Go Monty

I had the chance to visit the lovely volcanic isle of Montserrat earlier this year, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. Between my stories of boating around the modern-day ruins of Plymouth - the former capital city now buried under feet of ash and mud from eruptions in the 1990s - and my many tales of dinners, drinks and dancing with the locals at Little Bay, the Green Monkey and the new Cultural Center, I couldn't recommend the destination enough to my friends and family.

But there has always been one caveat to my "you have to go there" directive: getting there.

As I mentioned in my blog about traveling to Montserrat, it isn't the easiest Caribbean island to visit. The tiny airport can only accommodate short-range prop-planes with limited seating, and at the time that I traveled, Winair had a monopoly as the only airline that flew there. That drove up the price of tickets and also made for a ton of delays and cancellations.

But just this week, Montserrat welcomed Fly Montserrat, a new airline service that offers on-demand charter services, including day trips to and from the island. Charter service costs will range from $767 to $4,400 depending on the departure gateway, but for a group traveling together, the savings could be substantial over the usual ticketed seats on Winair.

Now that it's easier to visit Montserrat, I can say it without the fine print: you have to go there. Check out the Fly Montserrat web site for more information.

Go Monty