VIDEO: Tip of the Week - Vacation Prep in Hurricane Season

Every day, WeatherNation brings you weather information to help keep you safe, and every week, WeatherNation’s John Van Pelt provides helpful tips to keep you safe long before bad weather hits. This week’s Tip of the Week is being prepared if you have tropical travel plans during hurricane season. Meteorologist Shelly Lindblade asks the questions to help get you prepared. With multiple tropical threats in the Atlantic and in the Pacific right now, it's important you stay informed of the weather and know how to get information if you are traveling to an area that could be impacted. Whether you’re taking a cruise, heading to a coastal beach, or you live on the coast and have plans to travel away from your coastal home, here are some tips on how to stay prepared.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfgcvboXW5E    

Question: As we head deeper into hurricane season, tropical activity often picks up. What does this mean as we're trying to plan a vacation to the beach or to the Caribbean?

Answer: The first thing you need to do is check the tropical weather forecast before you go on vacation- you can do so on the National Hurricane Center website, or watch WeatherNation, of course. If a storm is possible during your stay, you need to have a plan for returning home, or at least moving away from the coast if need be. If you're on an island in the Caribbean, your hotel may not be a safe shelter during a storm, and you need to know where you will be safe if you are unable to leave the island due to flight problems or otherwise. Finally, if you're on the east or Gulf coast and mandatory evacuations are ordered, follow those orders, and you'll have to leave your hotel. Know what the storm cancellation policies are when you book a vacation, and know where you'll go if you cant go home.   Question: What about taking cruises during hurricane season? What happens if a storm threatens our trip? Answer: One of the first things if to have travel insurance, so you'll be covered if you have to cancel or change your cruise. Depending on the timing, be prepared that a cruise might be shortened or extended. If ports are closed, the captain may need to keep the ship out to see. For instance, during Hurricane Harvey, some people ended up with a 2 week cruise instead of 1 week, because the Port of Galveston was shut down for several days.  

Question: What else should we keep in mind when planning a vacation during hurricane season?

Answer: Depending on where you live, it's possible a storm might affect your home area while you're away on vacation.  So, have a plan ready-make sure you have someone who can take of things at your home, if you can't get back before the storm hits.   Be sure to join WeatherNation every week for a new Tip of the Week.