In early January, two pieces of news caught my attention.
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First, some of the world’s most elite celebrities gathered en masse in St. Bart’s, where private yachts were anchored nearby. St. Bart’s is a hub for celebrities and is one of the Caribbean’s best ‘celeb-sighting’ spots, and this year’s big NYE celebrations drew in the world’s most powerful people.
If you want to dive deep into the list of yachts and celebs who made it to St. Bart’s, go here—we know who showed up based on the vessels floating in the cerulean waters. Names like Jeff Bezos, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Jordan, and more all graced the island.
Shortly after the A-Listers gathered in the Caribbean, another piece of news hit the airwaves. The United States touched down in Venezuela for a military operation that saw airspace throughout the Caribbean go dark.
That meant one thing for the rich and famous enjoying the spoils of St. Bart’s: they couldn’t fly home. Leo even missed an award ceremony at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
It begs the question… if people like Bezos and DiCaprio were stranded due to locked airspace, what should the rest of us humble travelers expect from our upcoming trips? Should you cancel your trip to the Caribbean in the coming months? Let’s dive in.
Can you travel to the Caribbean, including close to Venezuela?
For now, Caribbean airspace is open. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still has an advisory warning in effect. The warning in place means that ongoing military activity could create more issues with commercial flights. An ongoing warning for aircraft flying within 100 miles of Venezuela remains in effect.
When the Caribbean airspace went down following US military actions in Venezuela, it prevented commercial airlines from flying for only 24 hours. That created ongoing delays for the next days, as thousands of passengers across the region were stranded. In short, further actions could lead to more day-long delays that create a ripple effect—and flights as far as San Juan, Costa Rica, to San Juan, Puerto Rico were affected.
In short, any trip to the Caribbean could be disrupted by ongoing actions—even if you’re not vacationing on an island close to the country, like the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.
Should you cancel your trip to the Caribbean because of airspace concerns?
News has already hit that some tourists are canceling their trips to the ABC islands. Aruba, for example, is only 15 miles off the Venezuelan coast. Trinidad and Tobago is also located nearby.
Some airlines, including Air Canada, have also changed their policies to allow passengers to change reservations heading to destinations close to Venezuela. That list of destinations even includes islands located further north, including the Dominican Republic.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer about whether or not you should cancel your trip to the Caribbean. The actions in Venezuela were an unprecedented surprise, meaning more actions could theoretically follow. Additionally, the US hasn’t announced any plans to transition power in Venezuela, meaning ongoing conflicts are highly possible.
However, some have pointed out that the US has been active in Caribbean waters for months, having made 35 known strikes on boats in Venezuelan waters in the last year. These actions haven’t disrupted tourism in the Caribbean, including in the ABC islands.
Similarly, most major cruise companies are continuing on with business as usual, including Virgin Voyages cruises with ports in places like Aruba and Bonaire.
If you’re unsure about whether to cancel your plans, reach out to your airline and hotel. They might let you reschedule your trip for free or at a low fee. If not, keep a close watch on the news leading up to your departure date.
