Puerto Rico is ‘most affordable’ trip for U.S. travelers
Puerto Rico is TripAdvisor’s most affordable Caribbean destination this spring break.
U.S. travelers seeking to get the most bang for their buck when traveling to the Caribbean over spring break should consider Puerto Rico first, as it has been ranked as the “least expensive destination” by TripAdvisor’s TripIndex Caribbean survey released Wednesday.
TripIndex Caribbean is the travel site’s cost comparison tool for a one-week trip for a family or group of four to 20 popular Caribbean destinations during the travel period of March 1, 2014 – April 30, 2014.
The TripIndex Caribbean evaluated travel expenses including the average round-trip airfare from the continental U.S., a seven-night hotel stay, dinner for six nights and a half-day snorkeling excursion for four.
A trip to Puerto Rico during that period carries a price tag of $4,609, significantly less than the average $7,152 for a one-week trip for a family or group of four traveling to during spring break, when they can expect to pay around $3,253 for round-trip flights and $2,772 for one week in a hotel.
The index identified Jamaica as the second best value ($4,631), and the Dominican Republic in fourth place ($5,315).
“After a particularly harsh winter, many Americans are desperate to escape the Polar Vortex and thaw out in the warm waters of the Caribbean,” said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “The TripAdvisor TripIndex reveals that U.S. travelers heading to Dominican Republic, Jamaica, or Puerto Rico within the Greater Antilles can get more value for their money and save 36 percent compared to other Caribbean destinations.”
On the other hand, the most expensive Caribbean spots are located in the Leeward Islands: St. Barthelemy (St. Bart’s) is the priciest Caribbean destination on the Index at $12,486, or 17 percent more expensive than the second priciest on the list, Anguilla ($10,709). The British Virgin Islands round out the top three costliest Caribbean spots at $9,712 for the week.
