Travel Q&A: Beware Caribbean honeymoon during hurricane season – Pittsburgh Post

Q: Fiance and I are getting married late October and looking at honeymoon destinations late October-November. Any thoughts on some gems? Looking for a reasonably priced locale that is warm enough for some days at the beach but has fun things to do outside of that. Looking for two-three weeks, so a couple of destinations that are somewhat close would work too.

A: It’s still hurricane season during that time, so that needs to be considered if you’re looking at the Caribbean. The islands that are typically not hit with hurricanes include Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Of those, Curacao probably offers the most non-beach-related things to do. Because it is the tail end of the hurricane season, you could take a chance and go to Puerto Rico, which has more to do. Or you could stay in the states and head to San Diego. — Carol Sottili

Q: So what is going on with airline tickets these days? I heard that in late August the prices where supposed to go down. However, now when I try and book flights that I used to book regularly, one to two times a month, on US Airways the prices are $100 more a ticket than they have been for the last two years, even though they are still flying the same number of flights and the price of gas is way down. Thoughts?

A: That’s the thing about expert predictions. They’re sometimes wrong. I still think prices could go down, but probably not until the summer travel season is over. And with the stock market acting up like it is, there’s absolutely no telling what will happen. — Christopher Elliott

Q: We’re looking to take a family “babycation” in December for about a week, maybe somewhere warm (not required). It could be a vacation over the holidays. My wife and I (gay couple) and 2- (nearly 3-) year-old son will be traveling, and I will be seven months pregnant (so, no skiing). We’d like some child care options, like, several hours a day, as well as places of historical/cultural/natural interest (not just sitting by the pool). Budget is fairly wide open, but extensive long-range travel with a 2-year-old can be a challenge. Any suggestions?

A: I might recommend Tampa and the St. Petersburg area. First, you will definitely want a nonstop flight. There are lots of museums on both sides of the bridge (Dali, Museum of Science and History, Tampa Museum of Art, aquarium, etc.), nature parks (including a bird sanctuary in Indian Shores), streetcar rides, plus beaches if you need some downtime.

For child care, you will need to decide whether you want to use an independent nanny/babysitting service or the hotel’s childcare service. The choice is very personal, so you will need to find an arrangement that suits your needs and comfort level. However, from what I can tell, the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay has babysitting. — Andrea Sachs

Q: My husband and I are looking to do a four- or five-night vacation in October to a warm weather locale. I would love some place reasonably easy to get to by plane, and all in $2,500-3,000 (depending on whether it is four or five nights). All I want to do is be by the pool or the beach, with a drink in hand. All-inclusive for that price would be a plus, though not necessary if the hotel/area is worth it. Thanks!

A: With that budget, you should have no trouble finding a good spot. October, however, is still hurricane season, so you may want to take that into consideration. Aruba may fit the bill. There are a few all-inclusive resorts there, including Riu and Occidental properties. Destinations with the largest numbers of all-inclusives include Cancun, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, and frequent nonstop flights are offered from our region to Cancun and Jamaica. — C.S.

Q: I have a U.S. trip tentatively planned for about six months from now. What is the best way to watch for low airfares in the future? I’m thinking there might be a website or two that will scan and email me when something good comes up?

A: You can sign up for fare alerts on just about any third-party booking site (Travelocity, Expedia and the like) or aggregator (Kayak, Hipmunk etc.). But I’ve never found them all that useful as I’m usually pretty particular about how many stops I want to make, what time I want to leave and other details. A new site called Fareness (www.fareness.com) sounds intriguing, although I’ve not yet put it through its paces. Airfarewatchdog is also fairly good. — C.S.

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