For our last reach in April 2015 we brought 6 newbies with us. We tried to indoctrinate them on how "things run" in Jamaica. Well, four of them listened and converted their $US to $JA as we had trained them ..........LOL. Within one day they were all experts in how the local economy and $JA works. For the next 10 days everything was No Problem. However the other two did not learn very well and kept switching between $US and $JA and constantly over paid and tipped up and down the beach. Since we tend to patronize smaller local owned establishments, most of our bar tabs or meal bills were in $JA. More then once they were chased up the beach or road by a bartender or waitress who concerned about the excessive amount of $US left for a round or drinks or meal. Most of the time the newbies were more then gracious (embarrassed?) and told them to just keep the change. They make a wonderful living so the money was not a big deal to them.
Even after all this overspending, these newbies could not believe how reasonable the entire trip cost ! ! Needless to say we are booking rooms for April 2016.
Here is a small primer on how to save money with a little smart money management:
Find a way to cheaply convert your US dollars into Jamaican dollars and pay for most things in Jamaican dollars. ATM's charge a service charge which can vary but $5 US or more per transaction is not unheard of. Your bank may charge a ATM fee AND a foreign transaction fee which can run from zero to 15%. The exchange rate you get at a restaurant or bar will always be less then a Bank or Cambio. For example, beers on the beach can cost $150 to $400 Jamaican But you only have US dollars? They will charge you $1.50 to $4.00US. Might not seem like much, but with an exchange rate of $115 JA to $1US you just paid $230JA for a $200JA beer. Total those savings and it is a easy 15% - 25% savings just in simple currency management.
http://negril.com/forum/showthread.p...969#post160969
Moral of the story: Read this message board religiously, learn how "things run", and convert you home currency to $JA.
Last edited by Captain Oil; 08-25-2015 at 04:53 PM.