My Current/Future Travel Plans: Tips and Preparation

I do this automatically and without thinking. I contact the place where I'm gonna stay. Since I have family there, I stay with them. However, since you are probably tourists, you need to look for a hotel. Then, since it's a flight to the Dominican Republic, the airlines usually let you carry one carry on. However, I would take advantage of having a backpack and pay for an extra suitcase. Jet Blue states that this extra suitcase it must not exceed 62 inches (157.48 centimeters) in overall dimensions (length + width + height) and cannot exceed 50 pounds (22.68 kg). However, it is important to check with your respective airline first. If you are not sure how many bags the airline lets you carry o the dimensions that are permitted. It's important that you call and ask them. In my suitcases I carry the following: In my carry-on suitcase, I put clothes that are not made with a lot of fabric, such as t-shirts, shorts, and underwear. Phone charger, and others. In the bigge

Do not drink tap water or shower water it’s not safe for consumption. You can get sick because of it. Locals consume bottled water and in colmados and supermarkets, they sell water. Be ready to not have power 24/7. In the Dominican Republic especially in the rural areas, electricity is not 24 hours active. There are many power surges. So be careful with your electric appliances. Always ask if the place you are staying is surge protected. If not you may want to consider buying a surge protected multiplug. If you are a tourist and you are not accustomed to the sun. You should put sunblock on yourself if you are staying during summer because this is a hot sunny country. However, rub it on so it looks invisible because locals don’t use sunblock and you will be considered a tourist. It is best to bring your own sunblock because, in the country, maybe you will not find your favorite brand or they will be more expensive in the hotel. Safety Precautions: Don’t go out at nig

The Dominican Republic uses another currency called the Dominican Peso. If you come from another country, it is important to change money to the Dominican Peso if you’re planning to buy something in a store or in a supermarket. One U. S. Dollar is equivalent to 40-50 Dominican Pesos . The exact equivalence depends on sociopolitical and economic factors on the day. One tip is exchanging money using an ATM machine, a  local  money exchange house, or at a bank because the  exchange rate is better. At the airport or at a hotel the exchange rate is poor. Picture of Dominican Peso How are prices? Mostly cheaper but not everything. Since the Dominican Republic produces many tropical fruits and vegetables, the prices of these things are lower for a foreigner who comes from the United States of America or Europe. It is not limited to just vegetables but an extensive portion of everything that is produced by the country is cheaper. When objects come from another place, however, it’s

Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic and is the first European city founded in the new world in 1496. The city has been inhabited ever since then. The city has changed a lot from its beginning. Making this city rich in history and cultural heritage. Lately, the city has been booming with a lot of economic advances and many changes have happened to the buildings and structures of the city. Many residential towers, malls, and hotels have sprung from the earth. There are now two airports, the metro line was extended, etc. A lot of things have happened to this city that an entire blog wouldn’t be enough to describe it. I can assure the changes have been so vast that the Santo Domingo from 10 years ago is not the same as the one today. Comparing it to other places around the country, this city is seen as very modern. It is sought by many companies because of its location. According to my father (an accountant), Santiago is the province that produces wealth, but Santo Dom

Santiago is the second largest city in the country after Santo Domingo and the birthplace of important Dominican figures such as presidents and the Mirabal sisters. It was the country’s first capital until an earthquake destroyed it in 1562. The city is also has a thriving commercial sector. It is home to many tobacco plantations because of its very fertile soil. It has mall museums, bars, and it is home to a carnival, universities, and an airport. It is a fast-paced city with many projects that want to elevate it to the level. Here is a place you need to visit in this city: "El Monumento a los Heroes de la Restauración" El "Monumento a los heroes de la restauración" or just known colloquialy "El Monumento" is the symbol of the city just like the Eiffel tower is to Paris. It is a historic monument dedicated to the heroes who died fighting in the Restoration War which help to regain independence of the country from spain. It has a museum inside and

If you are traveling around the Dominican Republic, you will see a lot of little stores called "colmados". Their appearance may vary but their purpose is the same. These are convenience stores and they sell many different things from groceries to cigarettes. In the city some even have delivery. This is useful because, if you are cooking but you forgot that you are missing an ingredient, you can call a "colmado" by phone and have them delivered them to you. A Colmado If you want to take shopping to the next level la sirena and carrefour are your places. La Sirena is a local department store while Carrefour is a French department store. In these places you can find anything a person needs, groceries, clothes, school supplies. These are like Walmarts but, because of their variety they are usually full of people. They usually have a food court, in other words, if you are hungry after some heavy shopping, you can regain your strength at eh food court. Hospitals:

The Dominican society is very picky when it comes to clothes or appearances. Dressing for the occasion is a must. Don’t dress for the beach in other clothes that are not swimsuits. When walking down the street, a man can walk by unnoticed if he puts some jeans and a polo shirt that doesn’t look expensive. The shoes can be running shoes or sandals. When walking down the street a woman has to be careful of what she wears because this is a very conservative country and women will be judged not by only men but also by other women. Jeans can save your life and a blouse that doesn’t show much but is pretty is the key. For the shoes, you can decide any, but high heels and platform shoes are going to drag the attention. If you wear jeans and a polo you will be safe. Do not dress like a tourist. Observe the people around you and try to dress as them. When going to the club go for the kill. dress nicely in a semi-formal attire (not too formal), but remember to avoid shady places when going to

It's important to always to refer to someone with respect. In English there is only one-second person pronoun “you”, but in Spanish, there are several forms “tu”, “usted” and “vosotros”. Always refer to an unknown person using the pronoun “usted” because is the formal form of  "you". Forget about “vosotros” it is a pronoun you use in other Spanish speaking countries, but never in Dominican Republic. If you use “Vosotros” you will be perceived as a foreigner. you can drop the formalities, but only when both parts decide to do that. Also if you are an adult, refer to people who look around your age and older as "señor" or "señora", and refer to elderly people as "don" or "doña". Dominicans are a friendly population. Do not be impressed or take it personally when the locals use expressions such as “mi amigo” (my friend), “mi amor” (my love) or “cariño”(sweetie) they do that a lot but not necessarily mean it. When arriving in the Domi

There are many restaurants in the Dominican Republic. Some are like fast food restaurants, where they have a selection of different dishes already cooked like white rice, chicken, beans, potato salad, etc. You just pick, pay and eat. This is Higuey Café in New York , an example of a Dominican fast food restaurant Also, there are normal restaurants such as "La Tinaja" a popular restaurant in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. La Tinaja Altavista Restaurant Altavista Restaurant (front)

The Dominican Republic’s economy is based in agriculture. However, the meal is similar during the day. If you want to eat like a typical local below is the menu.  Breakfast For breakfast, the locals eat “Mangú” (boiled mashed plantains) with one, several or all the following toppings: salami (is like pepperoni, but wider), red onions, fried cheese and/or fried egg. Also, the locals switch the "mangú" distinct kinds of tubers like cassava, potato, Malanga, blue taro, yam, and many more with the same toppings mentioned. Sure, they also eat cereal, pancakes, fruits, and ham and cheese sandwiches, but tubers and mangú with toppings are very common.  Mangú and coffee   As a drink, they could have coffee, warm milk (no flavoring), natural juice, "avena", or “jugo de avena”. "Avena" translates to oatmeal. It's a beverage that has dry oats but is not an oatmeal, it’s liquid and it’s more like warm milk with spices. “Jugo de avena” which transla

The Dominican Republic is a fully Spanish speaking country. It is rare to find someone that speaks another language in areas far from the hotels and resorts. Even though the population is nice and will try to help, you will have a tough time. So, a nice tip is to learn how to speak basic Spanish (especially those little phrases that will help you survive).  Spanish is known  to be an easy language . In some sense, it is. Speaking it and reading it out loud is very simple because, in 95% of the time, each word it's written how it's pronounced. This means that a certain combination of letters such as "m" and "a" will always be pronounced the same. In the words, "tomar" (to drink) and "amar" (to love), which are 2 verbs, the combination of the letters "m" and "a" (-ma-) is pronounced exactly the same. A little trick is learning the sounds of each letter in the alphabet first.  This foreign language isn't scar

The Dominican Republic is a country that shares an island with Haiti. It's located in the Caribbean Sea between Cuba and Puerto Rico, and it's the second largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba with an area of 48,442 square kilometers (km 2 ) or 18,533 square miles (sq. mi.).  This is a country full of restaurants, hotels, and resorts. However, the country has a strong conservative and a very religious society where certain liberal topics such as feminism or marijuana legalization can be seen crazy for the older population, even though it's the 21 st century. Purpose of this Page: The purpose of this section is giving tips to people visiting the Dominican Republic that do not want to stay between the touristic barriers.  Why?  Sometimes when a person is visiting another country, they may not want to draw attention doing simple things. However, because of his o her appearance, they just can’t avoid this. I want these tips to help someone avoid unplea