Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Safe Travel
The Dominican Republic is not a particularly dangerous place to visit. Street crime is rare in most tourist
areas, especially during the day, but you should always be alert for pickpockets and camera snatchers. Avoid
walking on beaches at night, and consider taking a cab if you're returning home late from clubs and bars.
Car theft is not unheard of, so it's best to not leave any valuables inside your car.
Perhaps the number one annoyance is not being given the proper change after a purchase. In many cases
it is a legitimate error in math. But it's not entirely uncommon for waiters, taxi drivers and shop owners to
'accidentally' give you less than warranted. If something's missing, say so right away.
Buying drugs in the DR should be avoided. The seller is often in cahoots with the police who 'catch' the
exchange in order to extract a bribe from unwary foreigners. Any transactions involving large amounts can
result in significant prison time. Also worth noting is the reputedly 'impure' quality of the cocaine distrib-
uted in the DR - public service announcements warn that the majority is more dangerous chemical filler
than anything else.
Prostitution is legal (brothel ownership and 'pimping' are illegal) and a big business in the DR (Boca Ch-
ica and Sosúa have the highest visible presence). It is definitely illegal to have sex with anyone under the
age of 18, even if the offender doesn't know the prostitute's real age. Female prostitutes, when proposition-
ing foreigners, are known to grab and touch aggressively, often a sly attempt at pick-pocketing.
Telephone
Remember that you must dial 1 + 809, 829 or 849 for all calls within the DR, even local ones. Toll-free
numbers have 200 or 809 for their prefix (not the area code).
The easiest way to make a phone call in the DR is to pay per minute (average rates per minute: to the US
US$0.20; to Europe US$0.50; to Haiti US$0.50) at a Codetel Centro de Comunicaciones (Codetel) call cen-
ter or an internet cafe that operates as a dual call center.
Calling from a hotel is always the most expensive option.
Cell Phones
Cell (mobile) phones are ubiquitous (bucking trends elsewhere, Blackberry is the most popular smart phone
brand) and travelers with global-roaming-enabled phones can receive and make cell phone calls. It's worth
checking with your cell-phone carrier for details on rates and accessibility - be aware that per-minute fees
can be exorbitant. If you have a GSM phone, and you can unlock it, you can use a SIM card bought from
Orange or Claro (prepaid startup kit US$10). Or you can buy a new cell phone (the cheapest is around
RD$800; DR cell phones work at 1900 MHZ, the North American standard) and pay as you go (around
RD$4 per minute for a call and a recharge costs RD$200). In terms of customer service Orange has a better
reputation than Claro.
