Cayman Islands Vacation & Travel Tips: The Essential Vacation Guide
Find Caribbean vacations, travel advice and links to articles offering information to help you plan your island vacation to the Caymans. Each article will also provide links for you to make your travel bookings with significant savings.  Do your research and find everything you need to know before visiting.

What about hurricanes? Tropical storms and hurricanes are a fact of life in the Caribbean, but large storms are infrequent and the weather is constantly monitored. So don’t let the remote chance of a hurricane stop you from coming, but be wise and purchase travel insurance just in case. This will ensure that, if the worst comes to the worst, you don’t lose the money for the whole trip and it will also cover you if you are forced to evacuate. However, you won't be able to make a claim if you purchased travel insurance after a hurricane was already forecasted and named, so get it when you make your travel plans. If you want to keep informed on possible storms approaching, visit CaymanPrepared.ky or check the local online news.

When to travel: There isn't a bad time to come to the Cayman Islands, unless you happen to encounter a hurricane. However, you can minimize the chance of that happening by visiting outside hurricane season, which runs 1 June to 30 November. Visitors are willing to pay premium prices to flee the cold back home in the winter months, and a nice warm Christmas and New Year are always popular, and therefore more expensive. ( P.S. The best travel deals are offered during September to November. Book your vacation now and save!) During the summer months you’ll find bargain airfare and cheaper accommodation, and the Islands are only slightly hotter. September and October are the slowest months of the year for tourism – and some people like to travel then precisely because everywhere is less crowded.

Is it safe to travel?  The Cayman Islands are considered politically and socially stable and enjoy a high standard of living, which has made them a popular choice particularly for our North American neighbors. However, it is a good idea to always check for travel warnings and travel alerts before you set out.

Have all travel documents ready: It’s critical to check well before your travel dates that all your travel documents are in order. Do you need to get or renew a passport? If not, you’ll need an approved form of identification. Do you need a visa? Check with your travel agent, or see GoCayman Travel FAQs for more details.

Make sure you have medical insurance while you’re here: Check your own insurance company to see if your policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation.  If not, it is strongly recommended that you ask your travel agent about travel medical insurance for your trip to the Cayman Islands.

Bring essentials in your carry-on luggage: A fact of air travel is that luggage does go missing from time to time, so keep anything you can’t do without for 48 hours with you, especially medicines, which should be kept in their original, labeled containers to avoid problems when passing through customs. You can’t carry your whole dive gear, but prescription masks are irreplaceable on vacation and some people won’t dive unless they’re using their own regulator.

Shops are closed on Sunday: The Cayman Islands follows the Christian tradition of a Day of Rest, so be aware that most shops are closed on Sundays. While convenience stores at gas stations remain open for emergency purchases, make sure you are stocked up on essentials like baby food and sunscreen. Strangely enough, local pubs and beach bars are open from 10am until 12am. Go figure.

Wear plenty of sunscreen whenever you go out: The temperature here varies little throughout the year, averaging 75 degrees Fahrenheitin the winter and 85 degrees in the summer, and generally stays within the range of 70-90 degrees. Most visitors remember to wear sunscreen when the sun is out or they’re spending time on the beach, but the time most people get burned is when there a little cloud, or when they’re out and about shopping or sightseeing. To avoid painful sunburn, always wear a high factor sunblock and keep reapplying throughout the day.

Beat the heat: Welcome to the Caribbean - it gets hot on the beach! Wear a hat and make sure your kids wear one too! Heatstroke is no fun, so avoid going out at the hottest part of the day if you can, and always remember to drink plenty of water (not soft drinks) all day long to keep hydrated.

Be Safe. Practise Common Sense. The Cayman Islands have a very low crime rate. However, better safe than sorry, and it’s always a good idea to take precautions against theft. Carry the minimum number of valuables and cash, and ask your resort if they have a safe to store them when you don’t need them with you.

Drive on the left: Apart from getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, North American visitors must also get familiar with our roundabout system, so make sure this is explained fully when you rent a vehicle. Visitors must obtain a temporary driver's license, easily granted upon presentation of a valid state driver's license and payment of a small fee at a car rental agency or a police station. The Cayman Islands does not tolerate drunk driving and everyone in the car must wear a seatbelt.