The Caribbean is a magical place, idealised in thousands of glossy travel brochures and imprinted on millions of minds as the archetypal beach holiday destination. The truth is that it's a great deal more diverse than that narrow stereotype would have us believe.

How to get the Caribbean
Flights to the Caribbean islands operate from the UK in large numbers although it's best not to generalise too much as some islands are much better served than others. Barbados is the number one destination for many British tourists and it is served by Virgin Atlantic and British Airways from London and British Midland (or BMI) from Manchester. Of course there are plenty of other regional departures for indirect flights from Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle and the like. In addition there are plenty of charter flights to the Caribbean from companies such as Thomas Cook, MyTravel, First Choice and Thomson.

It's a similar picture for other popular islands such as Jamaica, Antigua, St Lucia and Tobago, but try to find a direct flight to the Caribbean' s less popular islands such as Anguilla and you may have a tougher time.

Wherever you are heading a direct flight to the Caribbean will take approximately 8 to 9 hours from the UK.

When to go to the Caribbean
Some would say there's never a bad time to grab a cheap flight to the Caribbean but unless you like hurricanes that's not necessarily the case! The hurricane season starts officially on 1st June and ends on 30th November although most activity happens between August and October. There is of course an upside to this because the 'off season' is the best time of year to find cheap flights to Caribbean. If money is no object then steer clear of the summer and autumn and book your flight to the Caribbean some time around December, January or February when temperatures and rainfall tend to be at their best.

Where to go
Many people looking for a cheap flight to the Caribbean will be heading for the mainstream islands such as Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, St Lucia or Antigua, all of which have an abundance of natural beauty. Many of the islands are surprisingly mountainous and rugged in contrast to the idyllic beaches. It all depends on what you're looking for. The Cayman Islands are famous for diving, Barbados has a fantastic colonial heritage to explore, Jamaica is the home of Reggae music, St Lucia has some amazing mountainous scenery, and the list goes on.

Wherever you decide to go don' t pay too much for your flights to the Caribbean. Use our simple search to cover the market in seconds and grab a great deal on your Caribbean flights.