Things You Need To Know Before Your First Trip To The Dominican Republic

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There are many essential aspects that you should know before making your first trip to the Dominican Republic, even if you are a frequent traveler to this country, in this topic, I will give you some tips and recommendations that could help you for your first trip to the Republic Dominican, or even if you are a frequent traveler to this country.

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Don’t Over-worry About Insecurity in The Dominican Republic

In recent months, the Dominican Republic has been under a magnifying glass of negative news and unfortunate events with visitors from other countries, the first thing you should do is keep your head calm and keep a positive attitude

Do not be intimidated by the bad news that has been aired about the country, that news is very exaggerated.

Maybe my opinion is influenced because I am a native of the Dominican Republic, but that the horrible concept that has been outlined about the Dominican Republic in the past months at the international level, is not the reality of this country about tourism.

I do not know the real intentions behind this, of course, you must take the basic precautions, but do not panic about insecurity in the Dominican Republic, especially if you are in a tourist area like Punta Cana, you probably will be safe.

If you want to understand more about this topic, especially the news of tourists dying in the Dominican Republic, I wrote a whole topic about it.

Plan your trip

Choose the airport that best suits your destination and considers the requirements to enter the country, if you go to the east of the country the most convenient is the Punta Cana airport.

If you plan to reach the capital Santo Domingo, then The international airport of the Americas is the best option, Puerto Plata also has an international airport in case your destination is the north of the country, it is preferable to compare airline prices and book in advance.

Make a budget for your trip

Ideally, you can make an approximate budget for your trip, even if you are going to stay with your family or partner in an all-inclusive resort, research well before hiring an excursion outside the hotel.

Some excursions are not worth it and do not trust in hiring people who approach you offering excursions, stay informed about the exchange rate in the country.

Maybe you would like to check this topic I wrote if you are wondering how much money should you bring to the Dominican Republic.

Try to buy your flight without intermediaries

Any transaction that is made with an intermediary is more expensive if you are in an economic plan choose an airline that builds confidence and directly buys the flight online.

Of the times I have traveled abroad I have verified that I bought the flight directly on the official website The airline comes out cheaper, once, I did the experiment of going to the offices to buy the flight and they were charging me more expensive.

What is important to pack?

Apart from the basic clothes to be in a country with warm weather and beaches, you should bring sun lotion, mosquito repellent and bring a small medicine kit with you, suggested medical kit includes Tylenol, antacids, aspirin, antimalarial and diarrhea medicine.

Learn some words in Spanish

Try to learn some basic words in Spanish for small talks, like “hola/hello” “buenos dias/good morning” “muchas gracias/thank you” “por favor/please” It will help you to make a very good impression.

If you want you can use the google translator of your cell phone to practice some simple phrases, a small verbal interaction with Dominican natives could be very fun.

Buying souvenirs in the Dominican Republic

You can buy some gifts and souvenirs in the Dominican Republic, inside the airport there are some duty-free shops, but these stores sell more expensive, you can find some shops around the resort where you can find interesting things at a great price.

Do not carry much money with you, always carry only what you can afford to lose yet not ruin your vacation.

About some public use services

If you will be staying in an all-inclusive resort, you will not have any problem with internet services (although you may have to pay it separately) for energy, water, but if you come to the Dominican Republic and you will rent an economic room in some sector, know that many sectors have problems with services, there is no permanent electricity, so investigate these issues, specifically if you will rent a room outside the hotel.

Dealing with Harassing Vendors

Do not feel bad about ignoring street vendors who are approaching you to offer a product or service, if you are not interested in buying, do not make eye contact and answer nothing, the only option is to ignore them completely, do as if you weren’t listening to anything, the moment you pay attention to a street vendor the harassment will intensify.

If you feel that a street vendor is bothering you a lot, evens though you ignore it, you can look at it with a serious look, show the palm of your hand in a “stop” sign and say “no thanks, respect please”.

Street vendors maintain respect and will know when to walk away if they feel you are getting uncomfortable. Nor accept anything “free” or if you get to try (it’s a trap), once I had a very bad experience on the beach of Boca Chica with something, they gave me “to prove” that they were charging me later.

Understanding body gestures

In the Dominican Republic, non-verbal language is widely used, for example, sliding your index finger of your hand across your throat is a sign that someone died, but if you use this gesture when someone is asking you for money or trying to sell something, it means “I have no money”.

Rubbing your index finger and thumb several times means “money” if you put together both body expressions you are further reinforcing the expression “I have no money” without even having to talk, I use this gesture a lot when I go through the streets and someone tries to sell me something, I avoid talking or stopping.

Use a safe deposit box

If you are staying in a resort, verify that your room has a safe deposit box if you do not have it, then rent it, you will feel much safer if you keep your belongings more valuable in a safe deposit box.

The best time to visit the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is an island with a cyclonic season that begins in June and ends in November, October is the month of the year with the highest probability of rain, knowing this information any month outside those already mentioned is good to visit, my recommendation It would be between the months of December and February.

Do not feel very intimidated to visit between June and November, it has been more than 20 years since the last hurricane passed through the country, only that these months of the cyclonic season are the most likely to rain.

If you want to know much more about the best season of visiting Punta Cana you can read this topic that I wrote.

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2 Comments

  1. Sergei (Sergio) says:

    Thank you very much for all your advices. I’m going to visit Dominican Republic first time and not as a tourist.
    But it’s very interesting to visit a new country!

    1. Elvis Alcequiez says:

      Hi Sergio, thanks for commenting, have a good time in the country.

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