Downtown Luxury Slum

I’ve never planned a trip to Barbados.

But on a whim, I’ve found myself on a luxury vacation in Barbados. If you wanted to plan your own trip though, here’s what you should know.

1. Include a Friday in you trip

It’s the only day for the weekly Friday Fish Fry at Oistins Bay Gardens.

2. Plan to eat fish

Flying fish, tuna, swordfish, marlin, mahi-mahi, lobster.

Macaroni pie is something else you’ll see on almost every menu.

3. The exchange rate is 1 US dollar = 2 Bajan dollars

Always. Most places will accept US dollars but typically provide change with Bajan dollars (BDS).

4. They drive on the left side of the road

5. There’s lots of honking

People honk to be friendly. Some taxi drivers honk to every other taxi they see. Buses honk to let you know they’re coming. Some horns play fun musical tunes.

6. Transit is cheap and plentiful

There might be almost as many buses in Barbados as there are cars. They’ll honk as they’re coming up behind you so you can quickly turn around and flag them down if you want on. It costs BDS$3.50 to ride.

7. Try rum punch early and often

Everyone serves it and it’s usually pretty cheap. The recipe is: One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.

So you can see that the ingredients and flavor might vary between bartenders.

8. Try rum early and often

Barbados claims to be the birthplace of rum. I’m not here to fact check that, but rather to tell you that you should probably figure out how you’re going to get to Foursquare Rum Factory (self guided tour), St. Nicholas Abbey (and working plantation), Mount Gay Distillery (basic tour every hour, but book ahead if you want a fancy tour), and the West Indies Rum Distillery. You probably shouldn’t be driving. Although stumbling into a few of the million local rum shops is also an option.

9. Don’t drink this

10. If you’ve got a Google Fi phone plan, they’ve got you covered

• Data is $10.00 / GB
• SMS is included with your plan (my plan is $20 / month)
• Voice calls are $0.20 / min in Barbados

Don’t pay $10 per day to use your phone while traveling. Get Fi (and a $20 credit if you use this referral link).