ESSENTIAL INFO ABOUT TRINIDAD

MONEY
Currency
The Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) is the basic unit of currency. The exchange rate is approximately $6TT to $1USD or 5TT to $1CAD. You can check the banks and daily newspapers for daily exchange rates.

Taxes
VAT - Value Add Tax (15%) is applied to most goods and services.
There is an airport departure tax ($100TT) payable upon leaving. There is no departure tax between Trinidad and Tobago.

Service
Restaurant tipping is left to customer discretion, but the customary (and expected) amount is 10%. It is also customary to tip luggage handlers, waiters, gas attendants, at your discretion. Some hotels also charge a 10% service charge/room tax.

PASSPORTS AND I.D.
U.S. & Canadian citizens need a birth certificate with some form of photo ID that is valid for 2 months. For everyone else, passports are required of anyone above 16. Visas are required of some citizens. Always travelling with a valid passport is highly recommended.

GETTING AROUND

Car Rentals:
A valid drivers license and passport allows you to drive in Trinidad & Tobago for up to 90 days.
Remember, Trinidadians drive on the LEFT side of the road.
Here's a list of popular Car Rental Outlets:
Auto Rentals: (Piarco) 868.669.2277 / (Tobago) 868.639.0644 / (San Fernando) 868.657.7368
Econo-Car Rentals: (Piarco) 868.669.2342 / (Port of Spain) 868.622.8074 / (Chaguaramas) 868.634.2154 / econocar@trinidad.net
Sue's Auto Rental: (Piarco) 868.669.1635 / (Chaguanas) 868.665.4713
TnT Auto Rentals: 868-685-8412 / www.tntautorentals.com / info@tntautorentals.com

Motorcycle Rentals:
Baird's Rentals Ltd: Crown Point, Tobago - 868.639.2528
Greene's General Cycle Ltd: Eastern Main Road, Arouca - 868.646.2453

CLICK HERE for a MAP of Port of Spain

Public Transit
City Gate at South Quay in Port of Spain is the main bus terminal for commuters. You ca purchase tickets from booths and buses operate from Port of Spain to most major towns.

Fixed-Route Taxis & Maxi-Taxis
Maxi-Taxi (Mini-Bus) and Route Taxis and fairly inexpensive.
Here's a list of Taxi-Stands in Port-of-Spain
- Barataria/San Juan (lower Charlotte St)
- Carenage (corner of Park St & St Vincent St)
- Chaguanas (lower Charlotte St)
- Curepe/St Augustine/Tunapuna (lower Henry St)
- Diego Martin/Petit-Valley (Abercromby St)
- Maracas/Blanchisseuse (George & Prince St)
- Maraval (corner of Duke St & Charlotte St)
- San Fernando (Chacon St & Broadway @ South Quay)
- St. James (Frederick St)
- St Anns (Hart St & Frederick St)

Colour-Coded Maxi-Taxis
Mini-Buses are colour-coded in relation to the area they service. (A list is below)
Yellow-Band (Western Route): Carenage, Diego Martin, Maraval, Petit-Valley
Red-Band (East Route): Arima, Laventille, Morvant, San Juan
Green-Band (Southern Route): San Fernando
Black Band (Deep-South Route): Point Fortin

Private Taxis
Best way of getting around safely is by private taxi. A bit more expensive but much safer and more convenient. Cost is in relation to distance of the trip (a trip from Port of Spain to the airport is approximately $100 TT)
Phone-A-Taxi: 628.8294 / 652.8294 / 672.8294
Piarco Airport Taxi: 669.1689
St Anthony's Taxi: 648.3941

Rush Hour
Between 8:30 a.m to 9:30a.m.. and 4p.m. to 6 p.m.) traffic can be heavy in the downtown Port-of-Spain area and on Wrightson Road and the Betham highway.
Alternate routes out of Port of Spain are West on Saddle Road (around Federation Park) or East on Lady Young Road

TIME AND DATES

Business Hours
Most office/shop hours are 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Many store hours are extended to 8 or 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Malls usually open from 10am to 7pm.

Time Zone
Same as Eastern Standard Time (EST) during March to October.
One hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST) and four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during October and March

WEATHER
Trinidad has only two seasons (dry season and rainy season) The temperature is constant all year round at around 31°C (87°F) during the day and 21°C (69°F) during the night.

TELEPHONE
Local area code is 868.
The emergency number police is 999. Fire is 990
Coast Guard: 634.4440 / Ambulance 900.624.4343 (Port-of-Spain) 653.4343 (San Fernando)
Pay phones cost 25 cents per minute. Phone credit cards for multiple calls are also available in many convenience stores.
There are 2 major cell phone carriers (Digicel & bMobile), international GSM SIM cards are available at about $100 TTD.
When dialing long-distance numbers, for North America start with a 1 or 0 (for operator-assisted calls), then area code followed by seven-digit number.
For other countries start with 011. For local calls, only the last seven digits are necessary.

TRAVEL TIPS
Light clothing is recommended
Always wear sunblock and/or wear a hat if you intend to be outside for extended periods.
Bottled water is recommended or you may want to boil tap water before usage.
Electric outlets are available in both 110V and 220V (please check with hotel or guest house management before plugging in your equipment)
Do NOT frequent isolated areas
Stay in well-lit areas and stick with the group
Do not carry excess cash or valuables. (Most hotels provide safes & deposit boxes)
Try not to carry purses, wallets and backpacks or wear unnecessary jewelry
Watch out for pickpockets
Don't leave drinks unattended

HEALTH & SAFETY
Avoid Manchineel Apples - these look and smell like real apples but are very poisonous.
Avoid "Man-O-War" jellyfish - these translucent bluish jellyfish with long tentacles can cause a very bad sting.
Avoid Sea Urchins - can cause a sting and may leave spines under the skin surface. Wash with vinegar or antiseptic to avoid infections.
Here's a list of hospitals in case of an emergency:
- Port of Spain General Hospital: 868.623.2951
- Eric Williams Medical Complex: 868.645.2640
- St. Clair Medical Centre: 868.628.1451
- Scarborough Regional Hospital (Tobago): 868.639.2551
- Tobago Emergency Service: 868.639.4444

NEWS & MEDIA
The main daily newspapers are The Express, The Guardian & Newsday
Weekly periodicals include The Bomb, The Mirror & Showtime
Trinidad's main local TV channels are NCC 4, CCN TV6, Gayelle, Synergy TV and WIN TV; Direct TV is also widely available
There are 21 FM radio stations and 2 AM stations (96.1WEFM, RED 96.7 FM, Masala World 101.1FM, 101.7FM Heritage Radio, 92.1 FM Radio Tambrin Tobago, Hott Radio 93.5FM, 90.1 WACK FM, Power 102FM, 103FM, 105FM CT Vibe, Vibe 105, Sangeet 106, 94.1 Rhythm City FM, ISAAC 98.1 FM, The Best Mix 95.1 FM, SOCA 91.9 FM, Shakti 97.5 FM, Radio Jaagriti 102.7 FM, 610AM, 730AM)