Mains water in key tourist areas is normally chlorinated and is considered safe to drink. However, elsewhere water quality remains poor and should be avoided. Bottled water is widely available. Make sure food is thoroughly cooked, avoid purchasing food from street vendors and check that dairy products have been pasteurized before consumption.

Jamaican food is a mixture of Caribbean dishes with local dishes. Although Jamaican food gets a reputation for being spicy, local trends lean towards more versatile food variety. Some of the caribbean dishes that you'll see in other countries around the region are rice and peas (which is cooked with coconut milk) and patties (which are called empanadas in spanish speaking countries). The national dish is Ackee and saltfish, and must be tried by anyone visiting the island. It is made with the local fruit called Ackee, which looks like scrambled eggs, but has a unique taste of its own and dried codfish mixed with onions and tomatoes. You probably won't get a chance to try this food anywhere else, and if you really want to say that you did something uniquely Jamaican, then this is your chance. This is 100 times better than the tinned ackee. Another local food is called bammy, which was actually invented by the Arawak (Taino) Indians. It is a flat floury cassava pancake normally eaten during breakfast hours that kind of tastes like corn bread. There is also hard-dough bread (locally called hard do bread), which comes in both sliced and unsliced varieties. Try toasting it, for when it is toasted, it tastes better than most bread you'll ever eat. If you are looking for dishes with more meat in them, you can try the jerk flavoured foods. The most popular is jerk chicken, although jerk pork and jerk conch are also common.

Finally, there is the category of "ital" food. Ital food is completely vegetarian and generally consists of a vegetable stew. Ital food is not generally on the printed menus in the upscale tourist restaurants and can only be found by going to smaller places (often just somebody's house.) Rastafarians are often vegetarians and eat (and serve) ital food.

Hotels and restaurants tend to add a 10% stabdard service charge; otherwise 10 to 15% is expected. Tipping is banned in many all-inclusive resorts.

Pack lightweight cottons and casual linens. Light woollens are advised for evenings when mosquitoes can make long sleeves more appealing than skimpy beachwear. Sunhats and waterproofs are handy all year round. Buy sunscreen before you arrive as sunscreen is expensive in Jamaica. Sunglasses and a sunhat are also essential. If you plan to explore the island, take some lightweight comfy shoes for walking. Also be aware that it is illegal to have army/combat type clothing or print. Pack light as it's very easy to get clothes laundered.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in Jamaica are very similar to the electrical outlets found in the United States and Canada, and if your appliance has a North American plug, it's possible that you won't need any adapter at all in order to plug in there. However, there are two potentially very important physical differences that may need to be addressed with an adapter: grounding and/or polarization. If your plug has one or both, and the socket doesn't, then the plug may not physically be able to fit into the socket without an adapter.

In the case of a North American appliance plug, grounding is accomplished by the third, round pin beneath and below the two vertical blades on the plug. Polarization is accomplished by the left vertical blade being taller than the right, so that the plug can't be inserted upside down. U.S. and Canadian sockets are required to be both grounded and polarized. But in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Japan and other areas which use U.S. style sockets, grounding and polarization often are not required, and in fact, the majority of sockets in many of these areas do not accept the taller blade and/or the third grounding pin. This will prevent a North American appliance plug from being able to plug into these sockets, if the plug is either grounded or polarized.

Electrical sockets (outlets) in Jamaica usually supply electricity at between 110 and 120 volts AC. If you're plugging in a U.S. or Canadian 120 volt appliance, or an appliance that is compatible with multiple voltages, then an adapter is all you need. If your appliance is not compatible with110-120 electrical output, a voltage converter will be necessary.

Currency 

Jamaican Dollar (JMD; symbol J$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of J$1,000, 500, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of J$20, 10, 5 and 1, and 25, 10 and 1 cents.

Jamaican law requires that local currency be used when paying for all goods and services, though that law is followed very loosely and the US Dollar is accepted almost universally. To avoid confusion determine which dollar unit is being quoted in the price prior to any transaction being made.

There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency. However, amounts exceeding US$10,000 or equivalent must be declared.

Exchange bureaux are located in airports, hotels, cruise ports and commercial banks. Hold onto receipts when changing money as black market exchange is illegal.

Banking

Banking hours: Monday-Thursday 09h00-14h00; Friday 09h00-12h00 and 14h30-17h00, with 24-hour ATMs in major cities and resort areas.

Credit cards are invaluable when travelling in Jamaica. American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa credit are all widely accepted as are other cards bearing the Cirrus or Plus logo. Most Jamaican ATMs accept international bank cards and many banks give credit card cash advances.

Most Jamaican ATMs accept international bank cards and can be found at the airports, in larger towns and in major hotels and resorts. However the island’s ATMs still have a reputation for unreliability and shouldn’t be relied on exclusively. Bank cards supported by Visa and Mastercard will work in most situations and the island’s Scotia Bank cashpoints are generally considered the most reliable. As a precaution it’s recommended that you use ATMs during business hours, and avoid visiting them after dark. If a bank is open but the ATM isn’t functioning, many banks will give cash advances on a credit card.

Although the concept of traveller's cheques has become antiquated in recent years, thanks to Jamaica’s erratic ATMs, traveller’s cheques in US Dollars are widely accepted throughout Jamaica.