So, I was supposed to be landing in beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico this morning.
In case you didn’t know, Puerto Rico was in the path of Hurricane Irma last week. With intense 185 mph winds, much of Puerto Rico was left without power and thousands of people were without access to clean water for a few days. In the days leading up to the hurricane, I was watching the news like a hawk and trying to decide what to do about my trip. I ultimately decided to cancel and give the island a little more time to recuperate before receiving me as a visitor.
But it got me to thinking- what about other people who had plans to visit Puerto Rico and the surrounding Caribbean islands that were left destroyed by Hurricane Irma? If you’ve been watching the weather and aren’t sure what’s going to happen with your vacation, here’s what to do if your destination is going to be hit by a hurricane.
What to do if your destination is going to be hit by a hurricane
Don’t Freak Out
The last thing you want to do if your destination is going to be hit by a hurricane is to lose your head prematurely. Hurricanes are notorious for changing directions and dissipating over time. Even if your destination is predicted to be hit, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it will be. The best thing you can do is stay calm about it and wait to see what happens.
Stay on top of the weather reports and the news
Like I said, hurricanes often stray from their predicted paths. Originally, Puerto Rico was supposed to get absolutely hammered by Hurricane Irma. Instead, only a small portion of the island got the full force of the storm, with the remainder just seeing high wind and rain. Watch the weather reports and the news for updates on the hurricane.
Check your airline cancellation policies
If you are flying into a destination that is within a hurricane path, you’ll want to check with your airline about the situation. While many airlines won’t give you refunds for cancellations due to weather, they usually have exceptions for extreme weather like hurricanes. Before calling the airline (because odds are those wait times are going to be horrendous), look online for your airline’s cancellation FAQ’s. They will most likely outline their policies for hurricanes. If your destination is going to be hit by a hurricane, you may also want to consider just delaying the trip rather than canceling altogether.
Check on cancellation policies for other places you may have reservations
If you’ve already booked other things like accommodations, excursions, tours, etc., you’ll also want to check on the cancellation policies for these. Most likely, they will not have this kind of information on their websites. In this case, an email or phone call will be your best bet. These kinds of businesses are less likely to give you a partial or full refund for any money you’ve already put down. This is why it’s great to have travel insurance– especially when traveling during hurricane season.
Check your ego and make a decision
Even if it turns out that your destination is not severely affected by the hurricane, there may still be damage and lives afflicted. Ask yourself- why am I going to this place? As soon as I read online that an estimated 4,000 people in Puerto Rico did not have access to clean water after Hurricane Irma, I made my final decision not to go. It came down to the ethics of the situation- Who am I to take Puerto Rico’s available clean water away from local people who need it? If I was Puerto Rican, would I be happy to help tourists while I was worried about my family and the damage to my home? Ask yourself how your traveling to this destination will affect their situation at present.
If you do go…
If the damage from the hurricane isn’t all that bad you may make the decision to continue with your plans to visit. In that case, it’s important to be sensitive to the needs of your destination. Bring goods or monetary donations. Consider spending a day or two volunteering, passing out water or helping with clean up. Learn about some ways to travel sustainably, and apply that knowledge to your trip.
If you don’t go…Plan to visit in the future
After being damaged by a natural disaster, many places will rely on money from the tourism industry to help get back on track. Don’t completely wipe your destination off your travel list, because it will need you. Even though I decided to cancel my trip to Puerto Rico, I am determined to visit soon. Now I’m thinking maybe it will make a great warm getaway while facing the cold Midwest winter.
If you’re feeling the pull to help these places affected by the recent Hurricane Irma, please consider donating through GlobalGiving.
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27 Comments
This is very helpful! Although I hope that I never run into a situation like this, this couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m actually going to Florida next summer so I’ll be utilizing these tips if extreme weather were to occur before I travel there.
What a useful article! Thank you for sharing your advice. It’s always worrying when you hear something is going to happen in your destination. Especially when you spend so long getting prepared and excited for it. I hope you get to go soon!
I read some horror stories of Americans trying to get out of St. Maarten during Irma. I think many are still stuck there! So glad you weren’t headed to PR one week early. Hope you get to reschedule your trip, though!
These can also be applied on any unfortunate weather condition. Thanks for reminding that we always need to check the weather forecast when on vacation. And I hope that I never run into a hurricane.
Thanks for this post. It is definitely useful if I get stuck in a similar information. That’s a nice p0int of view about taking available clean water away from the locals.
You have mentioned really good points here especially the one that is asking us to remain calm – This sounds easy but is very tough to be calm 🙂 …. Thanks, handy for a lot of us now!
This is a very useful post … It is really sad to see so many lives been affected in such a dramatic way …
Absolutely perfect article. Especially about checking your ego—I can’t imagine people still going on their trip and expecting amazing service and a perfect vacation after a natural disaster. I would only go still to help relief efforts.
Great article. And it’s nice to see that airlines were being pretty generous with their cancellation/change policies during Irma. I had friends who almost got trapped in the path in Florida, but were able to change their tickets at the last minute to get out just before it hit — and JetBlue didn’t charge them a dime.
Really appropriate post given the current circumstances. I got caught in a Hurricane in Florida on my travels and it can be easy to become worried. Great post I bet it’ll be really useful for those affected by the recent disasters.
These are great tips. I was actually down in Cuba a few weeks before Hurricane Irma hit. I can’t imagine what I would have done if we were caught down there. Hope everyone we met there is alright.
Definitely a topic that we need to think about, as travel to more temperate places can be a bit of a roll of the dice. You’re spot on about checking on cancellation policies. My in-laws are going to a place on the NC coast and I believe their policy is that they’ll let you cancel if there’s anything like a Cat 2 Hurricane or above in the area. Places will certainly vary, so that’s a very important thing to check on. Thanks for sharing this awesome article!
Great article. I’ve never had to deal with a hurricane. Another reason to have travel insurance.
Great post. Being from New Orleans, we know a few things about hurricanes. It always amazes me when people get all upset (especially with cruise ships) when their plans are altered or cancelled.
I do love that you will still go. In 6 months Puerto Rico will be somewhat ready to accept you & you will be helping their recovery, rebirth, & renewal
Given what’s happening in the Caribbean and in the South states of the US, it is better to be prepared and ready. This is crazy!
Useful tips ehich i am sure will be helpful to many people. I always check the “when to go” recommendations before choosing my next destination so I never had to deal with such disasters. If I found myself in that situation I think I would go and try to help. It would be difficult to do the happy tourist when people are suffering around
Great tips! I was out of my house in Florida for 6 days but the anticipation of watching the news the 3-4 days leading up to evacuation is killer.
When Katrina was going to hit the Gulf Coast, I was flying there via Houston.
All the flights going out of Houston were cancelled, lol, except mine, going to Biloxi!
Airline trickery! Nobody could explain to me why our flight, probably the most ridiculous flight still scheduled, wasn’t already cancelled.
Needless to say, I didn’t board.
I really like your attitude about this, I think it’s easy for people to either panic, or react selfishly thinking only about their lost vacation. I really appreciated reading your reminders to think about those actually affected, and whether or not your visit (if you were still considering going) would help or hinder them. Your suggestion to look at volunteering or taking donations, if you visit in the aftermath, is also really positive. So too the point that if you do decide not to go, then consider going as soon as the destination is on its feet to accept visitors again, as a show of support. GREAT post!
This article is such an important read right now. Luckily we’ve never had to deal with a hurricane but I can imagine how devastating it must be for the locals. I think you’ve covered the ethics of traveling during this time perfectly.
I almost went to Cuba in September about 5-6 years ago but decided against it for this reason and ended up going in March time instead. Very useful, and topical, information for people at the moment!
This is great information. It’s something no-one ever wants to happen to them but it helps to be prepared for things like this
This is such an important read for so many people, thanks for sharing! Our house in Fort Lauderdale was SO lucky that it didn’t flood during Hurricane Irma, as it’s right on the water.
Great advice here. I have been very close to my travel being affected by a hurricane. It was in 2014 when the hurricane hit Mexico on the west coast. I was sailing on a Disney cruise from San Diego. Fortunately the cruise went ahead, but I was glad that I had travel insurance. It really is important as sometimes the unexpected happens.
This is particularly important to us as we are sailing around the world on our sailboat! Hurricane prep, if you are in a hurricane zone at the wrong time of year, is something not to be taken lightly!
After Hurricane Katrina, I went down there with a group from church to help out various families clean out and repair their homes. It was definitely life changing.
So great of you to volunteer your time and help! 🙂