As I prepare my book, Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico, I get a lot of questions about the crisis of Puerto Rico (both financial and Zika) and how it affects, if any, the travelers. I’ve traveled to Puerto Rico several times this past year in preparation of my book, and I’m here to tell you that the situation on the ground is much different than it is depicted on the media. On my last trip, I spent a month traveling across the island, exploring everything from luxury resorts to family-run inns. I spent most of my time during photoshoots talking to local business owners, travelers, locals about their impressions. These are my observations:

I recall telling my mom about my intentions of writing a book about Puerto Rico and the first thing she said was “cuidado, las cosas estan malas por alla” (be careful, things are bad over there). Those are her impressions because although she was born and raised in Puerto Rico, she doesn’t spend that much time on the island these days, her opinions are formed on what she sees in the news. I live in NE Washington, DC and I know it’s not a good idea to hang out in New York Ave NE at 3am. I’ve lived in Brussels for six years, I know it’s not a good idea to walk alone in Schaerbeek at 11pm. Same rules apply in Puerto Rico. Don’t go joyriding in Santurce at 3am or take your $4k camera down to La Perla at night… I find it ironic that I’ve been robbed FIVE times in the capital of Europe (Brussels) and I’ve never had an incident in my numerous travels to Puerto Rico.

When I spoke to business owners about the crisis, the theme was the same. Their business with tourists remained relatively constant whereas they are hurting in the low season, when locals vacation with their family in the summer. We were at the Kiokos of Luquillo, a string of small food restaurants/shacks along the popular Luquillo Beach, talking to one of the owners and she said the toughest for her was last summer, when locals usually travel around the island. She said the drop was such that she had to let go of one of her employees. Unlike many other Caribbean destinations, in Puerto Rico you see locals consuming at the same restaurants, beaches, and hotels as tourists. To me, that’s the beauty of the island, there are no parallel lives between tourists, locals, and expats. That is what I fear may go away as locals leave to mainland or see their disposable income disappearing.

During my travels this past year, I’ve traveled with friends who are not Puerto Rican and knew very little of the crisis. As my friend Carla and I spent a Saturday beach hopping around Cabo Rojo on the southwest coast of the island, I ask her “did you know there’s a financial crisis in Puerto Rico?”. She responds: “really? We’re at the beach, there are tons of locals out, restaurants are packed.” My Dutch husband had the same impression as a traveler in Puerto Rico. He says: “when I think of a country on a financial crisis, I think of homeless people roaming the streets, which I saw very little of that in Puerto Rico, we see way more homeless people in Washington, DC. When we traveled deep into the country side, I did see some run down homes and roads, however, all the services I needed when traveling were working up to par like in the United States.”

When I talk to my friends and family in Puerto Rico, which range from bankers to college professors, impressions are far from the grim perception seen in the media in the mainland. Some have reluctantly casted their job prospect net beyond Puerto Rico, while others have started businesses due to the crisis, but the common theme is that they all find creative ways to survive, all with a smile on their face. Many business owners I met on the road talked about reinventing themselves due to the financial situation in Puerto Rico. For example, Ivan from Sail San Juan Bay. He’s an engineer by trade who worked in the construction and IT industry. When job prospects dwindled he decided to put his hobby to work: a skilled sailor, he started Sail San Juan bay in which he shares the best views of San Juan on his sailboat. He says that although it was a big change for him, he enjoys his business and all the different people he meets through his business.

The one common theme I did hear from many of the local business owners in the island is how they see people from the mainland come to Puerto Rico, especially to towns like Rincon and Vieques and curb the process of getting permits from the local government or refuse to hire locals and the government does nothing to enforce it. I was appalled when I was in Vieques and several restaurants I went to had no Spanish speaking wait staff. I bet these are the same people who get incensed when people in the mainland “don’t speak English”. There’s an unemployment crisis, however, people come from Long Island to Boston to escape the cold and they can find a job… there’s something wrong with that picture. When you visit Puerto Rico, make sure you go on tours owned by locals and endorsed by the Puerto Rico Tourism Board as these businesses go through a lengthy vetting process to get their permits.

Yes, this thousand-word essay is to tell you that as a traveler, that the Puerto Rico budget crisis  has nothing to do with your vacation. Head to the beach, have a Medalla beer (no container laws, yeay), enjoy your trip, and most importantly support LOCAL owned restaurants, tours, and hotels. In terms of Zika, here’s some great advice from the Center for Disease Control, CDC on how to stay safe. If you forget your OFF, don’t worry, there are plenty of Walgreens, Wal-Marts, and CVS on the island.

All photography Copyright Italo Morales for Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico. 

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