You all stay all over the place in Negril. Accommodations are varied. People move about, party, come and go. What's the status quo on your valuables, passport, money.....Where do you keep it most of the time when you're out of your rooms?
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You all stay all over the place in Negril. Accommodations are varied. People move about, party, come and go. What's the status quo on your valuables, passport, money.....Where do you keep it most of the time when you're out of your rooms?
Jelly...if you do a search here, it's actually mentioned quite often...but I'm sure everyone will be happy to answer your question.
Most places have in room safes. Some are free and some are a couple of dollars a day to rent. The places that rent them usually have free safes behind the front desk if you don't want to rent one (kind of a hassle). We leave all valuables, passports, and money in them and just take as much money as we think we will need for the time we are out
Locked up in the room safe.
Most hotels will provide a safe free of charge for for a small daily fee.
I'm sure people get creative if there isn't a safe provided or they don't want to pay the fee.
If nothing else, at least put your items in your suitcase and keep it locked. Check regularly to ensure items are in order and accounted for...
Room safe or safe in office. only valuables you should have are your ID and currency leave the Bling at home ! Like the post above check even if in safe that your valuables are the way you left them !
room safe aside from what i may be spending that day, or that part of the day
Yeah room safe is probably the most popular spot for money and valuables. I have downsized the technology I take these days as its a hassle to find good spots to put it. I have kept my laptop bag under the sink in the bathroom or kitchenette in the past though. People don't normally look in those areas as they go straight for the bags and stuff.....
YaMon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Papa Georgie
Passport, credit card and money stay in safe, even at night while we are sleeping. Also install door alarm purchased at dollar store. Wedding ring and any and all jewelry stay home in gun safe.
Good advice Yeshinunt2.
We always use the room safe. We also have a pacsafe bag. My wife even went as far as to buy a very cheap CZ wedding ring at Wal-Mart to wear in Jamaica. That way she can still wear a wedding ring but can leave her very expensive wedding ring at home.
I forgot to mention, I also have a money belt that I wear when traveling. Bought it on Amazon. It looks like a regular belt, but has a zipper on the inside of the belt. Because it's narrow, you have to fold the money make it fit, but you can fit several bills in it and no one is the wiser
I also recommend the pacsafe. http://www.pacsafe.com/travelsafe-12...able-safe.html
Also, one rule I follow is "don't bring anything I would hate to lose". Cash, electronics, camera, etc...
Obviously, you need your passport and travel docs. Can't do much about that, but as far as money and personal items, I don't bring anything I'd hate to lose.
I bring an ipod to use facebook messenger. The last night of my trip last April I accidentally lost the ipod in a taxi. It was disappointing, but nothing I can't live without. It was locked and I could disable it remotely, so ultimately it wasn't a huge loss- there are worse things in life. Luckily, the taxi man was amazing and on his drive by my place he stopped me and returned it to me.
I also lost a water bottle that I paid too much for (hydroflask).
Someone I know dropped their camera in the water and it was ruined.
Loss happens on accident- outside the realm of theft.
So, I just never bring anything I can't live without.
All good stuff. Great idea about ring whether you're married or not! If I lost my passport I guess I would just have to stay longer. ahaha Can't come soon enough.
I say that all the time about having my flights delayed by bad weather at home! HahaQuote:
Originally Posted by Jelly Bean
In all seriousness, I keep a photo of my passport in an email, that way I can access if from just about any computer or my phone, if necessary. By habit, I have all of my flight info emails saved in a folder in my email as well. Photos work well when you don't have access to the internet. It helps to have any important information like credit card company phone numbers stored in your phone, too, and account info accessible somehow (I don't mean to tell you things you already know, just good advice I got from others before my first trip).
Also, about the rings, I find that you will get attention regardless of whether you are alone or with your boyfriend, or in a group... so I personally avoid attracting any attention as far as jewelry. Wear what you normally would if it's not valuable ($$$ - wise), but don't go out and buy a cz ring just to try and ward off advances. Chances are it won't work, and the guys will notice that your "husband" is never around day after day. Definitely just my single girl opinion! :) if you are married or engaged, a cz is a niceness option so you don't lose your real ring to the sea!
I always wear my ring.
Cap
My wife bought the CZ ring because we have been married for so long she feels uncomfortable without wearing one. I understand your comment about not buying one just to ward off advances because doesn't help. My beautiful wife is approached regardless of whether she has a ring on. (As I'm sure you would be too ;)) Luckily am always with her to chuckle at their efforts.
As far as camera dropped in the water, the replacement came this week. How stupid am I bringing my brand new camera on a beach walk instead of my one that was waterproof that I left in room safe? D'oh!
I keep printed copies of the front page of our passports in each checked and carry on bag.
My wife has a "stunt ring" that she wears instead of her wedding ring in Negril. No point bringing the expensive original ring that we would be upset over if lost.
Me, I wear my wedding band, because it is only titanium and not worth much. However, when I snorkel my finger shrinks 2 sizes and the ring slides right off. When i'm in the water I usually put it in a back pack and keep it somewhere where it is being watched
Gotta second the PacSafe as a great go to if not a safe in the room. Here's the one we use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E8...9-2bf814c32e0f
The good thing is, you can lay it flat so doesn't take a lot of room in your bag while traveling.
If I was a criminal this would be my favorite post! :)
Some tings shouldn't be shared on social media.
I'm sure that experienced burglars have seen a Pac Safe before and know where you tie them up. While I have no evidence of this, seems to me that the petty thieves in Jamaica are more the "smash and grab" types. Not carrying burglary tools...bolt cutters etc. I could be wrong.
I've gotten the impression that most thefts from hotel rooms were either crimes of opportunity, where a door or window was left unlocked or open, items are left in plain sight, etc. I've also got a theory that it's well known that the locks on many of the doors in Negril... well for lack of a better word, they suck. Staying in rooms that seem to be using $10 Home Depot doorknob locks is not terribly confidence inspiring, and don't look at the quality of the work that's been done installing them... I had a balcony door at one place where the screws in the latch were backed out half an inch, and the bolt would shift around in the jamb with just a tiny bit of pressure. I have no doubt that a good hard push is all it would have taken. What was really odd though is they weren't stripped - I had happened to have a screwdriver in my suitcase so I tightened it down and it was secure. How does it get that bad without being noticed? Or was it intentional? From some of the stories I have read (here and elsewhere) some people have claimed that theft from their rooms was an inside job...
That being said, I don't bring anything I would be upset about losing. The good cell phones stay home, and we bring cheap smartphones (I work in the industry so I always seem to have phones around) that get left behind with a friend or someone who helped make our trip memorable. She leaves the jewelry home, and I don't wear any but my titanium wedding ring anyway. We don't bring a fancy camera, because even an inexpensive smartphone has a decent camera nowadays. In the past, I would always bring the latest smartphones with me, and if I pulled them out they attracted a lot of attention, which I don't need. It's not overt, but you are being watched. If you have valuables like expensive electronics, and you take them out of your room, people notice.
Any cash or credit cards I won't need for the day stay in the safe with passports and other documents. When I know I'll be out for an extended time or need to carry more than just pocket money (for an excursion, a purchase, fancy meals, etc) I keep small bills in one place, and the bulk of my money somewhere else hidden on my person. That way if something were to go down, they can have a couple bucks and it's no big loss for me. If I need access to more money, a quick trip to the bathroom to get it done so no one sees. Also no flashing wads of cash / large bills when buying small items like a beer or food.
This is pretty much what I do no matter where I travel. As a tourist you can be an easy target if you allow it. This is good advice for travelling anywhere, not just Jamaica.
Well put ............... we have such a great place to hid things when we stay at a place with no safe that I can not mention it ............... can't give those bad guys any help.Quote:
Originally Posted by IRIEchic
dont ever tell anyone........ where u stay or when u left....or right>> yamon
17 trips to Jamaica and I've never used anything but cash. Never used debit or credit card in Jamaica. Just cash. Not worried about posting on social media. If someone did attempt rob me, good luck to them. If they were successful, they would only get a small percentage of money I brought on vacation.
Yep, agreed. There are some things I just won't discuss online (or ever, really). People are way too open with their information these days.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Oil
For us.. A Safe is Absolutely a Must.. for your Passports and Stuff. Cost us $3 a Day in the Hotel we stayed this time.. Usually included in our Hotels previous. Safe Travels..
A safe is a must for us too. However, the last two visits to Jamaica, one on the North Coast, one in Negril, the safe locking mechanism was old and didn't seem trustworthy. They locked up ok but I felt I couldn't trust getting my valuables out of there. Pac Safe is a great backup.
Yup agree!Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Oil
My thoughts as well!Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
My working assumption: Locks keep honest people honest. The only things that I've lost in my life are civilian clothes in a locker off base and my first pair of prescription sunglasses in Negril. The locker was probably broken into by another sailor and I had too many rum punches when I set down my glasses.
The only attempted armed robbery was by a jeepney driver taking me and my shipmates for some Cinderella R&R outside of Subic Bay in the Philippines. He wanted the agreed fare from each of us. We got out of the jeepney and started arguing with him. He reached under his seat and pulled out a .45 cal semi-automatic pistol. You'd be amazed how fast 6 sailors can disappear into the bush. Fortunately, nobody stepped on a cobra. All in all, I guess I'm Lucky. There are plenty of smart recommendations here. --Marblehead
We have been coming to JA for almost 30 years, off and on - Yearly for the last 6-7 years. Every place we have stayed has provided us with a safe and secure place to store our valuables and we hold the key or it is done with an electronic code. There is MUCH variety in these security boxes - some only in the office with a lock and key, some a box bolted to a shelf in the room/closet with a lock and key, and some sophisticated electronic ones like you see in major hotels everywhere. Our things have always been safe and we have never lost anything to a theft.
I always wear a neck chain so I have a place on my person to put my rings if I need to take them off my fingers! :)
I tend to keep my stuff in in either a room safe or office safety deposit box (depending on the hotel/resort). I usually keep about a 1.5 days worth of cash and 1 credit card on me in a waterproof cell phone case that I keep in my my cargo pants pocket (in either my swim trunks or shorts) so that I can do anything at anytime, yet, if I lose the case or it gets get stolen, not a big hit on my cash for the trip.
Just to offer a different perspective, I have almost never used a safe.
I do only carry what I need for that particular outing, and also keep smaller amounts handy and larger ones separate if I must carry more than a couple thousand J. I bring more than one credit and debit card so there's backup of both should one be lost/stolen/compromised. Also handy to have more than one bank account when ATMs limit daily withdrawals.
Has worked for me for many years.