7 tips when visiting Caribbean countries

When visiting the Caribbean countries, there are a few things to remember in order to ensure a pleasant vacation.

When I first started traveling through the Caribbean, I did not know most of the below tips and unfortunately had to learn the hard way.

This is why I decided to write this blog post – save you the time and hassle in dealing with those issues.

 

1. No tap water

Don’t drink or brush your teeth with tap water.

I know this sounds very wasteful but a lot of places in the Caribbean will tell you to drink only bottled/filtered water.

In a lot of those countries, the water is drinkable, however, our stomachs are not used to the mineral and compound levels in the water.

So even though the water is okay to drink, just because we have not been exposed to those ingredients in the past, our stomachs and gut bacteria might not be able to process them leading to stomach pain and diarrhea.

For example, in Mexico (the Yucatan Peninsula) the water contains a lot of calcium. This is fine for the locals, who have drunk it their whole life, however for tourists who are not used to that it can cause stomach pain.  

 

 

In terms of teeth brushing, I would also suggest using bottled/filtered water. When my mom was in Cuba, she got a really bad gum infection because she brushed her teeth with tap water.

She had to go to the dentist (when she returned) and had to take an antibiotic for a few days in order to get rid of the infection. She couldn’t eat for half of the trip and was in pain which ruined her entire trip.

So please make sure you follow the no tap water rule unless you were specifically told the water is safe in that country. In which case I would still probably drink bottled water just in case.

The ice cubes that go in your drinks will be made from the filtered water at the resort, so dont worry about that. 

 

 

2. Meat must be fully cooked

Another really important thing to remember is to make sure that the meat you eat is fully cooked.

It has happened twice to two different people that I have been on vacation with. They ate meat that wasn’t fully cooked (medium steak) and they got really bad food poisoning lasting a few days.

In my friend’s case, she actually had to get an IV put into her arm because she was so dehydrated and even fainted from the food poisoning.

It is the same issue as with the water, the meat is different – contains different bacteria, animals were raised and fed with other things.

It doesn’t mean that the meat is of bad quality, it just means that our stomachs are not prepared to digest it. Which again can lead to serious food poisoning.

 

 

If you don’t want to spend your vacation glued to the toilet, it might not be a bad idea to go for well-done meats only or avoid meat if possible.

On our last trip to the Dominican, we ate at the beach bar where we had burgers and fries and one of the burger patties was very undercooked.

I always break apart the meat before I eat it to make sure it’s fully cooked. If I didn’t do that I would not have realized that it was undercooked until I was halfway through.

So by cutting it first, I realized that I should not be eating it. I just asked for a well-done patty instead and probably saved myself from food poisoning.

Inspect all the meat you eat but be especially careful with beef (steaks and burger patties). 

 

 

3. Sun is strong 

It’s incredible how many people don’t realize just how strong the sun is in the Caribbean.

Not only is the sun strong but the sun rays hit you at an almost 90-degree angle.

When I first went to Cuba, I was probably 19 years old, I was also not aware of that fact.

You can probably guess what happened!

I had some sunscreen but barely used it and was tanning the entire day. A long story short, I burnt so badly on the very first day I had these bubbles on my shoulders.

They were so painful, I couldn’t sleep on my back or even put on a shirt because everything irritated them.

The good news is we went to the doctor at the resort. He gave us some sort of antibiotic ointment which helped us with the pain and healing of those bubbles.

 

 

Thankfully, in a few days, they had significantly subsided however, the rest of the trip we had to hide from the sun. I had to wear a t-shirt covering my back and shoulders the entire time including in the water.

And not to mention that the sea salt and the chlorine in the pool were incredibly painful on the bubbles. So don’t be like young me and underestimate the power of the sun.

If you burn on the first day, your whole trip will be ruined. Make sure you have a very high SPF waterproof sunscreen on you at all times.

Reapply anytime you go in the water or towel off. I prefer a cream version instead of a spray as it gets more evenly distributed on your skin.

Keep in mind it is very easy to burn when you are in the water (wear a sun hat). Also, buy some aloe vera cream and put it on your skin after sun exposure.

Extra tip: Put the aloe in your mini-fridge and rub it on your skin nice and cold after being exposed to the sun. You can thank me later!

 

 

4. Bring small bills for tipping

Unfortunately, many of the Caribbean countries are very poor. This means that tipping is customary and highly expected.

Before you go, make sure you get a bunch of $1 bills that you can leave as a tip for the workers at the resort.

I would recommend bringing about $20 to $30 in $1 bills so that you have them ready. Most of the time, you would be able to get change either at the reception or in some places they have their own little bank situation at the resort.

 

 

However, the reason why it’s a good idea to have some change on you before you come is that we’ve had times when due to weather conditions, we were not able to convert/withdraw money.

I don’t remember if the internet was down or some sort of telecommunications issues. However, we were not able to get change until the fourth day we were there.

We felt so bad because we were not able to leave tips for anybody who deserve them.

Also, in case you need the change really early in the morning (going on an excursion) or at night when the reception workers might not be able to provide change due to work hours or some other restriction (at one resort, you could use the bank services only during certain hours).

 

 

5. Dryer sheets

OK, this one may sound a little weird, but no matter where you go where it’s hot and humid. No matter which hotel, the clothes in your luggage are going to get this musky/moldy smell to them.

I am not talking about clothes being wet like your bathing suit. It’s just that there is so much humidity in the air that it soaks into your clothes and makes them smell kind of musty.

It is not the end of the world if that happens to you, but at the same time, you don’t want to be walking around the resort smelling like a ball of mold.

What I usually do, is toss a few dryer sheets in my luggage before I leave, which helps keep my clothes smelling fresh.

 

 

Another thing you could do is use a small rag/towel and bring your favorite essential oil. Just dab the rag/towel with the essential oil and leave it in your luggage.

Bring the oil with you so you can reapply in a few days. That does the same trick.

Or you could bring some of those small packages that have those little beads in them (I have no idea what they’re called, you usually get them when you buy new shoes).

They are supposed to absorb the moisture from the air.

If you see those in anything you purchase, just keep them and toss them in your luggage. They can absorb the humidity and prevent the smell from happening.

Bring the bead packages and a few drier sheets and you are golden!

 

 

6. Bug spray

Another thing that I didn’t know I needed, when going to the Caribbean, was bug spray. 

Unfortunately, bugs love biting me and I get really bad reactions from their bites.

Due to the climate, there will be a lot of mosquitoes at night (during the day it’s too hot for them).

I’ve noticed that they are very very small so you cannot even see or hear them around you. So you’ll be thinking “there are no mosquitoes, I’m not getting bitten” and then you wake up the next day and you have barely any blood left.

My rule is – sunscreen all day and bug spray all night!

Keep in mind, that some of the mosquito bites might be dangerous (not very common but I wanted to mention it).

 

 

A friend of mine did not want to wear bug spray saying that she never gets bitten by mosquitoes and there is no point in spraying herself.

Long story short, we came back and one of the bites she got on her leg did not heal. It actually started getting bigger and bigger and very itchy.

Eventually, she went to the doctor and he told her that there was a larva growing inside the bite. She had to apply antibiotics and some other ointment on her leg until the larva in her leg died off.

Until this day, she has a scar where that bite was.

So even if you’re someone who does not usually get bitten by mosquitoes or other bugs, I highly recommend spraying bug spray all over your limbs before you head out in the evening.

Also, bring some After Bite cream to help with the itching, if you do get bitten. 

 

 

7. Pills 

When going on a tropical vacation, the last thing you think about is getting sick.

This is why most people come unprepared when they travel to the Caribbean.

The promise of paradise somehow overshadows the unfortunate reality of life.

Almost every single time I have traveled to the Caribbean or even everywhere, someone has gotten some sort of health issue.

This is why I always travel with a whole bunch of meds.

When it comes to the Caribbean, the most common meds you should pack is something for stomach pain/ indigestion such as Pepto-Bismol.

 

 

Also, think about getting anything that can help with constipation or diarrhea. The chances are you will need one or the other regardless of where you are and how fancy your hotel is.

As I said earlier, you don’t want to spend your vacation on the toilet which is why it’s very important to bring any meds that are stomach-related.

Extra tip: if you have a weak stomach and you know you would have issues with the food when you travel, it’s a good idea to buy travelers probiotics. Start taking them a week or two before traveling.

Continue taking them while traveling. That way you ensure that your gut bacteria is in top shape and can hopefully avoid any issues.

 

I have a whole blog post dedicated to what meds you should bring with you when you travel. If you need more information, check out the post here. It also features a free download, which will help you make sure you have everything you need on your next adventure.

These are my top 7 tips on visiting the Caribbean countries for a vacation!

Did I miss anything important? Let me know in the comments below!