If you don’t know, we live in New England in the US. From here, it’s not real easy to get to the Caribbean.  There just aren’t many direct flights to any of the islands and it’s even difficult to get a connection that gets to an island the same day that you start your journey.  One of the easiest to get to is Jamaica simply because there are a lot of flights to it.  So, that’s where we go mostly.  We did go to St. Lucia one year, but we had to overnight in Philadelphia on the way down and back.

If you’re looking to go to Jamaica, here are some tips on how to do it:

• A valid passport.  We recommend that its expiration date is at least 6 months beyond your planned return date.
• Make sure the passport isn’t damaged in any way.
• 30 days prior to your trip, you can fill out your online immigration and citizen form.  The official site is here:  Official Immigration Form.  This is a free service through the government of Jamaica, so if you go to a site that is charging, it’s the WRONG site.
• Check in with your airline 24 hours before your flight.
• If you have TSA pre-check or Global Entry, check if your airline has touchless TSA at the airport.  It makes things even easier than TSA pre-check, but it only works here in the US, not in Jamaica.
• Get to the airport early enough to check in, check your bags, find your gate, and maybe even get something to eat and / or drink.  A minimum of 3 hours is what is recommended.

It’s not hard, just take your time and don’t stress out!