TRAVEL
THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY ESCAPE
TURKS AND CAICOS WELCOMES AMERICANS By Jenny Peters
fter over half a year of staying home during the coronavirus crisis, it may just finally be time for you and yours to grab your masks, pack up the sanitizing wipes and take the plunge with a much-needed escape during the 2020 holiday season. Ushering out this strange year will be a relief for all of us and doing it in the sublime Caribbean country of Turks and Caicos will make it that much sweeter. This multiple-island paradise has been open to U.S. visitors since July, with COVID-19 precautions firmly in place. To plan a winter getaway, you’ll need to have a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within five days before traveling (kids under 10 are exempt from this) and complete a travel pre-authorization form online. On arrival at Providenciales International Airport (PLS), expect a health screening with temperature checks.
WHY TURKS AND CAICOS?
Taking what may be the first trip since the pandemic began is a big decision, which is why Turks and Caicos—and specifically the country’s main island of Providenciales—should be your top choice of sun-drenched escapes. Grace Bay Beach is the justifiably world-renowned centerpiece of the country, a crescent of powdery white sand that leads to the clearest, blue-green waters you’ve ever seen. Mix in the incredibly friendly “Belongers,” as the native people of Turks and Caicos are known, a colorful local scene filled with arts and crafts, music, seafood (especially every Thursday at the Island Fish Fry), and every water adventure known to man, and the result is a wonderful blend of island life. With nonstop flights from JFK and Newark airports to PLS, the trip should be stress-free; Turks and Caicos is located about 500 miles southeast of Miami and 300 miles north of the island of Hispaniola, in a pristine area of the Caribbean Sea. Known for its stunning scuba diving, snorkeling, and world-class deep-sea fishing, the waters around this heavenly place are filled with undersea wonders.
Beaches Turks & Caicos Italian Village
