How To Plan a Trip to the Caribbean

If you are planning your first trip to the Caribbean with some family members or friends but don’t know where to begin planning, you might want to schedule your trip to coincide with the pre-Lent Carnival. Carnival in the Caribbean is fun, lively, exciting, and truly a break from city life. Preparations for Carnival usually begin well in advance, months before the actual Carnival, but the last three days of Carnival are the liveliest and worth seeing. There are street parades, music as well as dance competitions, beauty pageants, rum and an assortment of grilled food, fireworks and costumes. While it is not a requirement to appear in a costume for the event, Carnival is a time of merriment and wild abandonment, and you might want to really get into this whirlpool of events by preparing a costume for yourself. The heart of the Carnival is the music and dance culture of the islands, so you might want to enter one of the music or dance competitions too; for example, the calypso dance. Here is what you can do to enjoy a Caribbean Carnival to the fullest:

1. The first thing you need to do and probably the only thing that needs a serious decision on your part is which island to visit. If you’re going with a group of family members or friends, it’s best to involve everyone in the planning this early. Trinidad and Tobago is well-known for their festivities, but there are other islands which you or someone in the group might want to visit. Additionally, some islands like St. John, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Vincent have moved the date of their Carnival to summer months instead of the pre-Lent season. Inform yourself of any Carnival schedule changes in the island you want to visit and plan accordingly.
2. When packing for the Caribbean, favor clothing for moderately warm or sunny weather. You can probably get some appropriately festive clothes from a shop in the island itself, but if you’ve made a pirate costume or some other costume for Carnival, then you can bring that with you. If you want, you can also browse in the web for other Carnival clothes ideas if you want to wear something lavish.
3. Involve yourself in the music and dance events and competitions. Among the rhythmic Carnival music are kaiso, zouk, soca and calypso. Calypso is more popular in Trinidad, and if you’re a dancer, this is what you might want to participate in. Usually, the words in calypso songs are witty, often humorous satire, and the music is set in double meter.
4. Dress for dancing. Wear clothes that you can move fluidly in. While you can wear a lavish costume like other people, it is perfectly okay to keep it simple. One nice idea is to wear loose cotton pants, a tight colorful top, and steel earrings. You can also substitute a loose skirt for the pants.

As a last reminder, when you get to your destination, make sure to leave your bags and valuables, such as passports, credit cards, jewelry and expensive watches, safely locked in your hotel room. Bring only your camera and some cash for food and souvenirs. Expect a crowd to be out in the streets with you, and guard your possessions. It stands to reason that there might be local thieves who will take advantage of the festivities and lift your wallet if you’re not careful.