The first week of June is indelibly etched in my memory as a seasonal shift I always dread. While many celebrate the end of the school year and the start of summer vacations, my senses go on high alert: Good Lord, it’s hurricane season—again!
Living in a coastal city on Florida’s west coast, I’m no stranger to storms. I’ve either covered hurricanes as a television reporter and producer or sheltered at home, bracing for impact. My home hurricane survival plan is always in place before the season begins. However, planning summer and fall travel becomes a game of hope and prayer. From June 1 through November 30 each year, you never know when you might land in the path of a storm.
As the calendar inches toward those long-awaited vacation days, I start watching the weather like a hawk. The six-month hurricane window can turn even the best-laid travel plans into chaos.
Fortunately, only one trip in over 40 years of living here has ever been affected. In the summer of 2022—our first overseas adventure since the COVID pandemic—the first leg of our outbound flight to Ireland was canceled just hours before departure. Tropical Storm Alex, the weakest on the storm scale, hovered about 100 miles south of us and still managed to disrupt air travel across the Southeastern U.S.
Tropical Storm Alex
Luckily, the storm moved on quickly. I rebooked for the next day and caught up with our Ireland tour just in time. Still, the experience was nerve-wracking, especially after months of planning.
So here’s my hard-earned advice for anyone traveling to or near hurricane-prone regions: buy travel insurance. It adds a vital layer of protection. Delays and cancellations are maddening, but at least insurance gives you a chance to recover a good portion of your vacation investment.
What will 2025 bring? I’ve got trips to Scotland, Maine, and Key West lined up—right during the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters are predicting an above-average year, with as many as 10 hurricanes, including up to 5 major storms.
I’m crossing my fingers—and watching the skies.
