Venere Travel Blog - It's our business where you sleep!

Picture this.

A man clad in layers of thick jacket, shoveling snow in a thick blizzard.

On the other frame is a man wearing shorts, sipping a cold beer, lying on a hammock under the shade of a palm tree, looking at a view of clear waters and blue sky.

Now, imagine you were the man in shorts, sending this picture to your friend in Europe, this winter, with an invitation, “Wish you were here. It’s warm out here.”

It may be cold where you’re at right now but crossover to the other end of the earth, and it’s a different story. If you want to escape the conventional, the pompous celebrations, the crowd, the cold weather, then set sail for an island getaway.

Summer may be the conventional season of the year when people head on to the beaches but in tropical countries like where I grew up, the months of December till February provide an alternative to travelers breaking loose from overcrowded beaches and very hot, humid weather. And more travelers from the West are discovering this.

If you’re up to the challenge and change, what are you waiting for?

1. Start packing

• a pair of sunglasses,
• a sunscreen lotion,
• a camera (waterproof cameras would be great to shoot coral reefs and underwater scenes),
• an umbrella (it rains here anytime of the year),
• a swimming suit,
• a plastic bag to protect your mobile phone and camera from getting wet when you sail on a boat,
• a flashlight for nocturnal activities like firefly watching along mangroves and indoor activity like spelunking
• a first aid medicine for motion sickness and allergies (if you have allergy to seafood),
• and a knapsack. Travel as light as possible since transportation may not be very convenient in developing countries.

2. Engage in sports like you would in summer:

Swimming, diving, surfing, jet skiing, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, fishing, parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, and other aquatic activities.

3. Make the most out of the sunshine and sunny weather.

Staying in a beach apartment such as the Domaine de l’Anse Ramier, Martinique Island,  and the Tropical Winds Apartment Hotel, Barbados,  a cozy hotel room in a Spa resort such as Hotel Verandah, Antigua, or a suite in a luxury resort such Sunshine Suites Resort, Cayman Islands? Don’t lock yourself up in your hotel suite, no matter how nice it is. You’ve traveled this far so spend your days and nights outside –

• strolling the long shores,
• building sandcastles,
• getting a massage while lying on the sand,
• resting on a hammock under the shade of a tree,
• exploring the islands and island hopping,
• beach combing sand for shells,
• sunbathing to show off that golden tan among your pale-colored colleagues when you get back,
• and feeling the warmth of bonfire at night.

4. A chilled cocktail or a cold beer would be a refreshing end to a warm day.

At this time of the year, expect parties, games or music playing till the wee hours of the morning in seaside bars. I remembered I even dozed off for an hour at the shore one night, after drinking half a pitcher of sling.

5. The surrounding waters do not only abound in activities to fill your days and nights but also with bountiful produce.

If you do not have allergies to them, indulge in seafood, shellfish, and something exotic like sea cucumber, uni sea urchin or seaweed. Have your grilled fish served aboard a bigger boat or have a picnic at the shore.

While you’re up to it, you might want to take it up to the next level and venture into extreme adventure, like going to isolated beaches instead of popular beach resorts. Sounds exciting? Adventurous? This is where you can create your own private space of retreat and create your own discoveries. And it requires nothing more than leaving your comfort zone.

• Most travelers don’t learn of these unexplored places until they get to the destination country because they are not known nor advertised. If insider information and local knowledge will get you there or will make you acquainted with these places during your travel planning stage, leave a question at sites where users can ask questions, get answers, and interact such as Yahoo Answers.

• Check travel advisory. Some places are just off limits due to security reasons. Getting yourself vaccinated may be necessary or perhaps an insect repellant lotion will do.

• Bring a life jacket for those who can’t swim. When we went whirlpool watching, the motorized outrigger did not carry one on board; they don’t have one.

• Accommodation may range from a tree house, make-shift homes of beach caretakers to cottages or huts.

• The amenities are stripped to bare essentials as these islands are mostly undeveloped. A Simple Life.

• Electricity may not be available or if there is, blackout may occur.

• Bring a light jacket or blanket as the weather gets cold at night even if it’s warm during the day (but not the kind of cold by Western standards).

• Weather can be quite as unpredictable as a woman’s mood with downpour one minute and sunshine the next. Forecasts may not be very dependable as technology is not that advanced.

• Bottled water is a must if you don’t want to jeopardize your trip.

• You’re not far from creating your own survivor series here so bring an all around tool like a Swiss Army knife.

If there’s anything you can rely on, it’s change. Before this winter season ends, you may want to consider a change in your travel plans… like wrapping yourself in a healthy dose of sunshine instead of layers of jacket; from something icy cold to an unseasonable warm weather.

Photo of tropical island by Walter Rodriguez