It's off season in the Caribbean and you can find good deals on airfare and hotels. We went to Aruba this this time a few years ago and had a blast. The temperatures are nearly the same year-round for all the Caribbean islands. Although it's nice to get away to a Caribbean island when the temperatures are freezing or below for the winter Northern climates, with all the activities, shopping and gorgeous scenery, consider the Caribbean right now.