Be prepared for problems. Things happen when you travel and I've had more things go awry carrying my digital SLR than I have had with my 35mm over years. Lens paper is always useful to have on hand, but if you have a digital SLR, another supply is absolutely critical: An air blower bulb, to blast out dust and dirt that will inevitably get trapped inside your camera. I never had problems with my 35mm SLR, but with my digital SLR, I constantly find dirt gets trapped inside, when I change lenses. And there's nothing worse than having a splotch marring your otherwise awesome shots. Finally, remember philosophy of redundancy. Whether your battery dies and you have no way to charge it, or you run out of space on your memory card(s), and don't want to buy another at a higher-than-usual price, I suggest packing a second camera if you can. A digital point and shoot is a good option but I usually carry a point and shoot 35mm to use if I run into any problems just so I won’t lose any precious pictures.

The Florida Keys are not really known for its beaches with exception of Bahia Honda Park which is even further west in lower keys. The snorkeling in this area, especially Looe Key, is among top sites in North America. The city of Key West at far end of Florida Keys is largest community in islands and a stay here for a night or two is well worth it. The downtown area full of restaurants, bars, boutiques and shops is a funky, fun place to be. There are hotels along water as well as numerous B&Bs inland. We stayed at Quality Inn near entrance of city and had no problem getting downtown since there is a very convenient bus system that runs throughout Key West. We chose to leave our car at hotel and use buses because parking can be limited in downtown area. A very neat way to tour city is to rent scooters which are very common in streets here. With scooters, we criss-crossed city and saw wonderful colonial houses in residential streets including Ernest Hemmingway's house.

The seafood is predictably very fresh in restaurants everywhere in Florida Keys. Some local specialties not to be missed are conch, local spiny lobster and a few varieties of local fish including snapper and grouper. Of course, one must try real, authentic key lime pie that originated in area. Each restaurant has a slightly different recipe but in general, authentic key lime pie here is not as sweet as commercial brands sometimes found in rest of North America.

Hotel accommodations suit every budget in Florida Keys from simple motels to top notch resorts. The last town back in US mainland is Florida City and it has some very affordable hotel accommodations with well known chains such as Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn and Best Western. This is another option for some travelers, especially those who are scuba diving in Key Largo as Florida City is only about 20 minutes away if hotels in Key Largo are fully booked or at high season rates.

The Florida Keys has a way of enticing visitors back during return visits to south Florida. Its slower pace helps balance things out against crowded and crazier styles of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I have been to Keys three times and will definitely return there again.