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one-way flightiness

by | Feb 3, 2020 | Jamaica

Rookie mistake. I suspected this might be an issue, in fact I read it would be. Still, I couldn’t escape the allure of buying a “one-way ticket” for the first time in my life. It will probably also be the last.

Many countries won’t let you in unless you have an out. That is to say, your departure must be booked in advance of your arrival. Fair enough, they don’t want to get stuck with you.

I had planned to visit Cuba directly following Jamaica, but I hadn’t purchased my flight yet. I was hoping that I could find a better deal last-minute from the airport than I could online. More on that in another post, the myth of flying standby (in progress).

But that didn’t fly well for Jamaican customs. They were not amused by my lack of travel planning (aka my sense of adventure!). So I was hauled into an office for an hour while I pulled out my laptop and fervently researched my escape plan. I already had a rough idea of the flight I was going to take, so that saved my some time. FlightConnections was my friend here.

Luckily, I was able to quickly purchase an InterCaribbean Airlines from KIN to SCU for 100USD+taxes. Problem solved, right?

“Where you going from Cuba then?” he asked, not so patiently. “What’s it to you?”, I politely rephrased. I didn’t think it made any difference once I was out of here. But he explained that if I didn’t have an exit flight from Cuba also, I would get tossed back to Kingston and become his problem again.

Once he saw my receipt for the ticket to Cuba, he was reasonably satisfied I wasn’t just a hobo looking to take up residence in his tropical paradise, and let me go before buying the Cuba exit ticket, “But make sure you buy your ticket before you leave.” I promised I would, and was on my way.

Now… after being delayed in the airport for two hours, it’s dark, and all the busses have gone. How do I safely get to Negril, 1.5 hours drive from Montego Bay?

buying a local SIM card in Jamaica

by | Jan 31, 2020 | Jamaica

I went with Digicel Jamaica. I looked them up online first. They’re a massive Carribean mobile network, with ads coming at you the minute you step out of the airport. There’s a storefront conveniently located right outside the KIN airport.

My local Jamaican SIM card and phone number was 3000JMD or $30CAD. I’ve got decent coverage between Kingston and Port Antonio, but data was spotty at times.

Get the My Digicel app to top up and monitor your balance.

It’s important to note that you may need to unlock your phone when travelling to use SIM cards on other networks. Locking phones is no longer legal in Canada, but many older phones, like one you might want to bring travelling or as a backup, will need to be unlocked. The good news is that all major carriers will unlock your phone for free now. Do it before you leave.

Prepaid Rates (JMD)

Rate
Calls to Digicel Mobile$7.99/min
Data$20/MB
Calling CAN, US, China, and landlines in UK & Spain$8.99/min
Local Digicel to Digicel SMS$3.75
SMS to other local networks$4.75
International SMS$6.75

This still works out to about 8¢ CAD minute for local calls, which is better than $2.50/min, but data is expensive, so get on a Nuff Data & Unlimited Talk prepaid plan.

The 5GB + Unlimited Talk plan lasts for 28 days and costs 2450.00 JMD, or $24 CAD.

back to Jamaica 🇯🇲

by | Jan 29, 2020 | Jamaica

Next week, I’ll be boarding a plane back to Jamaica. I have a one-way ticket. I plan to travel the Caribbean while I work from my laptop and live out of a backpack. I’ll maintain this journal to show you how I do it.

This space will serve as a record of my travels and technology for digital nomads and dreamers alike.