TRAVEL WARNING
Overview Barbados
Security advice from the Foreign Office:
Status
: October 19, 2016 Unchanged valid since: October 13, 2016
Country-specific safety instructions
Natural disasters
In Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the southern states of the United States, cyclone season is from June to the end of November.
The strength of the storm and the specific threat to islands in its course can change within hours. Tropical storms, heavy rainfall and, under certain circumstances, landslides must be expected. Travelers should also follow the regional weather forecasts and observe the advice of the local security authorities. According to itypeauto, Barbados is a country in Central America.
Constantly updated information is available from the external link, opens in a new window National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.
Piracy
Sailors should note that robberies on anchored or coastal ships or cases of piracy in the Eastern Caribbean occur sporadically and take appropriate measures (caution with spontaneous guests on board, self-protection at night). Emergency calls to the Police on 211 / Coast Guard on 427-8819 (emergency) may be more reliable than urgency calls made on maritime mobile radio.
MONEY
Currency
1 Barbados dollar = 100 cents. Currency abbreviation: BDS $, BBD (ISO code). Banknotes are available in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2 BDS $; Coins valued at 1 BDS $ and 25, 10, 5 and 1 cent.
Note : The Barbados dollar is pegged to the US dollar (1US $ = approx. 2BDS $).
Credit cards
Major credit cards such as Diners Club, Visa, American Express and MasterCard are accepted in most shops, restaurants and hotels. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted throughout Europe and worldwide. Cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbols are accepted at many ATMs in Barbados, but not in stores. Further information from banks and credit institutes.
Attention: Travelers who pay with their bank customer card abroad and want to withdraw money should find out about the options for using their card from their bank prior to departure.
Bank opening times
- General Mon-Thu 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Foreign exchange regulations
National and foreign currencies may be imported in unlimited amounts; there is an obligation to declare the import of foreign currency. Foreigners are not permitted to export national currency. Foreign currencies may be exported up to the amount declared, less the exchange amounts.
Currency Exchange
We recommend that you bring US dollars and euros in cash. The cheapest exchange rates can be obtained from banks. The Barbados National Bank and the six international banks represented have branches in Hastings, Worthing, Holetown and Speightstown in addition to their headquarters in Bridgetown. ATMs are also available.
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official language in Barbados is English. As a result of the British colonial era and due to the English education system, British English (Oxford English) is common. This also includes the appropriate spelling of certain terms, such as center and favorite.
The colloquial language is often Bajan Slang (also called Bajan English), a Creole dialect. Bajan Slang is English that is emphasized and pronounced differently, e.g. th is often pronounced as t or d, as in dey (they), das a fact (that is a fact), dem (them); this can lead to misunderstandings, for example with three and tree. The syllable er at the end of a word is often replaced by an a, as in afta instead of after. Some words are used differently in Bajan slang than in English, e.g. we is used for our (example: You get Banana in de supermarket back home, and dem is good. Come from we Island probably. But dey can’t taste the same like tree ripe tropical fruit.). Words and sentences are often abbreviated, such as da instead of that or Come’a! instead of Come here to me !.
Individual terms come from different West African languages, but the African influence is significantly less than in other Caribbean countries.
Some barbadians who work in hotels, restaurants or other areas of the tourism industry speak other languages, especially French and Spanish.
CLIMATE
Best travel time
Pleasant, mild, tropical climate. Constantly blowing trade winds bring welcome cooling. Sunnier and drier than the other Caribbean islands. The dry season lasts from December to June. From July to November there are sometimes short, tropical showers. From November to March the sun shines an average of 8-10 hours, between April and October 8-9 hours. Tropical cyclones can occur between June and November.