* Don't pack valuables in your suitcase, like cameras, jewelry or cash. Airline baggage handlers are notorious for opening baggage and stealing your possessions. The airlines will not pay a dime if items of this type are stolen from bags in their care. Bring as few valuables as possible, keep the valuables you bring in your carry-on bag and keep an eye on the bag while in the plane.
* Put all vital medicines, cameras, papers
and a change of underwear in your carry-on, and place it in the
overhead opposite your seat, so you can see if the bin is opened
and your bag removed.
* Flights from the U.S. to Trinidad usually
allow two suitcases for a total weight of 70 lbs. per passenger.
To avoid standing at the ticket counter rummaging through your
baggage to pick out what things to leave behind, weigh your bags
on a bathroom scale before you go to the airport. Flights between
Caribbean countries only allow 44 lbs. per person, so if you are
traveling to two different islands, adjust your luggage weight
accordingly.
* Don't take suitcases or packages for strangers,
or even friends, to or from destinations in the Caribbean. Drug
traffic is rampant and the legal penalties for possession of drugs
are severe.
* Avoid wearing gold chains or expensive
jewelry and watches while on vacation, they make you a target
for street crime. Better yet, leave all expensive jewelry and
watches at home. Wallets should be carried in the front pants
pocket, replaced by a waist pouch, or you could put a small amount
of cash in a zip lock bag safety pinned inside a pocket or sock.
(I can report from personal experience that Trini pickpockets
can get a ziplock bag pinned inside a front pants pocket). Put
small amounts of cash only in the ziplock bag, or pin it inside
your clothing to underwear (making it embarrassing when you have
to pay for a roti).
* The best thing you could do would be to
go to the travel store at the mall and get a travel wallet, which
straps around your body underneath your clothing. This makes it
a little embarrassing to get your money out from inside your shirt
or blouse, but it also makes it almost impossible for a pickpocket
to rob you in a crowded fete or mud band on Jouvert morning. Keep
some small change in your pocket to pay for a roti.
* Avoid purses; if you can't use the zip
lock trick or a travel wallet, hold the purse under your arm with
the strap firmly in your hand. Don't resist a holdup unless you
have been well trained. When swimming, money and hotel keys should
go in a waterproof canister worn around your neck, or a hotel
safe.
* The old way to carry spending money on vacation is to buy travelers checks, but they're hard to purchase, expensive and aren't accepted everywhere. All ATMs in Trinidad will accept your U.S. ATM card (they're called ABM cards here). There is no need to travel with large amounts of cash, just go to the nearest ABM to withdraw small amounts when needed. Some Republic banks even have U.S. currency ABMs, so you can even get some of that funny looking green money when you're going home.
* Passport theft is on the rise; forgers
will pay well for one, making a passport one of the most valuable
things you'll have with you on your trip. Be sure to secure it
and any cash or credit cards in locked trunks or hotel safes instead
of leaving them lying around hotel rooms or homes.
* Don't give bags to airport porters or
taxi drivers to take out of your sight, unless they are going
on the conveyor belt behind the ticket counter or in the same
taxi with you. Make sure the trunk closes with your luggage inside
before you get into the cab. Observe cars that may be following
you from foreign airports to your destination, sometimes robberies
are carried out that way.
* STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are as common in the Caribbean as they are in the U.S., while sexual attitudes can be more relaxed. Condoms don't prevent disease, but they do provide partial protection. It makes sense to carry your own supply, since you may not be able to get to a store easily.
* In recent years there has been a significant increase in the kidnapping rate in Trinidad. This year more than a hundred Trinis have been kidnaped for ransom, a large number of the victims have been wealthy Indian businessmen and their relatives. I'm unaware of any foriegners / tourists being kidnapped, but it would be foolish to travel to Trinidad without being aware of the situation. Always be aware of your surroundings; if you, your car or cab are being tailed by suspicious persons, walk or drive to the nearest police station. Tourists shouldn't walk through unfamiliar neighborhoods unless accompanied by someone who knows the area. Attend late night fetes and carnival functions with caution.
* Like most parts of the world, the murder rate in Trinidad has increased in recent years, fueled by the drug trade. Trinidad is a major drug transhipment stop for South American drugs headed for the States. Trinis are generally alarmed by the local murder rate, even though the whole country has about the same as the murder rate of Washington, D.C. and one-half the murders in L.A. Be cautious when clomping around in unfamiliar areas, and remember that you're in a whole new culture where the rules may be entirely different that you expect. Something you might think innocent, like kissing your host's wife in greeting, may be offensive to him.
© 2004 Afrique Publications
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