Everything you need to know to travel to Jamaica!!! The good and the bad!
Almost everyone I’ve spoken to who has traveled to Jamaica has stayed at a resort. Which is good! Actually, he’s more like my boyfriend. You work hard and just want to lie on the beach, enjoy unlimited drinks, maybe take a walk and call it a day. Stress-free! But for me, I can’t go to Jamaica without seeing it. And I mean, really see it!
The locals appreciate it too! And yes, of course, the locals also appreciate you staying at a resort. I guess it’s a good thing that both types of people exist. People who want a luxurious vacation (staying in one place, having unlimited drinks, organized tours) and those who want to see areas of the country that may not be so appealing to most. The real side. The side we don’t talk about much. This is what I’m going to talk about here!
Jamaica! Wow! Just WOW!!!!! Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’ll tell you exactly how it is and give you some tips. First the people! They truly are the nicest people you will ever meet! I’m from New York. Not in New York. You say New York and people always assume you’re from there. I’m from Buffalo (7 hours away) and I would say the Buffalonians are amazing. We like to drink. We love to party and we love food! We are good people. But man, not like Jamaicans.
They are incredibly kind
They will completely stop their day and help you for nothing in return. I’ve traveled to a few countries already and if someone helps you, they ASK for money! I’ve been to countries where I didn’t even ask for help and people “helped” me when I didn’t even ask for it and they DEMANDED money so I’m a little tired when someone wants to help me. There were several times when Jamaicans stopped to help us and I ended up feeling like a fool because all they really wanted to do was help us. So keep that in mind when traveling there. They are the sweetest and kindest people!
The roads are like no other you’ve ever seen before!!!!
Now when planning a trip, remember that with this item you are NOT at a resort. You will either travel by taxi or rent a car. If you just want to get to the main areas, the main cities, a taxi will suffice. If you love the outdoors and exploring, you’ll want to rent a car. Now, when renting a car, you should know that you are going to find yourself in uncomfortable driving situations. No offense Jamaicans, but you drive like crazy lol.
The island has several main roads 1 to 2. 1 around the island and 1 which runs through the middle of it. Main roads have potholes. Now, when you get off the main road, YOU’RE GOING TO NEED A JEEP or off-road vehicle! You can cross some roads with a car, but it’s going to be a really uncomfortable and SLOW experience. Basically, anywhere in the country you want a jeep. If you’re staying right by the ocean, a car will suffice.
There are so many places to stay
You don’t need to stay at a resort. There are hotels, hostels and Airbnbs everywhere! You can choose an area and stay there or stay in one place for a few days and then leave the boat to another part of the island and explore there :). You make the rules when you plan your own vacation!!!!
It takes forever to drive anywhere!
Remember the roads are horrible! And it’s windy and sometimes traffic can easily back up since there’s really only one main road. Driving a few miles took almost twenty minutes, so always allow extra time into your driving to travel anywhere!!!!
The locals are nice, but not all!
Remember you are in a developing country. And it doesn’t matter if you are in a developing country or not. There are A-holes everywhere! Make sure you take the same safety precautions in every country you visit.
The most important:
– travel with small bills
– disperse your money in your affairs
-look at the locals around you. See how much they pay for this meal or this park or whatever
-make sure you have a GPS that works in airplane mode. Tip Tip: maps.me is the BEST!
-make sure you research where you are going
How not to get scammed!
As in most developing countries, there are no prices listed. It is only in very touristy areas that prices are indicated. So that means you’re going to have to make a deal. If you have no money worries, you can pay the asking price. However, if you are concerned about money, as most are, you will get scammed into the hundreds or thousands if you don’t counter what they are asking.
Most of the time they will treat you like a tourist and quote you an exorbitant price. All you do is say “no thanks.” It’s too much” and they’ll give you a better deal.
NOW…. That said, you shouldn’t scam them either. Most of their money comes from tourism and they work very hard to earn their money. That is if you see an outrageous price. This is why you want to LISTEN to what the locals are charging if there are locals around. Chances are, if you’re where the locals are, you’re in the right place!
***Very important: never eat, drink or go anywhere without first determining the price. NEVER!!!!!
Is this your first solo international trip? Click here and you don’t have to travel alone to benefit from this article.
Food
The food is fantastic everywhere you go. There is a lot of street food. My boyfriend was always very hesitant about street food until I told him about it. NOW he loves it! We were on a beach and there was “street food” on the beach. “Beach food?” lol I don’t know. But I mean, it wasn’t in a shelter or anything like that. There was a guy, a grill and a beach. You would NEVER see something like this in America lol.
It was PIG. We saw the locals go up and we LISTENED to how much it cost them. Then we pulled out our SMALL bills. Remember you never want to come out with crazy bills and we paid him the exact amount. We got our food and OH MY GOSH! It was the best pork we have ever eaten. So we went up for a few seconds. Third party. Same fourth. It was so good. The one piece we had was great of course. I took the piece out of my mouth to see what was happening because every other bite was so tender. It was hair! Like pig hair! That’s how fresh it was. It was like he just cut it into pieces and put it straight on the grill. It was so good!
Make sure you have your currency!
This is what you should do in most countries you visit, but it’s a MUST! Unless you want to be charged almost double as much for everything! Don’t do it at the airport either. Collect your rental car or first taxi, go to an ATM and withdraw your money.
Tip: make sure to look at the exchange rate to see how many zeros you need to put on the screen lol
Double Tip: get a Charles Schwab card to benefit from the best exchange rate and reimbursed fees!!!!!
Sorrel
Thank goodness we went there during Christmas time because there is a drink they make around the holidays called Sorrel. We saw the sorrel plant/flower everywhere but had no idea what the locals did with it. Finally we asked. The local wrote down for us on paper, step by step, what to do. We went back to our Airbnb and made it and man, oh man, it was so delicious!!!! We loved it so much that we bought more to take all the ingredients with us and we took it home and made it for our friends and family.
Kingston
This is where the Bob Marley Museum is located. Like any place you visit, there are safe places and less safe places. You’ll want to stay away from Kingston unless you go there during the day, go to the museum, and come right back.
Must
Yeah! You’re going to want to go rafting on the Rio Grande!
I hope you enjoyed and I hope this helped!!!!!!! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have the best day/night.
xoxo,
Shelly or Richelle / Living on the land