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Solo travel in the Caribbean
The Caribbean, Island by Island
The Caribbean is where I keep returning. Not to one island but to many of them, each with its own language, its own currency, its own pace and its own way of greeting someone who arrives without company. From a distance they blur into a single postcard. Up close they could hardly be more different.
This page gathers every Caribbean guide on the site, grouped by where the islands sit and what they share, so you can choose the one that suits the trip you have in mind rather than the one with the loudest marketing.
Choosing an island
Not sure where to start? These two compare the islands side by side, one on the overall solo experience, one on safety alone.
Ranked list
Best Caribbean Islands for Solo Travel
Ten Caribbean islands I've actually been to, ranked for solo travel, from Bonaire's quiet to Little Corn's car…
Ranked list
The 10 Safest Caribbean Islands for Solo Travelers, Ranked
Ten Caribbean islands I've visited, ranked on how safe they felt for a solo traveler, with the official US adv…
The ABC islands 3
Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao lie off the coast of Venezuela, south of the main hurricane tracks. Dry, wind-scoured and Dutch in their bones, they share Papiamentu as a first language and are among the easiest islands in the region to arrive in alone.
Solo Travel in Aruba: Eagle Beach, Safety and What It Costs
Eagle Beach ranks among the world's best, and Aruba holds the State Department's lowest advisory level. The tr…
Solo Travel Guide to Bonaire: Delfins Beach Resort and Beyond
A solo traveler's guide to Bonaire: world-class shore diving, a genuinely safe island, and one of the easiest …
Solo Travel Guide to Curaçao
Everything a solo traveler needs for Curaçao: Jan Thiel Beach, Klein Curaçao, Willemstad, and why the island s…
The eastern Caribbean 4
The smaller islands of the eastern arc, from Antigua and Barbados to St. Martin, an island that belongs to two countries at once. Its French and Dutch sides each get a guide of their own.
Solo Travel in Antigua and Barbuda: Beaches, Safety and Costs
365 beaches, a working sailing harbour, and enough going on that a solo traveler never has to invent things to…
Barbados Solo Travel: Is It Safe, and Where to Go
One of the Caribbean's most polished islands for solo travel: reliable buses, good food, beaches on both coast…
The French Side of St Martin: A Solo Travel Guide
Grand Case is the Caribbean's culinary capital, and eating alone there is genuinely pleasant rather than somet…
Solo Travel Guide to Sint Maarten (Dutch Side)
The Dutch side has the airport, the beach clubs, and Maho Beach. Here's what's worth your time and what's a ph…
The big islands 6
Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico: the Greater Antilles, where the Caribbean has cities, mountains and music of its own, and where a good trip asks for a little more planning.
Solo Travel in Cuba: Havana, Safety, and the Money Problem
Crumbling beauty, extraordinary music, and a country where almost nothing works the way you expect. Plan more …
Montego Bay Solo Travel: Is It Safe, and What to Know
Jamaica's tourist hub: loud, musical, full of things to do, and a place where solo travelers benefit from plan…
Punta Cana in January: A Solo Guide to Peak Season
January is Punta Cana's busiest, priciest month, and also its most reliably beautiful. Here's how to do peak s…
Punta Cana in April: Easter and the End of Dry Season
April is the tail of the dry season: still sunny, cheaper than winter, and busy with Dominican families over E…
Rincón, Puerto Rico: Solo Travel and Surf Guide
Puerto Rico's surf capital: laid-back, walkable, no passport needed for Americans, and one of the friendliest …
Solo Travel Guide to Vieques, Puerto Rico
Wild horses, a bioluminescent bay, and beaches with nobody on them. Vieques rewards travelers who don't mind a…
Where the Caribbean meets Latin America 6
Islands and coastline that face the Caribbean but belong to Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua and Colombia, from the resort strip of Cancún to islands you reach only by ferry or small plane.
Cancún Solo Travel: Is It Safe, and What to Do Alone
Cancún's reputation comes from spring break coverage. Step outside the Hotel Zone and it's a different, much b…
Isla Holbox Solo Travel: Is It Safe, and What to Expect
A tiny car-free island off the Yucatán coast: bioluminescent water, whale sharks in season, and sand streets i…
Bocas del Toro Solo Travel: Is It Safe and How to Get Around
Bocas del Toro is a backpacker-friendly Caribbean archipelago in Panama, easy to meet people, harder to get ar…
Corn Islands Travel Guide: Getting There, and Going Alone
Nicaragua's most remote Caribbean destination: off-grid, beautiful, and far easier to reach solo than its repu…
San Andrés, Colombia: Travel Guide for Going Alone
A Colombian Caribbean island with seven shades of sea, serious diving, and prices that stay reasonable if you …
Solo Travel Guide to Cartagena, Colombia
A walled colonial city on the Caribbean coast, one of the most beautiful in the Americas, and manageable alone…
Before you book an island
Advisories, seaweed and storms move faster than any guide. Check these close to your dates.