Des Moines to George Town (DSM–GCM) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

US passport holders enter the Cayman Islands visa-free for up to 30 days (extendable to 6 months). No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for the duration of the stay plus the period of intended stay. A return or onward ticket and proof of accommodation are required. At Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) on Grand Cayman or Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CYB) on Cayman Brac, immigration stamps your passport.

The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory with three islands: Grand Cayman (the largest, with the capital George Town), Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman is the main resort strip. Stingray City, a shallow sandbar where southern stingrays gather, is reachable by boat from Grand Cayman's North Sound. The Cayman Islands have no income tax, no capital gains tax, and no sales tax, which is why the cost of living is high: goods carry import duties instead.

Direct flights from Miami (MIA) to Grand Cayman run about 1 hour 20 minutes on American Airlines and Cayman Airways. New York JFK to GCM runs about 3 hours 45 minutes on JetBlue. Direct service also operates from Dallas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, and Fort Lauderdale. The Cayman Islands use the Cayman Islands dollar (KYD), pegged at KYD 1 = $1.25. US dollars are accepted everywhere and are the de facto second currency. ATMs dispense KYD. Card payments work at most businesses. Public buses run along main routes on Grand Cayman for KYD 2.50 ($3.13) per ride. Taxis are not metered: fixed rates are set by the government. Airport to Seven Mile Beach costs KYD 15 to KYD 25 ($18.75 to $31.25).