Common Exuma Mistakes

Common Exuma Mistakes (And How to Avoid Every One of Them)

Here are the mistakes we see travelers to Exuma make — and the exact fixes that prevent each one.

1. Not Booking Far Enough in Advance

The villas with heated pools, generators, Starlink WiFi, and ocean views? Gone by January for spring break in March/early April. The popular private boat charters (Exuma Water Sports) that take your family to the swimming pigs and nurse sharks? Sold out weeks before peak season. The private chef everyone raves about? They book up fast.

The fix: Villa 6 months out. Boat charter 6-8 weeks out (earlier for peak season, December–April). Private chef 4-8 weeks out. Car rental 4-8 weeks out with confirmation the day before arrival.

2. Arriving Without Enough Cash

Exuma has ATMs. They are not reliably in service. On our most recent trip, the ATM near the airport was out of service, and the bank in George Town was closed on Sunday. Cash is not optional — water taxis, local vendors, beach bars, and many of the best operators require it. Many others require Zelle or a wire transfer, not a credit card.

The fix: Bring $2,000–$3,000 USD in cash for a family trip, organized before you land. Do not count on an ATM being available when you need one. Please ensure transfer funds are accessible for vendors who require wire or Zelle.

3. Arriving on a Sunday Without Stocking Groceries First

Grocery stores close early on Sundays, and liquor stores are closed. Grocery stores do not sell alcohol on Sundays. If you land on a Sunday afternoon with nothing in the villa, you are spending your first evening at a beautiful house by the ocean with nothing to toast it with or having to figure out dinner. On our last trip, our friends' American Airlines flight was canceled, so they didn't arrive until the next day. I do not recommend hiring a chef on the day of arrival for this reason!

The fix: If landing on a Sunday, pre-provision through your villa manager (contact at least 7 days before arrival, fee $). If arriving any other day, do your full grocery and alcohol run before Sunday arrives.

4. Underestimating the Monday/Tuesday Restaurant Closure

Most sit-down restaurants in Exuma are closed on Sunday, Monday, and some Tuesdays. Some will even close for random windy days. Exuma is not known for its culinary and amazing food compared to other Caribbean islands. Exuma is not a foodie scene.

The fix: Plan all restaurant dinners for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Keep Monday and Tuesday as private-chef nights, villa-kitchen nights, or casual options.

5. No eSIM or Data Plan

Cell service in Exuma is functional but limited. Families relying on standard roaming from a US carrier frequently run into coverage gaps on the road, and roaming charges add up. Being without reliable data when you need to navigate an unpaved beach access road or confirm a charter departure time is a solvable problem.

The fix: Install a Saily Bahamas eSIM before you board — it activates on arrival and routes through local networks for better coverage. Plans start at $8. Also, download the offline Google Maps of Exuma before you leave home.

6. Overloading the Itinerary with Boat Days Back-to-Back

First, book boat days at the beginning of your trip! March and April bring frequent wind advisories. Reputable boat operators will reschedule rather than take families out in unsafe conditions. This is a good thing — but if you've booked boat days on consecutive days with zero flex in your schedule, one wind advisory can cascade into losing two or three experiences entirely.

The fix: Build at least two completely open "flex" days into your itinerary — no boat excursions locked in. When wind forces a reschedule, those days absorb it without stress. Wind days are excellent for the Hydrobike Eco Tour (runs in most wind conditions), Stocking Island, Georgetown errands, and villa days. Bookmark Windfinder Exuma — check it the evening before any boat day for a reliable hourly wind forecast. Your charter captain will be checking the same source.

7. Relying Only on Credit Card Insurance Coverage

A significant portion of Exuma vendors require wire transfer, bank EFT, or Zelle — not credit card. Any trip cost paid by those methods falls entirely outside your credit card's travel protections. Families who arrive assuming their travel card covers everything discover the gap when it's too late to close it.

The fix: Purchase a standalone travel insurance policy that covers your full declared trip value regardless of how each vendor was paid. Please add a Global Rescue medical evacuation membership separately. For a remote island with no trauma center, this is non-negotiable. Two products, two different purposes, both essential.

8. Passport Prep — Children's Passports and Expiry Dates

Children's US passports expire every five years. Adults expire every ten years. If your child got their first passport at age three, it will have expired by age eight. Airlines and border control require passports to be valid for at least six months beyond the travel dates. Discovering an expired passport after you've booked non-refundable flights is the kind of stress nobody recovers from quickly.

The fix: Check every passport in your family before you book a single flight. Name, expiration date, and validity beyond your return date.

9. Filling Out the Customs Form in the Customs Line

The Bahamas immigration and customs declaration form is distributed on the plane — one form per family member. You will need your passport number, villa address, return flight details, and each person's travel information. Please save time and have these forms ready before deplaning.

The fix: Take a screenshot of your villa address and keep all travel details accessible before you board. Fill out every form during the flight, before you land. Walking off the plane with forms in hand means you move through the line without any friction. Pack a pen too!

10. Not Packing and Bringing Your Favorite Snacks

The grocery stores may not have the brands you love or the snacks you can't survive without, especially if traveling with kids. We always pack a soft Yeti with frozen meats and snacks we can't live without.

The fix: We brought in a checked bag (and a Yeti cooler), frozen ground beef, and chicken, tortilla chips, snack bars, maple syrup for breakfast, guacamole, hummus, pancake mix, candy, spaghetti sauce, noodles, and some chips. We had homemade spaghetti (from the States). It's always the easiest and best meal after a long day of travel.

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