Travel Tip #43 - Weather in the tropics

     Whether you are vacationing in the Caribbean, the Pacific, Florida, or Central America, weather in the tropics is quite different from weather north of the Tropic of Cancer or south of the Tropic of Capricorn. It is typically humid, which means that 80°F is going to feel like the upper 90's. In other words, you are probably going to sweat more than you normally would, especially if you are out walking around. It also means that you better be prepared for both sun and rain every day, because chances are you will get both on any given day. Therefore, you will want to take a few precautions that you might not normally take. 1. Apply sunscreen multiple times during the day. This is especially important if you are swimming, sweating heavily, or have skin exposed that is normally covered. 2. Carry extra water with you. You will probably drink twice as much as you would for the same activity back home (depending on where home is), so be prepared. 3. If you don't want to get wet, carry an umbrella, even if there aren't any clouds in the sky when you leave the hotel room. I've seen cloudless skies, followed by a summer squall, followed by cloudless skies again due to strong ocean breezes. With a little advance planning, you can avoid problems that can potentially place a huge damper on your vacation. So have fun playing in the sun!