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The Virgin Islands During Hurricane Season

During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't get to last week.

My husband and I have been researching a last-minute vacation to the Virgin Islands this summer. Is it crazy to consider going in July-August-September, given the heat or hurricanes?

Not completely crazy -- hotel rates can drop as much as 50 percent during the offseason -- but you have to be a bit of a gambler. The threat of hurricanes is very real in the Caribbean in summer months, and you need to be prepared for the possibility of bad weather. So buy travel insurance (read the fine print; some policies won't cover you unless an evacuation has been ordered), check your hotel and airline's cancellation policies beforehand, and keep abreast of weather conditions. As for the heat, it can get pretty beastly in summer, with temps in the 90s and humidity to match -- but that's what that lovely blue sea is for.

-- K.C.S.