Help, need backup plan instead of Mexico

[donnad]

i'm booked for memorial day weekend, to cancun (staying in playa del carmen)....flying out of houston friday evening, returning monday. in case this flu thing gets alot worse, i need a backup plan.........that's nonstop from houston so we can get there friday night, return on monday.......not planning to dive necessarily, just want a nice beach, not too much more expensive than mexico. where else can you get to quickly from houston on a friday afternoon/evening? thx in advance!!

 

[full fin]

check out www.Kayak.com. The "Buzz" option works well. Do a non-date specific search of top 25 from houston to carribean to get a good idea of what flights are out there.

I almost booked a trip to coz for memorial weekend, ended up at VI thankfully! Good luck.

p.s. you can take tamiflu to prempt the flu. It may keep you from getting symptomatic or lower duration/significance if you do catch it. It turns out this strain is much milder than it first appeared.

 

[fireflock]

Honestly, traveling anywhere on a plane is a germ-fest. If you're going to go on a plane, you might as well take the trip you have planned.

If you really want to reduce your exposure, you could consider driving somewhere instead.

 

[diversteve]

San Juan, PR on Continental. A friends done it, leaves about 3PM on Friday. Don't know about the return.

At couple years ago you could get to Cayman or Curacao also, I meet a dive buddy in Houston often on the way through there. Not sure if there's later flights though as we go in the morning. Curacao might be too many hours as you connect in Miami. Delta or Continental, can't remember which. The Marriott on Curacao has a great beach, pool bar, restaurant right on the water, even a diveop onsite if you change your mind. Most anything along Seven Mile Beach on Cayman is nice, imo it gets a little better a couple of miles to the north. Cayman's pricey though, not like Mexico.

Aren't there Southwest flights out of Hobby to Florida also? Ft. Lauderdale has some nice beaches.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Go to the Mexico forums and read the swine flu threads. There are 54 confirmed cases of swine flu in New York State and none in the Yucatan. You do the math.