In the Bahamas

The Bahamas is a group of over 700 islands (including some very small ones) in the West Indies. It has been an independent country since the 1970s, but remains part of the Commonwealth and technically ruled by the British Queen. Its colonial heritage means that the official language of the islands is English, and English spoken here is a key factor helping the country remain a favorite with tourists from the United States.

The two biggest islands in the Bahamas are Grand Bahama and New Providence, where the capital of Nassau is situated. Over half the population is employed in tourism, and the two largest islands especially, for better or worse, feel like one big tourist resort. If you prefer your holidays to be comfortable, then stick to the bigger islands, and if you want more of an adventure, try the Out Islands, such as the Abacos and Eleuthera.

Of course, that doesn't mean that you won't see anything traditional if you go to the largest Bahamas islands. On the contrary, Bahamians are very proud of their traditions. Their traditional music styles tend to involve large brass bands, and you will often find brass bands playing in the streets. Traditional foods include pineapples and crabs, which are eaten at large festivals around the time of the harvest.

People in the Bahamas are also very fond of regattas, enjoying boat racing and other boat-related pastimes, as well as sports like cricket and athletics. On the smaller islands, traditional arts and crafts are still practiced, largely for sale to tourists nowadays, meaning that you can get very beautiful hand-woven baskets and other items for a very good price in some places.

However, if you do go to visit the Bahamas, make sure that there aren't any hurricanes predicted in the area in the near future. The Bahamas beaches were struck by hurricanes in 1992, 1999, 2004 and 2005, and many people lost their lives in the Bahamas.