7 Ways to Enjoy Carnival in Trinidad When You're a Chilled Out Boomer

Originally Published:

Overheard on Facebook:
- A 20-something girl telling her friends: "I was like, Dad, you're like 50 years old! Why are you going to Mardi Gras?" 
No. she. didn't.
But I am not old. I’m not. I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not. #footstomp

I just don’t have the desire to over-exert myself when I’m on a Caribbean holiday. Especially if it’s hot. And not without resting in between. Even though I look good for my age (ha!), I am not 25 anymore. And unless I’m participating in some kind of watersport or outdoor activity, I just prefer to take things IN and not necessarily BE IN everything. Can I get an amen?


So you can probably well imagine how nervous I was when I was invited to go to Trinidad & Tobago by the Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Development Company for the spectacular and traditional annual Carnival. While I was SUPER EXCITED about going (who wouldn’t be?), I had heart palpitations when I was asked to provide my measurements (oh no!) for my Carnival costume. Huh? The costume was being designed by Anya Ayoung Chee (my FAVORITE), the Trinidadian winner of Project Runway, so that was the bait.  But the truth is, the only thing I ever thought I would be wearing of Anya’s was a dress of hers I ordered and that's exactly how things ended up. But we’ll get back to that in a minute.


Look, if you are an easy-going Boomer, or just a chilled out Gen X or Gen Y-er, and have ever wanted to go to Carnival, you MUST GO. There’s no doubt about it. And if you want to jump in Carnival, you should. Just ask Tracey of Brooklyn Travel Addict. But if you don’t want to jump (and there’s nothing wrong with that), here’s my spin on 7 Ways to Enjoy Carnival in Trinidad when you’re a chilled out Boomer. You’ll thank me later.


1. Stay at the Hyatt. There are loads of places to stay in Trinidad, but my choice for Carnival is the Hyatt, a beautiful property situated right on the sea just like I like it.
2. Wear something festive. I wish I had brought one of my favorite silly hats (I have many) or covered my face and arms in body glitter, but after I made the decision that I wasn’t going to be comfortable showing off my muffin top in the beautiful Carnival costume I was provided with (it was SUPPOSED to be modified), all I had to put on were my regular clothes. The truth is: You don’t have to wear a teeny, tiny Carnival costume to be a part of the Carnival party, but you shouldn’t go to Carnival without wearing SOMETHING fun, colorful and bright. Put some glitter on your face; wear bright colors like chartreuse, fuschia, lime green or orange; do something novel. But if you’re not comfortable in a g-string unitard with your muffin top spilling over, don’t let someone else tell you how “everyone does it” if you just aren’t interested. Stay true to yourself and you’ll have a MUCH better time…trust me.
3. Rest up and take vitamins. Look. Trinidadians train for Carnival like folks train for the Olympics. As a Southern California girl with Bajan roots, I can tell you that I have spent my fair share of weekends tanning and hanging out in Palm Springs, Mexico and many a Caribbean island. While I don’t mind the sun, I wasn’t born near the equator and can no longer tolerate the heat (I have my own personal summers, thankyouverymuch), so while I'm certainly no lump on a log (I'm not. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not! #footstomp), yes, you need to go to Carnival rested because it definitely isn’t a place to rest.
4. Go to the parties and events. Press trips are great, but the schedule is typically pretty grueling. Add a little jet lag, and you've got yourself one tired blogger. But had I been in Trinidad on my own, I would've arrived ahead of the start of Carnival and been ready to watch J’ouvert (I missed it!), a fun street parade (with mud and paint, so wear old clothes) that starts when it's dark and ends the next morning. (Notice I said watched.) For the record, I did go to some other parties and events and had a bunch of fun!
5. Relax. Yes, people might rub up on you. Don't panic. It's Carnival!
6. Take in the sights. I admit that during Carnival, it's ALL ABOUT Carnival around the island, but if you can break away to visit the beaches and eat some Bake N Shark from Maracas Bay or some Chicken Foot Souse or sticky red mango from the side of the road, you won't be sorry. Check out this list of Things to Do on Trinidad.
7. Take a side trip to Tobago. You can’t go to Trinidad without going to Tobago, particularly since it’s merely a hop, skip and a short plane or ferry boat ride away. I had a fine meal at The Seahorse Inn and stayed at the Blue Haven Hotel (lovely & quiet).  Here's a photo of my room and of an outdoor sitting area, as well as the photo of the view from my room (to die for) which is the last photo in the stream above. Check out this list of Things to Do on Tobago. It's an eco-tourist's delight!
Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago is a once in a lifetime experience. Go. Dance. Eat. Party. But if you want to relax (kinda sorta) and watch more than you participate, you can do that too. Good times come in a host of different wrappings, right? See you next year!
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It drives me crazy when people post tons (and tons) of photos (in random order, no less) after they've been on a vacation, so that's exactly what I've done here. LOL! Enjoy!  (My photos are fun!)


DISCLOSURE: I was invited to Carnival by the Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Development Company and complimentary accommodations were at the Hyatt in Trinidad and at the Blue Haven Hotel on Tobago. All opinions are my own, as are any photographs.