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So you are coming to Barbados on holiday and are excited and looking forward to your time in Barbados, as you tick the days off your calendar there a few things you can do in preparation to ensure you get the most from your Barbados vacation trip.
1. Read www.TotallyBarbados.com
Well, you have started in the right place to plan your vacation. This web site has a wealth of information and recently won the World Travel Awards as the World's Best Travel Destination Site. Here you can find out everything there is to know about Barbados, so have a good look around the site, learn how to use Totally Barbados and decide on some of the things that you would really like to do during your stay in Barbados.
2. Plan your budget
Now that the holiday is booked, you now need to think about how much spending money that you want to bring with you and what you would like to spend while you are here. Barbados can be a very inexpensive holiday or a very luxurious one; therefore it is important that you know what you afford to spend. There is nothing worse than getting home from your dream holiday to a huge credit card bill!
3. Exchange your money
You can spend either Barbados Dollars or US Dollars everywhere on the island. $1 US Dollar is worth $2 Barbados Dollars and most places take MasterCard or Visa as well.
4. Plan your wardrobe
Barbados is a hot country all year round, with temperatures only dropping slightly below 29 degrees from January until April, and then it picks back up again to an average of 30 degrees. Therefore you need to pack cool cotton clothing, beachwear, and formal summer clothes for evenings out.
5. Sunscreen
Given the year round temperature of Barbados you can expect warm sunny days, and the sun is very dangerous so get plenty of sunscreen for your trip. Wear a very high factor such as 45 of 50 for the duration of your trip. People often think that if they wear a high factor sunscreen that they will not get the desired tan. The higher the factor the better, it just means that you don't have to re-apply as often. It would be a shame to ruin your holiday with sunstroke so wear a hat, a high factor sunscreen and drink plenty of water.
6. Mosquitos
Due to the hot climate there are mosquito's on the island therefore you can prepare for this prior to travel. You can take Vitamin B capsules and garlic capsules for a few weeks before your holiday and then the mosquitos should leave you alone when you get here. You can also but mosquito candles, coils, sprays and repellents that you apply to your skin. Mosquito's seem to bite most at dusk and dawn, especially around water.
7. Plan for duty free shopping
If you are planning to make an expensive purchase of an electrical item or jewellery then you should consider making these purchases while you on holiday. There are some huge savings to be made buying these goods in Barbados as they can all be purchased at duty free prices. You can buy diamonds or emeralds for an engagement ring, wedding ring or wedding anniversary present. So plan for this in your budget, as these goods would be outside of your normal holiday budget.
8. Book a restaurant
There are some of the world's finest restaurants located in Barbados, therefore no matter what your budget, you should try to allocate at least one special meal in paradise. For an average meal out you can expect to pay in the region of $60 Barbados Dollars per head, however this can be as low as $20 Barbados Dollars a head if you eat at Oistins Fish Fry or the local rum shops. But for one of the fine dining restaurants you can expect to pay at least $150 Barbados Dollars per head.
9. Plan your sightseeing
There are a number of tourist attractions in Barbados from tropical gardens to deserted beaches that you may want to visit while you are here. So read through our sightseeing section and decide on some of things that you would like to do while you are here. Our guide advises where there are costs involved so that you can put this in your budget. Also by using this guide you can contact tour operators directly to book your excursions. But don't get too carried away, remember to allow some time for just relaxing on this beautiful island on the nearest beach to your accommodation.
10. Book a hire car
Depending on where you have chosen to stay for your vacation, you may want to consider hiring a car for all of your trip or at least part of it. The island varies in geography quite dramatically so it is nice to have your own transport to get around and see the sights. Also hire cars are in great demand on the island, so it is advisable to book your car in advance. There is a reliable transport service running on the main routes but most visitors prefer to have a hire car.
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