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.
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home"
Drink Eat be IRIE!
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.Originally Posted by IRIEchic
If I was a criminal this would be my favorite post!
Some tings shouldn't be shared on social media.
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.
July 1993*, Feb 2003, Aug 2005, April 2007, Feb 2008, Feb 2009, April 2010, Nov 2010, Nov 2011, Nov 2012, March 2013*, Nov 2013, Nov 2014, March 2015*, Nov 2015*, April 2016*, Oct 2016, Nov 2017*, May 2018*, Nov 2018*, Oct/Nov 2019*, Dec 2020*, Dec 2021*, May 2022* (Portland), Dec 2022* (Irish Town/Strawberry Hill), Dec 2023*, Dec 2024*, Dec 2025*
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.
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..
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