Caribbean Trip Planner
The next best thing to visiting a Caribbean destination is the joy that comes from planning the trip. I love spending hours researching each Caribbean destination before deciding on when to visit, where to stay and what I’d like to actually do once I’m there. This is true even if I’ve been to the Caribbean destination before. With that in mind, below are some of the websites I use for planning trips to the Caribbean.
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Flights
Google.com/Travel
Google Travel is a trip planner service developed by Google for the web. It is my starting point for planning most of my trips to the Caribbean as long before I have dates, I've decided on a destination. And with Google Travel you can easily search to find the cheapest month to fly to that destination, set up price alerts and also check pricing from nearby airports.
Expedia.com
Expedia is one of the largest online travel agency and metasearch engine. It is my starting point for planning a trip to the Caribbean where I already know which destination I would like to visit and looking for packaged deals -- with flights and hotel. Expedia also has a loyalty program and you can collect and redeem points while experiencing the range of hotels in the Caribbean.
Accommodation | Hotels
HotelsCombined.com
HotelsCombined is the world's largest hotel price comparison search engine. And in real-time, you can quickly determine if a hotel has availability and the price across various other travel websites, including Agoda, Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline.com, Trips.com, etc.
Tripadvisor.com
Tripadvisor is the world's largest travel platform, with much of its content user-generated. With hundreds of millions of traveler reviews and opinions, it is a great place to research Caribbean hotels and ultimately book. You can find great deals for hotels, as well as flights, cruises, and tourist attractions.
Sandals Resorts International has twenty-four all-inclusive luxury resorts in seven Caribbean destinations including Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos. This includes sixteen couples-only Sandals Resorts and three Beaches Resorts for families. Each resort has a first-class location directly on the beach (protected by offshore reefs which create clear, calm waters), innovative rooms and suites, out-of-this-world gourmet dining with some resorts offering a choice of up to 21 different cuisines, and a fantastic range of facilities and entertainment. Having visited (Grenada & Saint Lucia) and stayed at a few (Antigua & Jamaica) can confirm that the facilities and services are of an extremely high standard.
Things To Do | Tours
Along with enjoying the sun, sand, and sea while in the Caribbean, I love to get out and about to shop at local markets. I also enjoy exploring a wide range of cultural and heritage attractions and experiences. One of the best places online to book Caribbean tours and activities in advance is Viator. Owned by Tripadvisor, Viator is an online and mobile global marketplace for travelers to discover, research, and book thousands of curated tours, activities, and attractions.
Car Rental
When in the Caribbean, I tend not to drive because I prefer driving on wide roads, which is not the case with most destinations. Plus, I love to watch the scenery and take photographs. Thus, I often hire a driver or use public transportation. However, if you prefer to be at the wheels, I’d recommend securing a rental car through DiscoverCars.com. Founded in 2009, it is the largest online car hire platform allowing you to easily search for and compare car hire prices from over 500+ trusted car hire companies including Avis, Budget and Hertz, etc
Travel Insurance
One thing I never leave home without when I travel to the Caribbean or elsewhere in the world is travel insurance. This is because while I always hope for the best, things can go wrong, so better to be prepared.
One option for travel insurance is WorldNomads.com which is available to people from over 130 countries. Their plans are designed for adventurous travelers with coverage for overseas medical, evacuation, baggage, and a range of adventure sports and activities.
You can buy and claim online, even after you’ve left home. Of course, I would recommend having travel insurance in place before starting your trip!
