From islands in the Caribbean to Alaska, Mother Nature is making travel difficult in some places this weekend as significant storm systems are packing a dangerous combination of heavy wind and rain.
Among the largest concerns is Fiona, which was strengthening Saturday morning in the Caribbean with the possibility of being upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it barreled toward Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), British Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic this weekend. Forecasters warned that the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bahamas could potentially end up in the storm’s path in the coming days.
The strengthening of Fiona has already affected travel in some destinations. The USVI closed its seaports Friday night in anticipation of the storm’s arrival, with government officials warning the ports would not reopen until after an inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard.
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Flights out of St. Thomas and St. Croix in the USVI and San Juan, Puerto Rico, continued to take off and land Saturday morning, but disruptions began to pile up as the day went on. A tweet shared by San Juan Airport (SJU) on Saturday showed a slew of cancellations.
Cruise lines have been busy rerouting ships, as is customary and fairly common during hurricane season. Royal Caribbean has been swapping ports of call for several ships.
The cruise line’s chief meteorologist, James Van Fleet, wrote on Twitter Saturday morning that Royal Caribbean had already made schedule adjustments for some ships, and that itinerary changes were possible for others.
In Alaska, where the remnants of a typhoon threaten parts of the state, Van Fleet said Royal Caribbean’s ships were well outside that storm’s projected path.
Meanwhile, government social media accounts in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other Caribbean destinations potentially in the path warned residents and tourists alike to pay close attention to forecasts over the coming hours and days, as the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Puerto Rico Saturday morning.
In an update Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center warned of “considerable flood impacts” and the risk of mudslides in Puerto Rico, with Fiona expected to dump large amounts of rain on the U.S. territory.
A tropical storm hitting Puerto Rico this weekend brings back difficult memories. It was five years ago this coming week that Hurricane Maria made landfall, ultimately destroying the airport in San Juan and causing historic devastation throughout the island. Other Caribbean islands including the USVI sustained major damage from fall 2017 hurricanes too, from which the islands have spent much of the last five years recovering; a recovery that’s included a major tourism rebound in recent years.
And while it has largely been a quiet Atlantic hurricane season until now, Fiona is a reminder of a roadblock that, while ultimately unlikely, can certainly upend your fall travel. It’s also a reminder of the importance of at least considering travel insurance, whether through credit card protections or a separate policy, particularly when traveling during risky times of the year.
Travel insurance during hurricanes
We spent a good portion of the last two and a half years talking about travel insurance as it pertained to trips interrupted because of COVID-19. As the impacts of the pandemic on travel have subsided, there’s a good chance that weather is again one of the top reasons you might want to consider additional protections when planning a getaway. For some, that can mean leaning on the coverage provided by a travel credit card or buying a separate policy.
Travel insurance can be critical in offsetting costs for a variety of reasons, including when you need to cancel or otherwise alter travel plans because of a major weather event like the systems seen this weekend in the Caribbean or Alaska.
As you think about future trips, though, there’s an important rule of thumb to remember when it comes to storm systems like Fiona: In most cases, you can get reimbursed by typical travel insurance policies only once a storm is named, and only if you bought the policy prior to the storm being named.
“Travel insurance is designed to protect you from financial losses due to unforeseeable events,” the coverage alerts page for Allianz Travel explains. “That means benefits may not apply for events that were public knowledge when you purchased your plan.”
The company lists past events that triggered coverage alerts, which include not just past hurricanes, but winter storms, too.
When you factor in all the reasons a trip could get disrupted, the costs of buying travel insurance and the rules behind a policy — not to mention when and whether to cancel a trip you’ve planned – there’s a lot to think about.
Do I really need travel insurance?
If you were to buy travel insurance for every trip that falls during hurricane season, it would, of course, get expensive. After all, Atlantic hurricane season technically runs from the beginning of June until the end of November.
Understanding when and where storms most often strike can help you make the best decisions on when to purchase insurance, and on which trips you should be the most prepared for a weather disruption.
“Statistically, Sept. 10 is classified as peak hurricane/tropical storm season,” said McCall Vrydaghs, Chief Meteorologist at CBS affiliate WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio, pointing to late August through the end of September as the most likely time your travels to certain areas might be affected.
“The month of September, I would definitely be thinking, ‘Oh, there’s a possibility that my vacation may be impacted by some kind of tropical storm system.”
Vrydaghs classified the Caribbean and Gulf Coast as “hot zones” during that time for trips to potentially be affected by a hurricane or tropical storm.
How to know when to cancel a trip
As most who have watched a weather forecast on television know, though, storms like Fiona can often change directions – in sometimes drastic shifts.
This can complicate decisions to cancel a trip: when seeing a potentially ominous forecast at their upcoming destination, travelers may find themselves weighing their hopefulness to still take their vacation on one hand, with safety and the rules behind making a travel insurance claim on the other.
“I need to know, how [close to departure] am I able to get a full refund, or partial refund, to allow myself enough time to see where a potential storm may be headed,” Vrydaghs said. She recommends keeping a close eye on the forecast, and evaluating decisions on whether to travel on a day-by-day basis – with an understanding along the way of how long you can wait to cancel your trip and get a refund, if you do have an insurance policy.
“Five days out, I would be on alert,” she said.
If the forecast still looks bad after that?
“Three days [out]…I’m probably making a decision in my mind that I may have to cancel, and 48 hours…I’m probably already deciding yes or no,” Vrydaghs said.
What to do if you’re on an island and a hurricane is coming
Safety is an additional factor to consider when you’re at a destination as a storm begins a track in your direction; a situation that’s all the more crucial to evaluate when you’re staying on an island.
Vrydaghs recommends formulating an ‘exit strategy’ of sorts at the first sign of a concerning forecast, calling it an “extra step” needed when traveling in the month of September to destinations that can see tropical storms or hurricanes.
“I would start planning, ‘how do I get out if I need to get out, and how soon do I need to make that decision,’” she said. “A lot of people are traveling with multiple people of all ages, so it’s not so easy to just pick up a family of five.”
Ultimately, she suggests paying close attention to local weather advisories, and the National Hurricane Center, which offers detailed information on a storm’s track and potential risks.
Bottom line
Both Alaska and parts of the Caribbean face significant storm systems over the coming days, with the potential for high winds and heavy rain that could have a major effect on travel. While the early part of hurricane season was quiet this year, it’s a reminder of the importance of formulating backup plans when Mother Nature impacts travel, and evaluating – ahead of time, when you book a trip – whether it’s one you’d do well to protect with travel insurance.
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