Can I travel with my jewelry in Jamaica? Do you recommend wearing jewelry on my vacation to Jamaica? Is it OK if I wear my jewelry on my vacation to Jamaica? Time and time again folks come to “Ocho Rios Jerk Restaurant” and ask Robin or see me (Maxie) out and about and ask these questions about wearing their jewelry to Jamaica on vacation. Some folks make a case for not wanting to separate themselves from their Jewelries.

Silver jewelry from Midyat – Turkey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The truth is there is no one answer that fits all. “It Depends”, yes it all depends on what type of vacation plans you have once you get to Jamaica. So naturally, the next question is, what do you mean? Some folks plan their lovely trip to Jamaica where they are staying at an all-inclusive hotel. If this is the case and you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel, then it does not matter if you wear all your jewelry. With an all-inclusive vacation, you are picked up at the airport and taken directly to your hotel. Once you reach your private all-inclusive hotel, your interactions are with staff members, therefore you will not have any issues. If there are plans to visit any attractions such as Dunn’s River Falls, Dolphin Cove and etc., these are all private properties that have security to protect their guests. Many visitors come to Jamaica and stay at their all-inclusive hotel compound until the vacation is over. Once the vacation is over, they go directly to the airport so wearing your jewelry is a non-issue.

The follow-up question is what happens if we are not staying at an all-inclusive hotel, will my jewelry be safe? Again, the answer is, it depends, it all depends on what types of activities you have plan for your visit. If you are staying at a hotel

Silver jewelry from Midyat – Turkey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

that is not all-inclusive you may ask the hotel reservation staff or travel agent if the rooms include a safe-box or does the hotel offer a safe to keep your items. This will allow you the flexibility to leave your jewelry at the hotel and walk or tour around the island without drawing all the attention that says, “look at me, I have lots of pieces of jewelry.”

The fact is, whether you are on the island of Jamaica or you are in your own country (wherever on Earth that may be), if you go in an area with undesirable characters, you are always at risk of getting your possession stolen. So, JA, UK, CA, USA, EU, T&T and 99% of the other countries on Earth there is a possibility of getting your possession stolen if you travel to the undesirable parts of town.

The long and short answer is that you are safe in protected areas such as your all-inclusive hotels, regular hotels, in the tourist shopping areas (protected by security/police) and private attractions parks. But if you cannot separate yourself from your jewelry then limit your tour or leave the jewelry in the hotels. As Robin said, “I do not like jewelry in the sun while I’m sweating.” As for me, I am a humble guy going home to my humble country and enjoy fitting right in without all the attention.

Written by:

Piece of jewelry, a bracelet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maxie DaCosta Sr.

Robin Treston Sr.