by James Johnson

Created on: June 09, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2009

Where is the ideal vacation spot? For some it is relaxing in the sun on a blanket by the beach while listening to the gentle waves lap the shore. For others, maybe it is climbing through mountains exploring tropical jungles while looking for exotic birds and hidden valleys. Then many count the ideal vacation spot where they can learn about history and people, visiting new places while exploring other countries. Most people also want the place to be safe and not extremely difficult or expensive to get to. An ideal spot can be hard to find, especially if there is more than one person traveling!

For people in North America or Europe, why not consider some of the smaller islands in the Eastern Caribbean? These places can accommodate a wide range of travelers, travel time isn't much different from driving to most other places, and there are a wide range of activities.

The combination or Atlantic Ocean on one side and Caribbean Sea on the other make for some fantastic beach experiences, winter or summer. Diving and snorkeling are great ways to cool off on those hot, humid, summer days. There is also sea kayaking and windsurfing, or just relaxing on the beach watching the occasional ghost crab scuttle past, letting those cool tropical trade winds breeze over your tanned skin.

Also most of these islands are volcanic, so have central mountains for those climbers and explorers. There are rain forests, waterfalls, and beautiful flowers all hidden up in those valleys and growing on those mountaintops! Bird life, while not really comparable to Central America is more varied that most places and easy to see, many will come steal food from the tables when you eat. Adventurers can pretend they are Indiana Jones and search for remains of Indians or colonial settlements, which takes us to history!

History abounds in the Caribbean! The sugar trade brought rich lords and poor slaves, both of which were preyed on by pirates and scoundrels. Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean on the little island of Nevis and Horatio Nelson started his naval career there (plus married a Caribbean lady)! Buildings and ruins date to the 1600's, and shipwrecks are common dive sites. Every island has at least one small museum and some have several.

What helps to make these places ideal are also no temperature extremes; they are cooler in the summer than most places and warmer in the winter. As mentioned earlier, Trade Winds blow almost constantly, making it feel like a warm spring day. There are also some very plush resorts as well as quaint Inns are found in the Caribbean, they offer excellent cuisine and massages on the beach while sipping rum cocktails, at a variety of rates.

There is also the lack of large numbers of tourists on many of the smaller Caribbean Islands. This means less traffic, less noise, less crime and the people appreciate you more, so better service! This, combined with the birds, flowers and butterflies, while surrounded by lapping waves is exactly what many want for their "Ideal Vacation"!

History, mountain hiking and adventure, beaches with lots of water sports combined with no crowds to fight? What could be a more ideal spot that the Eastern Caribbean for that needed vacation?

Learn more about this author, James Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.