If you go to the Caribbean during hurricane season, should we still feel sorry for you?
Here we go again. All weekend the U.S. news channels were showing stories about poor sunburnt vacations hunkered down in crowded government shelters in Cancun.
Haven’t we seen this story before, during…oh yeah…the last hurricane that hit there in August?! Now I’m all for gambling. I love casinos. I love betting on the Super Bowl. But all I can lose is money, not a few days out of my life.
Gosh Bubba, can you believe a hurricane came through while you vacationed on a Caribbean beach in October? What are the odds? Well, here’s a clue. The article says, “The state has seen seven hurricanes hit or pass close by since August 2004.” And, what do you know, they all happened between August and November, a time known by anyone who picks up a guidebook as “Hurricane Season.”
Here’s my favorite quote from the story, attributed to Carlos Porta of Barcelona. “From a luxury hotel to a shelter. It makes you angry. But what can you do?” he said. “It’s just bad luck.” Yeah, and if I go all in on a poker hand when I’m sitting with a pair of twos, it’s just bad luck when I lose.
I’m all for getting a bargain and saving money and I know it’s temptingly cheap to go to the Caribbean during low season. Or Egypt in the hottest month of the year. Or to Eastern Europe in the middle of winter. But all too often, you get what you pay for and end up with a bad experience.
Do some homework and figure out the right time to go. For the best of both worlds, hit a destination when it’s shoulder season. Prices are lower, but the weather is still good. For a rundown on when it’s shoulder season where, check out this article . For the Caribbean and Cancun, shoulder season is from April through mid-July. After that, you may wind up in a shelter…
