4 Travel Tips During Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season ranges from June until November with peaks occurring in late August into September. If you find yourself vacationing in Mexico, Florida or the Caribbean, consider these 4 travel tips during hurricane season that will help you stay safe. The recent devastation caused by hurricanes Harvey and now Irma, demonstrates the power that Mother Nature can inflict.

4 Travel Tips During Hurricane Season

Stock up on food and drinking water

Unlike tornadoes or earthquakes, hurricanes typically last for several days. Ensure that you have a stock of food and drinking water in case you are stuck in your hotel room or rental home for several days. Wholesale stores like Costco and BJ’s Warehouse sell bottled waters by the dozen but you can also improvise with filling gallon-sized zipped lock bags with tap water and freezing them. Ready.gov, the United States Federal government website for emergency preparedness recommends at least one gallon of water per person for at least three days.

Have extra batteries and flashlights

Another of those 4 travel tips during hurricane season that is useful, is to have extra batteries and flashlights. Hurricanes have strong and powerful winds that can knock out power for several days. Having a torch and batteries to charge your cellphone or power a radio might just be the items that can save your life – or at the very least, keep you sane while indoors.

Make sure you have fuel in your car in case you have to evacuate

Just like food and water, make sure you have ample gas in your vehicle and then some. In cases where the government officials order forced evacuations, the last thing you want to occur is for your car or motorhome to run out of gas. Heavy traffic will diminish your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, forcing you to use more gas than you would normally. Fill your tank up and have reserves in your trunk just in case.

Plan ahead if you want to get a flight out

In cases where cities are forecasted to be in the direct path of a hurricane, airlines will end up canceling flights 24-48 hours in advance, making it impossible to leave via air. It’s also important to note that airports cease operations until the worst of the storm has passed. If you are fortunate enough to book a flight out, make sure you arrive at the airport in plenty of time.  Factor in the traffic and the long lines at security to ensure that you make it to your flight.

These are just several travel tips during hurricane season. If you want to avoid the possibility of being in this situation altogether, consider traveling to the high-risk areas outside of the months of June through November.