Fashion Friday :: Romantic Caribbean

[trip style = beach + sun] Let me fill you in on a little secret about packing for a romantic Caribbean vacation: you don't need much {see: romantic + Caribbean}. Hey there overpackers - you really can travel with only carry-on luggage since the only items you'll be wearing are swimsuits and sarongs. And if you're like a friend of mine, who recently returned from a romantic Caribbean vacation with her husband, you don't need to worry about covering up much at all, because "when are you ever going to see these people again?" Wise words. Then again, don't think you won't be on display.

Several years ago, I travelled to the Dominican Republic with a group of 20 friends and family. There was a French couple at our resort, and we came to call the man "Hot Euro" for his, um, extreme hotness. Imagine you're laying out on the beach with your girlfriend and every time you look down the beach, 20 heads snap away. This was, of course, before I mastered the art of staring and not getting caught {the secret is to keep looking when your subject looks at you, as though you're staring at something just past them. This works especially well with sunglasses}.

Moral of the story? On a romantic vacation, who cares who's staring, they're probably just smitten with you. Unless of course you opted for beach braids. Then they're probably staring for another reason.

Now what to pack? Men (clockwise from top left) Orlebar Brown bulldog swim shorts, Penguin volley swim shorts, Costalots diego grey sunglasses, Soludos costa, Free Authority paper dress straw fedora

Women (from top centre) Zimmerman printed underwired bikini, Ray-Ban wayfarer acetate sunglasses, Topshop tie dye cover up, Norma Kamali walter mio ruched bandeau swimsuit, Pachacuti panama fedora, ASOS chiffon beach playsuit, ASOS fiji leather tie up sandals, Gregory Parkinson bag08, Target merona shirred 1-piece, ASOS floral beach dress, TM by Tara Matthews cheetah-print cotton sarong

{Trip Styler Tip: Two of my favourite online retailers have sunny vacation shops within their online shops: Net-A-Porter's Vacation Boutique and ASOS's Holiday Shop for Women & Men.}

More Fashion Friday Shoulder Season Cabin Fever Buoy Oh Buoy Festival Style Tribal Inspiration

{Fashion Friday posts are published on the last Friday of every month and written by fashion blogger Heather.}

The Caribbean's ABCs

[trip style = sun + beach]

Last week I talked about my Autumn top-pick destinations for low season travel, and I've saved the best for last!

Hurricane Season During the late summer and better part of fall, most of the Caribbean is susceptible to significant hurricanes. As a result, people tend to avoid this tropical playground in fear of getting caught in a hair-raising, wind-blowing and storm-frenzied pickle. I don't blame you.

A Secret Here's a little-known secret, the Caribbean includes Islands situated outside the hurricane belt. The ABC Islands (Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire) or Netherlands Antilles sit at the base of the Caribbean near the central tip of South America. This means, traveling to these destinations during hurricane season is a safer bet than elsewhere within the Caribbean.

Caribbean Another fun fact is that some airlines consider the ABC Islands to be part of the Caribbean when determining general 'areas' for miles redemption. For example, next fall I plan on redeeming my American Airlines (airline alliance: One World) miles to fly to Aruba or Curacao, because in hurricane season AA includes the Caribbean within the lowest tier of its Continental US miles allowance. In other words, thanks to AA thinking most people won't go to the Caribbean during fall, I can fly there for one of its lowest points redemption rates! > Find more strategies for going the distance with your airline miles here.

Sample Fall Fares (oct 18 - 25) From YVR to Aruba: 1 stop $1585, 2 stops $957 From SEA to Aruba: 1 stop $714, 2 stops $626

[image by Salvatore.Freni]