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Hurricane Season in the Caribbean lasts from June 1 through November 30. Although it’s rare to see a large storm in either June or November, you can never be sure what Mother Nature is going to do. Here’s some helpful information on how to weather any storms you might encounter while traveling in this region.

Airlines
If you are scheduled to fly into an area where a hurricane is expected, get travel updates from your airline. If flights are disrupted, airlines will usually allow you to rebook at a later date, but you will not get a refund if you have booked a non-refundable ticket, nor in most cases will you be allowed to change your ticket to a different destination; rather, you will be expected to reschedule your trip for a later date—most often without any kind of change penalty. Some airlines will waive change penalties when a hurricane is a possibility (though not a certainty) so you can rebook your trip in a limited period of time; this gives you an “out” to avoid a rain-soaked vacation you no longer want to take (airlines do this so they won’t be bringing a lot of travelers into an area that they might have to evacuate later). If you find yourself stuck on an island during a hurricane, just be aware that your departure may be delayed while aircraft are flown in to deal with the backlog of tourists trying to get off the island, and since the delay is weather-related, the airline will not be reimbursing you for any additional costs, including extra hotel nights, restaurant meals, or telephone calls back home.

Hotels & Resorts
Caribbean resorts do everything in their power to protect guests during a hurricane, but don’t be surprised if you are asked to stay in your room or to sleep in a public room during a storm. Food service may be limited, but most resorts go out of their way to keep guests fed and reasonably happy. A particularly destructive storm can make that a challenging proposition, however. If a hurricane warning is issued and flights are disrupted to your destination, virtually every Caribbean resort will waive cancellation and change penalties and will allow you to rebook your trip for a later date; some will allow you to cancel even if a hurricane threatens to strike, even if flights aren’t scheduled. Some will give you a refund if you have prepaid for your stay, others will expect you to rebook your trip for a later date. Some large resort companies—including Sandals and SuperClubs—have “Hurricane Guarantees,” but these kick in only when flights have been cancelled or when a hurricane is sure to strike; just remember that the guarantees give you a credit only for the days that were directly disrupted by the storm. If there was rain for two days before the hurricane actually struck, you won’t be getting any credit for those. On the positive side, if you must stay a couple of extra days before a flight is available, most of the hurricane guarantees will cover your lodging costs for this time. If the resort is not an all-inclusive, you may still be expected to pay for meals and drinks.

Pre-Paid Packages
There’s nothing more disappointing than pre-paying for a package deal you can’t take because a hurricane is bearing down on the island. Travel companies have different philosophies about this. A few will refund your money if a hurricane is about to hit the island where you’ve booked your vacation, but you should expect the refund to take at least 30 to 60 days. Most will force you to reschedule your trip. Even if the resort you’ve booked has a hurricane-guarantee policy, you may have to fight for your 2 or 3 days’ refund from the travel company, though most will make good on guarantees, though they might not do so efficiently or happily. This is where a good travel agent comes in handy; your agent can work on your behalf directly with the travel packager. If you’ve booked your package online, you’ll be fending for yourself. If your travel company has its own policy for weather-related cancellations, that policy might also allow you to rebook for a different date, but you’ll still rarely get a refund.

Travel Insurance
Doesn’t travel insurance protect you during hurricane season? Yes and no. Most travel insurance policies will cover a trip disrupted because of a hurricane (when you are forced to arrive late or leave early for your trip), but you’ll be reimbursed only for the affected days until the airport or resort reopens. You will usually be reimbursed for the days you are forced to stay at a resort during a hurricane, but be sure to read the fine print on your policy to make sure you are actually covered. And remember that you’ll usually only be covered if you buy your insurance at the same time you book the trip or before any kind of hurricane watch or warning is issued; otherwise, the hurricane might be deemed a pre-existing condition, which means no compensation for you. But if the airlines are operating and allowing passengers to fly to the destination, you’ll usually be expected to leave for your vacation, even if a hurricane threatens. Also, most insurers won’t pay as long as the airline is flying, even if the resort you booked and paid for is totally destroyed by the storm. In a case like this, it’s usually better to take advantage of the airline’s more flexible change policy and rebook your trip for a different time and a different resort.

Cruises
The good thing about cruises is that they can usually sail around the worst of a storm. And today’s ships are extraordinarily safe. The bad thing is that the cruise you get may not be the cruise you signed on for. A cruise line always reserves the right to reschedule port calls and change itineraries for weather-related reasons; the line might even shift a cruise from the Eastern to Western Caribbean if a hurricane threatens its route. There is almost no chance you’ll get a refund just because the port you’ve longed to see is no longer on your itinerary. You might get a discount on a future cruise or a shipboard credit, but that’s about the best you can hope for. If you aren’t able to get to your port of embarkation because of weather, be happy that you bought a travel insurance policy. You did that, right?

Track Those Hurricanes
Several web sites track hurricanes during the season, including weather.com, hurricanetrack.com, and accuweather.com

It’s been years in the making but finally on September 15 1999 the government of Belize announced it’s new residency program for gringos. Officially called the Belize Retired Persons Program it has a lot to offer a select group of people. The law offers so much freedom that attorneys are saying it is the best program of it’s kind anywhere in the world. You don’t really have to be retired , you don’t have to spend a certain amount of time in Belize and you can live tax free. You have to admit that sounds almost too good to be true.

Who Can Qualify?

Any citizen of the United States, Canada, The U.K. and Northern Ireland or Belize who is at least 45 years old. Dependants of the qualifying person include spouses and children under 18, or up to 23 if enrolled in a university.

The qualifying person must have either a pension or annuity of any type, including Social Security of at least $1,000 U.S. per month, or $12,000 U.S. annually. Or an income from any source outside of Belize of $2,000 U.S. or $24,000 U.S. per year. Bear in mind this could be from virtually any source, business, investments, stocks, bonds, rental property, as long as it is generated outside of Belize. The income requirement would remain the same regardless of the number of dependents the applicant has.

Once accepted into the program, the qualified retired person would be required to deposit this money in U.S. funds in any bank in Belize, either monthly or by April 1st each year.

What If I’m Not Ready To Retire?

Even though this is called a program for retirees you do not have to really be retired to qualify and benefit. Note the following examples:
You can set up an office in Belize and run your business from there, (taking advantage of the low overhead costs, and tax free status we might add ) and still qualify for this program, as long as none of the money your company earns comes from a source within Belize. In this age of e-commerce and telecommuting , this scenario could work for a vast number of people.

You can be an artist, writer, or photographer, drawing inspiration from the tropical beauty and larger than life characters in Belize, and still qualify under the “retiree ” program, as long as you don’t sell any of your work in Belize.

Live Tax Free In Belize

Under this law once you become a Qualified Retired Person, you are exempted from “the payment of all taxes and levies on all income or receipts that accrue from a source outside of Belize whether such income is passive or earned and whether or not such income is remitted to him in Belize.”

What does this mean? You’ll be exempted from all Belizean taxes, including income tax and business tax. Some feel this is the best benefit of the program.

Import Your Belongings Duty Free

You will be allowed to bring the following with you into Belize and not have to pay customs duty:

Up to $15,000 of your personal belongings and household items. These can be new or used and there is no specifications as to what items this can include.

Any type of motor vehicle up to three years old. You may bring in a new vehicle every 5 years, and sell or export your previous vehicle.

Any type of boat used for personal purposes or pleasure.

Private aircraft ( weighing less than 17,000 kg.) You must have a Private Pilot license to fly in Belize. You can get a license in Belize or have your exsisting license validated there.

What will It Cost?

In total it will cost $700 U.S. to join this program. A non-refundable application fee of $100 U.S. must be submitted with the application. Then once you are accepted a program fee of $500 U.S. is required. Another $100 U.S. is required at the time your Qualified Retired Person Status identification card is issued.

Remember that these fees are paid only by the qualifying person and that his/her spouse and dependents are accorded the same status at no additional charge.

There is no minimum residency requirement for this program. In other words your free to come and go as you please, you don’t have to spend a certain amount of time per year in Belize. And you can terminate your participation at any time. We like the freedom this affords and see it as a tremendous advantage over other countries immigration packages.

Personal AccountsThe documents needed to open an offshore banking account will usually be the same for nearly every country. The major difference will be the initial cost of setting up the account, and the minimum balance to open the account. Every bank is different, and you should shop around to find the account that fits you. Below you will find the most common documents you may need to set up the account. The bank will send you the forms needed to start the process.

• Verification of a permanent address (example an electricity bill or other utility bill).
• The bank account opening forms duly filled and signed.
• Identification; a picture ID such as a (certified) copy of the passport or drivers license for all signatories to the account.
• A bank reference (a letter confirming that you hold a personal account in any bank) for all signatories.
  Corporate
  • Certified copy of all charter documents of the company;
  • A Resolution of the board of directors which appoints the Bankers;
  • Completed application forms for the offshore account to be opened;
  • Notarized copy of a valid passport for each account signatory, shareholder and director. (The notarization must contain the contact information on the notary public)
  • Proof of a permanent address for each signatory such as; a recent utility bill, a credit card statement etc.
  • A bank reference on each signatory, director and shareholder to the account. The reference must be on a letter head of the issuing institution and the name and position of the signing officer on the reference.
  • In case the company issued bearer shares the original share certificate has to be kept with the bank.