Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Fly & drive Jamaica'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of Jamaica
767 3rd Avenue, second floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel.: 212-935 9000
Fax: 212-935 7507
Web site: Consulate General of Jamaica in New York

London

Jamaican Embassy
1-2 Prince Consort Road
London SW7 2 BZ
Tel.: 020-7823 9911
Fax: 020-7589 5154
E-mail: jamhigh@jhcuk.com
Web site: Jamaican Embassy in London

Paris

Jamaican Consulate General
60, Avenue Foch
75116 Paris
Tel.: 01-4500 6225
Fax: 01-4687 4506

One does not need a visa to visit Jamaica. But your passport should be valid until 6 months after leaving Jamaica again.

General information

The vast majority of Jamaicans are descendants of slaves which were brought here from Africa. The original population - Arawak Indians - was eradicated by European diseases and slavery. The island has a bitter past.

Accomodation

There are many "all inclusive" hotels. If you want to experience a little more local atmosphere, it's better to book the smaller hotels of Insiders Jamaica.

Money

We used credit cards most of the time, both paying and for withdrawing cash, but in the bigger cities it's also possible to use ATMs with your bank card. In that case, you receive Jamaican dollars instead of American ones. Both can be used, but people often prefer American dollars. The rate of the Jamaican dollar fluctuates.

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Health

for up-to-date health information, visit the site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Jamaica

Safety and Security

On the internet and in travel guidebooks there is a lot of talk about crime on the island and also about being pestered by Jamaican who want to sell something. We haven't experienced either. To the contrary: our experience is that Jamaicans are in general helpfull and nice and love to chat.

Yes, people try to sell things, but if you respond in a nice and relaxed way that you don't need anything at the moment, they immediately stop.

As far as crime is concerned: downtown Kingston is better avoided, but as a visitor of the island, there is nothing for you there, anyway. We didn't think the cities interesting in any case.

Traveling in some countries brings risks with it. That shouldn't always be a reason not to travel there, but part of a good preparation is finding out about those risks.

A good source of information is the site of CIA World FactBook: Jamaica. But always get advice from your own country's Foreign Department as well.

Plan your trip to Jamaica online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.