I'm planning a caribbean vacation for October, but want to stay away from any of the islands that were damaged last fall from Mitch. Any advice on where to go, or which to avoid would be helpful.

Are you aware that October is in the end of the hurricane season? It's also forecasted to be one of the worst in recent years, so you might want to take that into consideration and at least purchase hurricane insurance in case your resort is heavily damaged inthebeginning of the season. Most places have cleaned up from Mitch and Georges. The more southern Caribbean islands, such as Curacao, are less frequented by hurricanes.

I heard parts of Mexico were affected and maybe the Cayman Islands.

Nina, <BR> <BR>I don't think Mitch had a big impact on the caribbean. It affected Honduras and Guatamala and maybe parts of the Yucatan.

If the threat of hurricanes or worrying about past hurricane damage, I would suggest Aruba, Curacao or Bonaire. All three islands are south of the hurricane belt. Check out: http://www.travelunlimited.com

I guess both Bonaire and Aruba are off the hurricane belt. But they suffer a kind of constant hurricane without rain. I've only been to both once and that was enough. The wind was incredible and constant. I was told by locals that it was fairly common. If you want to be sand blasted on the beach, its a great place.