How to Island-Hop Around the Caribbean This Winter
As flights increase and regional connections improve, multi-island adventures are getting easier to plan.
Richard Branson’s Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.
Source: Virgin Limited
Visiting more than one Caribbean country on a single vacation has typically been a surprisingly complex proposition unless you were sailing or cruising. Attempting it by plane has often entailed paying ultracostly fares that required travelers to backtrack to a US airport due to a dearth of inter-regional connections, some served up by tiny carriers with poor track records for safety and timely performance. Interest in island-hopping is on the rise, says Margie Hand, travel adviser at Andavo Travel, a Virtuoso agency. “Many want to do a longer trip but are afraid they will get bored being in one location, and want to maximize their time and see as many places as possible.”
This year, larger airlines are responding to such demand with new inter-island routes that go beyond the well-trodden ferry hops from St. Maarten to Anguilla or from St. Thomas to Tortola. It’s good timing, as consumer demand for closer-to-home tropical getaways continues to soar, and the Caribbean region expects to record a 10% to 15% year-over-year increase in overseas arrivals in 2023.