Love to Travel? Make Greater Fort Lauderdale Your Home Base

Whether by plane, train or ship, traveling to and from South Florida has never been easier.

By Cheryl Rodewig on October 10, 2023

Broward County’s Port Everglades

Greater Fort Lauderdale is the ideal home base for travelers. It’s filled to the brim with staycation opportunities, whether you’re in the mood for beach lounging or bar hopping. But it also offers plenty of ways for Fort Lauderdale travelers to venture beyond the region. Fancy a cruise to the Caribbean or a trip to Toronto? It’s at your doorstep.

Travel the Waters

If you enjoy cruises, you’ll love Port Everglades. The port is easily accessible, only 2 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), and it serves popular cruise lines like Viking Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises, among others.

“We have what I believe is an unrivaled diversity of ships calling our port, from small, ultra-luxury ships to world-renowned mega-ships and everything in between. There is practically a ship and itinerary for every type of traveler,” says Jonathan Daniels, CEO and port director for Port Everglades. “Our port is consistently ranked among the top three busiest cruise homeports in the world.”

Around 3 million guests pass through every year on their way to such enviable destinations as Belize, Bermuda and Bruges. While the port primarily serves the Caribbean, some cruise lines begin their world voyages here. You can even take a daytrip to the Bahamas.

Port Everglades will also be Disney Cruise Line’s second year-round homeport, starting November 2023 with a 15-year partnership that includes a minimum of 10.6 million passenger movements and three five-year extension options that could add another 11.25 million, Daniels says.

Daniels cites a study by Martin Associates that estimates over 1,100 direct local jobs generating $31.6 million in wages and $12.3 million in state and local taxes annually.

Brightline

Ride the Rails

Fort Lauderdale travelers can hop aboard South Florida’s Brightline train service, extending south to Miami and Aventura and north to Boca Raton and West Palm Beach. The station has the usual amenities like free Wi-Fi and a bar and market. Plus, it’s walking distance to museums, parks and restaurants. Brightline+ can also chauffeur passengers to their final destinations.

Ben Porritt, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Brightline, calls it “a care-free and car-free” alternative.

“Train travel is one of the safest forms of transportation, and it eliminates a lot of the headaches like congestion and parking,” he says. “Riders from Broward County can travel to cheer on their favorite teams like the Miami Marlins or Miami Heat, see performances at the Kravis Center or enjoy brunch in West Palm Beach without the stress of driving. Commuters are also much more refreshed riding the train to work instead of fighting traffic.”

And it’s all with a carbon neutral footprint. Its diesel-electric locomotives run on clean biodiesel for lower emissions, and the service helps remove more than 3 million cars from roads each year.

Broward County Aviation Department

Catch a Flight

FLL serves the region with nonstop flights to nearly 150 destinations, ranging from New York and Denver to Lima and London. It’s one of the nation’s fastest-growing airports, with new routes added all the time. JetBlue, after merging with Spirit, plans to operate over 250 daily flights out of FLL by 2027.

“For a long time, this airport was considered just a low-cost alternative to the Miami International Airport,” says Mark Gale, FLL’s CEO and director of aviation. “Today, we believe FLL is an airport of choice with a diverse air service portfolio with significant reach around the U.S. and the world.”

The airport has been preparing for the increase in demand through a multiphase, $2.6 billion terminal modernization program that’s now winding down.

Many of the renovations focused on the passenger experience, such as upgraded waiting areas and restrooms, more public art, wayfinding signage and over a dozen new shops and restaurants. Gale says two game-changers for FLL will be the development of an automated people mover and an intermodal center connecting the airport to the seaport, convention center and ground transportation.

“I think the economic vitality and livability of a region largely depend upon a good transportation network,” he says. “That starts with an airport that is well-run, provides a superior guest experience, and connects its community to the world.”