MISCELLANEOUS USEFUL INFORMATION
Put together your personal information before you leave home. Passport, health certificate if any, driver's licence. Make photo-copies of everything - sufficient to take with you and to leave with relatives and friends back home. Include their phone numbers. It takes nothing away from your independence to stay in regular touch with your acquaintances back home. When you get to your vacation site, you can lock your original documents away in your hotel and use your copies whenever you can.
There are two seasons. The rainy or wet season and the dry season. The Rainy Season runs from June through December. The Dry season takes in January through May. December to May is the tourist (high)season, but you can visit anytime you like.
INFORMATION
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY.
Once your bags have been releases to you by Customs, you need to keep an eye on them, up to the time you get to your accommodations. Hopefully you would have made e few friends on your way down. You can help each other watch the luggage. Don't be a loner. The same goes for when you go out. There's safety in numbers. No matter how much you love solitude or value your privacy, do not seek out isolated places, whether on the beach or elsewhere.
Tobago is not crime-ridden, but neither is it crime-free. Take the same precautions you would take if you were at home. Watch your purse or wallet. Protect your valuables, perhaps leaving them in your hotel's safe deposit vault. Do you really need to bring them with you in the first place?
Here is some essential information about how you use your money while in Tobago. Recognize thar cash is a lightning-rod for criminals. Avoid using huge quantities of it. Use your credit cads or travellers' cheques if at all possible. Be cautious in the use of ATM's. and the cambio. Use them in the daylight hours, and if you observe some suspicious behaviour, pass this information to the police.
Plan your driving for the daylight - keep your doors locked, and plan your itinerary before you leave. And remember that consulting an outspread map could be a dead giveaway. Best is to gather as much infromation about your trip from maps, etc., before you leave your accommodations. When you leave your car, make sure it is locked and that you have the keys with you. Do not leave cell phones, cameras, mp3's and other "attractive" valuables in full view. Put them in the trunk.
SOME NUMBERS YOU MAY NEED
Emergency Numbers:
The emergency Police number for Trinidad and Tobago is 999, instead of the universal 911 you might be accustomed to if you come from North America. In fact, there are different numbers for different services:
Police - 999
Fire - 990
Ambulance - 990
Emergency Medical Services 639-4444
DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS
British High Commission 622-2748
High Commission for Canada 622-6232
Embassy of the French Republic 622-7446
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany 638 1630-2
Embassy of the United States of America 622-6371-6
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela 627-9821-4
These are the main ones. Their addresses and information about the 49 other accredited and resident diplomatic missions can ba found in the Blue Pages of the local Telephone Directory.
OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS
Coast Guard 639-1461
Tobago Regional Hospital 639-2551
Tobago Tourism Destination Services Office:
Scarborough 639-2125 / 4636
Crown Point 639-0509
Speyside 660-6012
Scarborough Port Authority Building 635-0934
Trinidad Tourism Destination
Services Office: 675-7034-7
Use Tourism Destination Services as an additional information source.
SOME BUSINESS INFORMATION
The usual business hours are 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., generally with one hour for lunch.
Government offices are closed Saturdays. Most business places remain open during the lunch hour. Banks close at 2.00 pm. Monday to Thursday and at 3.00 pm on Fridays. They do not open on Saturdays. The best time to do your business is right as they open before the long lines start. Otherwise, as a warning to foreigner and local alike, prepare for "pure" aggravation.
Most other businesses are open until 12 noon on Saturdays. Grocery stores are open all day Saturdays, a few open on Sunday mornings, and there are even some that remain open on all Sunday and on Public holidays as well!.
Gas stations are usually open at 7.00 in the morning (some at 6.00 a.m.), and remain open until 9.00 at night Mondays to Saturdays. On Sundays they are open until about 2.00 in the afternoon. There is now a movement towards longer hours to facilitate public demand. In my experience, the best time to get gas is early in the morning, before the lines begin.
TIME
Time is UTC-4. In the Northern Hemisphere's summer, when Daylight Saving Time is in effect, we are one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The rest of the year we are the same as EST. There was once talk of introducing Daylight Saving Time to Trinidad and Tobago, but nothing came of it. It is hard to see what good it would have done.
INFORMATION ABOUT CURRENCY
The TT Dollar is pegged to the US Dollar at 6.12 to one USD. The Canadian Dollar, as with most other currencies fluctuates. At this writing it is 5.45TT to one CAD. The Swiss Franc at the moment is slightly less than the Canadian dollar, and the Euro stands at 7.2 TT; the British pound is worth 11.4 TT dollars. Common sense will indicate that you treat these figures as close approximations only. You should check for yourself what the rates are at any particular time. Here are the banks, and you can check their websites for the latest currency exchange information:
Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago- "www.rbtt.com"
Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago- "www.rebublictt.com"
Scotia Bank- "www.scotiabanktt.com"
First Citizens Bank- "www.firstcitizenstt.com"
With most credit cards or even bank cards (bearing the Interac logo) you can access your home bank account and withdraw cash. There are ATM's at the airport inside the Republic Bank and at an outside First Citizen Bank kiosk. Also at the Royal Bank along Milford road, and further along at the corner of Pigeon Point Rd. There is another inside the Penny Savers supermarket. In Pleasant Prospect past Mt. Irvine, there is one near the Vie-de-France/Pizza Boys establishment.
In Scarborough, there are ATM machines at the Port Authority building, the First Citizen's Bank', at the Scotia Bank and the Republic Bank on Carrington Street, and at the Republic Bank and Royal Bank on Main Street.
Roxborough now has a First Citizens bank ATM, the only one in the east.
ELECTRICITY INFORMATION
The electric supply is 110 volts, 60 cycle. You may need an adaptor. Since the line supply is split phase, some buildings are wired to supply both 110volts and 220 volts, but don't count on it. Regard it as a bonus if you find it.
INFORMATION ON HEALTH MATTERS
As of now vaccinations are not required for entry to Trinidad and Tobago. The water supply in Tobago is quite good, not by developed country standards but by rest-of-the-world standards. Since the water from the mains is locked off at regular intervals, most people have storage tanks in their homes. Hotels and guest houses have abundant storage, and most have hot and cold water. For drinking, a lot of people stick to bottled water, which is widely available.
If you need an ambulance the number to call is 990.
The Emergency Health Service is 639-4444.
TAX INFORMATION
There is a 15% Value Added Tax on most goods and services except some foodstuff. In most places the tax is included in the price, but in others it is added. Make sure you inquire.
There is a 10% room tax at hotels, and a 10% service charge.
When you leave the country there is a $100TT departure tax. If you want to stay here, just don't pay the tax. They won't let you leave! But your accommodations are not guaranteed!
TELEPHONE SERVICE
Directory Inquiries is 6441
Operator Assistance, local or Overseas is 0.
There are two mobile services, BMobile and Digicell. Both provide roaming services. However, at the moment they don't speak to each other very well, but hopefully that will be resolved by the courts, where the matter now rests.
Yoy will, of course, find a lot more tobago information on this site.
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