If you, like I, spent your year-end rot week maximizing your screentime, you might have come across idyllic content from the very rich and famous reporting live from St. Barthélemy. Every year, the Caribbean island sees an influx of billionaires and celebrities who park their yachts there to ring in the new year (unofficial “Billionaire Social Calendars” that are circulated on social media often mark the island as the place to be from December 26 to January 1). This year, it’s where Alix Earle was spotted getting friendly with NFL legend Tom Brady, and where Leonardo DiCaprio could be found relaxing on the same yacht as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
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But last week, their return flights (be they private or commercial) were slightly interrupted by the Trump administration’s invasion of Caracas, Venezuela (which left at least 40 military personnel and civilians dead, and led to the capture of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro). The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the military action by banning U.S. operations across the Caribbean. So, many St. Barts vacationers were forced to extend their stays and turned to TikTok to air their grievances to some not-so-sympathetic ears.
Tongue-in-cheek “POV: You’re stranded in St. Barts” videos became a popular coping mechanism for those with disrupted travel plans, but they also yielded commentary about the frivolity of the situation in comparison to its inciting incident in Venezuela, as well as the privilege those dealing with the travel ban had, especially those who could afford a few extra days’ lodging on the luxe island.
Many wondered why those who came to St. Barts to party on yachts weren’t able to return home on said yachts in the wake of the air travel restrictions. That’s because many vacationers actually fly into the island’s Gustaf III airport—and if not there, they travel through the neighboring St. Maarten airport, then get to St. Barths via ferry.
While he didn’t post a TikTok about it, One Battle After Another star Leonardo DiCaprio was among those affected by the FAA’s weekend ruling and was thus forced to accept an award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards remotely. He also had to endure some light ribbing from Critics’ Choice Awards host Chelsea Handler at Sunday night’s ceremony once he made it back to the States: “Leo almost didn’t make it tonight because her was trapped on a boat in St. Barts! It was just like the Titanic but worse because Jeff Bezos was there,” she joked.
Those who weren’t lucky enough to escape as quickly as Leo did still received some gentle mockery. “How many assistants [have been] fired because they cannot get flights?” one curious user mused under a “Stuck in St. Barts” video. “It’s giving Miranda Priestly stuck in Miami due to the hurricane [in The Devil Wears Prada.]
But the threat of comment section roasts didn’t prevent people from sharing live updates about their dilemma. One resourceful vacationer even posted a plea to split the fare for a private plane from St. Maarten to New York with anyone else who’d been stranded. “As everybody knows, airspace has been closed until further notice, but if you do have a private plane, once the airspace opens up… please DM me, I would love to share the costs.”
Not all dispatches from St. Barts were rooted in self-pity. Some embraced their situation with self-aware beachside updates and OOTDs.
U.S. flights were cleared to resume yesterday morning, but if the weekend’s events taught us anything, it’s that there seems to be very little patience for complaining (even the slightly insincere kind) from the 1% in paradise.
