TRAVEL INSURANCE
Although it’s very unlikely that you’ll have to sue someone, you should never travel without a travel insurance covering you and your belongings. Your insurance company or your travel agency will inform you about the most convenient insurance for you, even though, it won’t be a bad idea to ask different companies before hiring one, because prices may vary. Make sure your insurance covers death, accidents, sanitary assistance, trip cancellation and baggage or documents loss.

Banks and Money Exchange
It doesn’t matter which is the official currency of each island, in most of them American dollars are accepted, and in some cases British sterling pounds . Thus, most stores, restaurants and hotels accept traveler checks and the most used credit cards. In the French islands, they use the French franc, although you can also use American dollars.
If you have American dollars or sterling pounds , try different exchange agencies before changing them, even more if you’re traveling with a short budget.
We also recommend you to try to obtain the better exchange rate.

BANKS TIME TABLES
Usually, banks open weekdays from 8:00 or 8:30 until noon. Many of them open in the afternoon too, especially on Fridays. Likewise some banks open Saturday mornings. Because of the large acceptance of American dollars, credit cards and traveler checks, it is not necessary to change your money right away. You can also use your credit cards to take money out of the ATMs. Before traveling be sure you know your pin number and find out which ATMs accept your credit card. Look in the individual section of each island to obtain more information about variations in the bank’s timetables and the location of the different automatic cashiers.

Taxes
You must know that during your trip around the Little Antilles you will have to pay two taxes you didn’t expect to. The first is a government tax applied to hotels and it is 5% or 10% of your bill. The second is the departure tax around 10 to 15 American dollars, though in some islands it could be 25 American dollars. Payment is made before leaving each island. You better keep some local currency, just in case.

Dressing
“Informal” is the key word in the Antilles. Take light cotton clothes. Dresses, trousers, shirts, shorts and blouses for women. Trousers, shorts and open collar shirts for men. In winter, the breeze blowing at nights is fresher, that’s why we recommend women to take a light jacket or a cotton sweater. Likewise, men should take a coat and a tie, especially if they are planning to visit a casino. Most of them (apart from some glamorous restaurants and hotels) only accept men with coat and tie. To walk around cities better wear flip-flops. If you want to do some trekking or tours in the tropical jungle, don’t forget to take a pair of strong boots.

Swimming pants or bikinis are not appropriated for walking around town. When you go from the beach or the pool to the city, wear shorts and a shirt. If you follow this rule you’ll be showing respect to the citizens.

Nudism and topless are forbidden at almost all the beaches, except for Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin, St-Barthélémy and Bonaire. Guadeloupe, St. Martin and Bonaire have at least one nudist beach.