Money stuff

[Carole Ward]

You can tell its getting near to our holiday, I've got questions coming to mind now! Sorry if this is the same old questions being asked over again!

Have read up about recommendations on money to take etc so will get £200 worth of T&T dollars to take, however, I see there is no bank or ATM in Castara, so will we be OK with just a debit/credit card around the restaurants in Castara and for tours/trips etc rather than taking travellers cheques? We don't plan to hire a car particularly, or maybe just for a few days so I don't want to be stuck with no money! Or do you think I should take a bit more cash??

Carole

[Tony G]

Hi Carole

I don't think that you will find your debit/credit card of much use in for anything in Castara. Probably best to get some more TT$ from the ATM when you arrive at the airport or, once you get settled in, take a trip into Scarborough and withdraw cash from one of the machines there.

Tony

[Gisela Grell]

Hi Carolee,

like Tony said, you can take some money from the ATM at the airport when you arrive or make a trip to Scarborough for getting some money. In fact I could use my German bank card to take money from the "blue machines" around Tobago (located unfortunately only in the south) and it was not too expensive. I don't think they take traveler cheques in Castara (Steph will know) and to change them at a bank is a wast of holiday time because it always takes a lot of time (hours!)

Enjoy your holidays and hope you will not have any trouble with your flight!

Cheers
Gisela

[David Watkins]

Carolee,the only restaurant I know in Castara that will take cards is the Cascreole,all the rest,including shops,will only take cash.It is definitely worth drawing money from an ATM when you get here.200pounds will get you about TT$2500 and you won't need much more.For two people eating out
every night the cost including drinks woul be around TT$200,it is even cheaper if you eat in every other night or so.So TT$5000 should do you easily for eating and drinking.
David

[Carole Ward]

Great thanks again everyone for the useful advice, I think I will just order more to take with us in T&T dollars and put it in the safe!

Carole

[Carol Townsend]

Hello Caroleee!
We took some TT dollars with us, and used our Nationwide account, which is separate from our main bank account, to put our spending money in, made a couple of withdrawals at the Lowlands Shopping Mall, then paid for everything in cash.
We were advised by the house owner to keep all the receipts, as he had had problems with the machines refusing to cough up the cash, and then debiting his account anyway!
We had no problems though.
If you have a small amount of cash left over at the end of your holiday try and spend it. We had about eighty pounds worth, and when I went to change it at the travel agent we had ordered it from, the assistant consulted with some mysterious being hiding in a back room and came back to tell me that if the amount had been much smaller they wouldn't have been able to change it! "Not much demand," she said.

The first time we went to the Lowlands Mall we thought we'd have a mooch around, but were told by a ferocious looking security guard that we were too early and the shops were closed - at 10am on a weekday. In the end we didn't bother; one shopping mall being much like another.
There was a notice at the entrance, saying amongst other things: " No bare backs, no foul language." Imagine that in Britain!

Keeping my fingers crossed for your scheduled take-off!
Cheers
Carolnoe

[Jonathan Richards]

Hi, Carole
If I can venture a bit of advice amongst that from people much better informed than I, I'd just second the bit about not depending on "popping in to the bank". In November I wanted to change some TT$ into USD to pay for one of our excursions, and went along to the RTTB which is next door to the Coco Reef, at nine in the morning. The queue, in the pleasantly air-conditioned room, was almost out to the door, and I stood in it for a few minutes. Nothing moved. Time passed! I decided to come back later, when it was not so busy. However, at one in the afternoon, the queue was equally long. Somewhat encouraged by the fact that, as far as I could tell, it was different people in the queue, I stayed. One hour later I emerged from the building clutching my fistful of dollars!

We bought TT$ from Marks & Spencer's bureau de change, at competitive rates, and they bought back the excess, except that they wouldn't take the $5 and $1 bills, so spend them or give them away before you leave.

[Jane H]

We always laughed about getting bombarded by information from Saga when we turned 50 a couple of years ago. However - this year we have found that their Forex service gave an excellent rate, next day delivery and free postage if you order more than £300 worth of currency. And they will buy back at a good rate too. Admitedly - we were buying US$ - but if you own up to qualifying (!), it's probably worth checking if they can supply TT$ and just what deal you can get from them.

There - I've got the Saga admission off my chest!!!

Jane

[David Watkins]

I get my TT$ from my bank(lloydstsb)with no commision charges and can pay any left overs(except coins and 1$ notes)back into my account also with no charges.I do my general shopping with a Nation wide card as they don't charge for foreign currency transactions.
David

[Carol Townsend]

Hey Jane-
We're the same age. I "celebrated" (if that's the word) my fifty-tooth birthday yesterday. I'm pleased to say Saga haven't found me yet. I thought they had the other day when a brochure for cruises came through the door, but it turned out to be for my eighty year old neighbours. Phew!
Hubby is fifty this year. Perhaps they'll get him instead...
Oh dear. Going off -topic...
Carolnoe

[Carole Ward]

Thanks all, I bank the same as you David so will get my money from Lloyds TSB and take my Nationwide card along with me too!!

Caroleee

[Jane H]

Hi Carole

We also bank with Lloyds and can get commission free currency - BUT, we found when comparing rates that Saga gave a much better conversion rate (US$1.975 when Lloyds was at US$1.92 - buy rate). And no commission charge. That's quite a few extra extra dollars!

Anyway -you must be getting to that demob happy countdown stage now - ENJOY!!

Jane

[Carole Ward]

Hi Jane

Thanks for the tip, but I don't qualify for SAGA just yet (I'm 38) otherwise I would have gone for it!

Yes can't wait to go now, just need to go through my clothes and see what fits and what I need!!

The only thing I am not looking forward to is the flight .... don't like flying

Carole

[Tony G]

Hi Carole

I hate flying too. I don't have a fear of crashing or anything like that. It's simply the hours of boredom and excruciating discomfort.

Anyway, the strikes are off and we are all set for the sun. I know where you are staying so if you are approached by a greying, bespectacled guy in his mid fifties, don't worry, it will probably be me.

Now, I have to try and persuade Janette that she doesn't really need ALL those clothes.

Tony

[Carol Townsend]

Don't be silly Tony!
Of course Janette needs all those clothes. You have to be prepared for every eventuality you know.
Have a wonderful time and a not too boring flight. Put some confetti in your luggage and pretend you're on honeymoon again.
Give my regards to Da Watkins.....
And tell him the courier still hasn't brought the flowers and chocs I know he sent for my birthday..
Missing you already
Little Sis Carolnoe
XXXXXXX

[Carole Ward]

Hi Tony

Hmmm for me its fear of crashing, boredom and discomfort .... oh dear, I hate turbulence as well so hope there's not too much! Will try and stay up late the night before so I am very tired!

We look forward to meeting you! I have an idea what you look like from your pic, although can't see that well in the hat ... so I will look out for you!

I'm going to have the same problem as Janette - what to take ... shopping tomorrow!

Carole

[Peter Kuhn]

Hi Carole, hi Tony,

good to hear that the strike is over
I wish you folks a quiet & fast flight and ''chill'' holidays.
Please send also some greatings to David from Hilde & Peter.
We will meet him on Carneval Tuesday in S'borough.

All the best

Peter
(four weeks to go )

[David Watkins]

Noe I'm sorry I didn't know it was your birhday.Anyhow I thought ladies of a certain age stopped counting birthdays
David

[Carol Townsend]

A "certain age" David? What's that?
I thought we'd agreed some time ago that I was thirty, with an adopted son of nineteen...

[Brian Taylor]

he seems to forget fast here in the land of caribs... although I must say that he is behaving well, indeed. santa will like to see that for next year...

steph