It’s a fact that the Caribbean is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. But for a place that’s so well known, the Caribbean is also subject to some serious misconceptions that — if believed — can place false limits on your travel planning and narrow your view of what to expect on a vacation trip. 

To be a more savvy traveler and get all that you can out of a visit to the Caribbean, be sure not to fall victim to these common travel myths:

Myth: You can’t travel to the Caribbean in hurricane season

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, peaking in the fall, and it’s true that tropical storms and hurricanes pass through the Caribbean Sea each year. What’s not true is that every hurricane should raise a red flag about traveling to the Caribbean.

That’s because the Caribbean Sea spans more than a million square miles, most of it open water, so even when a major hurricane occurs, at worst it will affect a limited region — if it hits land at all. 

Put simply, storms that are strong enough to disrupt travel or cause widespread damage are relatively rare and limited in scope. For example, while Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, its hurricane-force winds extended just 30 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds extended 125 miles. In the vastness of the Caribbean Sea, a major storm that makes landfall is more bad luck than an ongoing concern. 

Plus, there are destinations in the Caribbean that are largely safe from hurricanes: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao, located off the coast of South America, have never been hit by a hurricane in recorded history, and Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago also lie outside what’s considered the hurricane belt.

Myth: Every Caribbean destination is in the Caribbean Sea

You might be surprised to learn that the islands of the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos are not in the Caribbean Sea: both are actually located in the Atlantic Ocean. Yet no visitor would deny that both destinations share the unique culture and history of the Caribbean. Even Bermuda, which is off the coast of the Carolinas, is considered culturally “Caribbean.”

In fact, there are only a handful of Caribbean destinations, like Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, that are wholly surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. Most have one coast facing the Caribbean and another facing the Atlantic, which is why you’ll find so many islands with resorts and sandy beaches on one side and rougher and rockier terrain on the other. 

Myth: Every Caribbean destination is an island

Cancun and the Riviera Maya are sometimes advertised as the Mexican Caribbean, and probably the best-known example of why this one isn’t true. Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula faces the Caribbean Sea, and while Cozumel is an island, most of the other beach destinations here are on the mainland. 

The Caribbean Sea is so vast that it also laps up on the east coast of Central America and a long stretch of the coast of South America; even Cartagena, Columbia is considered a Caribbean city. In Guyana, you’ll find calypso music and a melting-pot culture with English, African, South Asian, Arawak, and Carib influences, while Belize has both Caribbean islands like Ambergris Cay and coastal resort areas like Placencia.

Myth: All Caribbean destinations are the same

The unfortunate historical fact that enslaved African people were transported to almost every part of the Caribbean means that most of the region shares strong African cultural influences. That said, the region was also populated by a wide variety of European colonizers, with each leaving their own distinctive mark on local culture. 

Some destinations, like Barbados, have a notable degree of English formality, while Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are deeply infused with Spanish culture. Martinique and Guadeloupe were not only colonized by the French but are “departments” of France, just like Paris or Burgundy. 

The ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) islands once belonged to the Dutch, the Danish built forts and once ruled the U.S. Virgin Islands; even the Swedes extended their empire to the Caribbean, which is why the capital of St. Barts, Gustavia, is named for a Swedish king. 

South Asian indentured servants brought to places like Trinidad to work after the end of slavery also added their customs and food to the mix, which is why you’ll find Diwali festivals and food like curried goat and roti on some islands. The influence of the original inhabitants of the Caribbean, the Carib and Arawak people, can still be found in many places, particularly in Dominica and the San Blas islands of Panama.

Myth: The only thing to do in the Caribbean is go to the beach

Decades of “fun and sun” marketing have helped foster the myth that sitting on a beach and drinking rum are the primary attractions of a Caribbean vacation. The truth is that, in many destinations, it’s very easy to plan a visit where you’ll never step in the sand.

Love history? Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic was founded in 1496 by the son of Christopher Columbus, is the oldest European city in the Americas, and has a beautifully preserved historic district to explore. San Juan, Puerto Rico, with its walled colonial city, is almost as old, established in 1521. Belize and the Mexican Caribbean have Mayan ruins, while the Brimstone Hill fortress in St. Kitts is one of 19 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the region.

Active travelers can climb to the top of Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic, more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or hike the 115-mile Waitukubuli National Trail in Dominica. 

Jamaica is justly famous for its beaches, but visitors can also go inland to tour the coffee plantations of the Blue Mountains and the rugged Cockpit Country, inhabited by descendants of escaped slaves. Martinique’s Route des Rhums is a trail of 10 distilleries producing the island’s distinctive rhum agricole. In Puerto Rico, one of the top attractions is El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S.

Myth: Reggae is the only Caribbean music

Bob Marley was the greatest ambassador of Caribbean culture the world has ever seen, and reggae is undoubtedly one of Jamaica’s most famous imports. But while you’re likely to hear reggae music in Caribbean islands far from Jamaica, Puerto Rico moves to a Latin beat with a mix of music drawing on Spanish, African, and Taino beats, including styles like salsa, merengue, bomba, plena, and reggaeton. 

Calypso music, born in Trinidad, remains a popular musical tradition, and you’ll also find mento — a form of country music that predates reggae — played in Jamaica, and bands in the Bahamas playing “rake and scrape” music with deep African roots. 

Myth: You can only visit one island at a time

Taking a Caribbean cruise is the easiest way to visit multiple destinations, at least for a few hours, but there are also places where you can island-hop for a more immersive experience than a cruise can offer. 

St. Maarten is a hub for ferry service to nearby St. Barts, Saba, and Anguilla, St. John is an easy day trip from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the same is true for excursions from the U.S.V.I. to the British Virgin Islands. A trip to the Grenadines can include a boat tour in St. Vincent, Bequia, Mayreau, and other islands, and Puerto Rico is actually an archipelago with two major sister islands — Vieques and Culebra — to visit.

Myth: Caribbean people like to drink rum and party all day

Caribbean people enjoy a beach party or “lime” as much as anyone, but there’s a good reason why you’ll see so many churches when you drive around a Caribbean island. Caribbean people are far more religious and conservative than you probably expect; dressing up on Sundays and for a night out is traditional, school children still wear uniforms, and in many places wearing beach attire into town is frowned upon.

Myth: Caribbean all-inclusive resorts all have bad buffet food

There was a time when it was fair to say that all-inclusive resorts were places to go for a budget beach vacation with cheap drinks and food quality that was an afterthought. In the past decade, however, luxury all-inclusive resorts have proliferated in the Caribbean, with multiple dining options and some even offering the option of experiencing local restaurants off the resort property. In addition to familiar brands like Sandals and Beaches, major hotel companies like Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton now operate all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.

Myth: You can’t visit the Caribbean during the summer

It may seem odd to plan a trip to the Caribbean when the weather back home is warm and sunny. But not only is summer the best season for getting good deals on a Caribbean vacation, there’s a lot going on to keep you entertained once you arrive. Summer is festival season in many destinations, with highlights including carnival celebrations like Crop Over in Barbados, Vincy Mas in St. Vincent, and Spice Mas in Grenada. Also, due to the unpredictable weather driven by climate change, summer weather in the Caribbean is often a big improvement over the scorching temperatures experienced in places like Florida, Texas, or Georgia.