Right, so I was feeling pretty worn out a while back. Just one thing after another, you know how it gets. Work piling up, house needing fixes, the usual stuff. I remember thinking I just needed a proper break, somewhere completely different.
Getting the Idea
Funny how things happen. I was sorting through some old boxes, looking for some paperwork, and found this little steelpan keychain I bought ages ago. Had totally forgotten about it. Picked it up and just thought, “Trinidad”. Haven’t been there in years, but the memory just popped into my head. Sunshine, that music everywhere, the food… Yeah, that felt like the kind of different I needed.
So, I started actually looking into it. Didn’t want anything too complicated. Just needed to figure out the practical bits. When are the public holidays there? Didn’t want to land and find everything shut, or miss out on something cool because I got the timing wrong.
Figuring Out the Dates
I pulled up a calendar online, just a simple search for Trinidad and Tobago public holidays. Found the main ones pretty easily:
- New Year’s Day, obviously.
- Carnival Monday and Tuesday – Now that’s a big one, but maybe too hectic for what I wanted this time. Good to know though.
- Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day – Remembered that being unique.
- Good Friday and Easter Monday – Standard enough.
- Corpus Christi.
- Indian Arrival Day.
- Labour Day.
- Emancipation Day – Another really important one there.
- Independence Day.
- Republic Day.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Seeing them listed out like that helped. I realised I wasn’t looking for the huge Carnival buzz this time around. Wanted something a bit quieter. Maybe aim for a time between the major festival dates.
Making the Plan (Sort Of)
Decided to aim for a period with maybe just one smaller public holiday, or none at all. Gave me a window to look at flights and places to stay. Didn’t book anything right away, mind you. Just started putting feelers out, checking prices. Looked at spots in Trinidad, maybe a quick hop over to Tobago too. Kept it simple. Found a few possible guesthouses near the beach.
The main thing was knowing those holiday dates. It helped frame the planning. Didn’t want to clash with massive events or find myself stuck when banks and shops were closed for multiple days. It’s just practical stuff you learn over the years. Always check the local holidays before you get too deep into booking anything. Saved me a headache or two in the past, that’s for sure.
So yeah, that keychain really kicked things off. Still haven’t booked it solid yet, but having that list of holidays makes the ‘when’ part a lot clearer. Feels good to be actually planning a proper escape again.
