Traveling using DR as your home base.

islandhopping

New member
Nov 11, 2014
208
0
0
Judging from the few posts on this forum I have read, there is not a lot of traveling to other countries on the agendas of expats or locals. Obviously the highest income group, business, school and medical traveler does have this luxury or necessity .

Reading the cost of living thread showed traveling round the island once a month or weeks apart, is the routine for some. There were not any posts referring to travel to other countries for leisure, other than their native home.

Smaller countries in the Caribbean reference an ?island fever? main land people feel from being on an island too long, after the novelty has worn off. They tend to miss the convenience of those urban support systems, disposal lifestyles and government safety nets.

How frequent do people in the middle or upper income travel to other islands and/or other countries?

Beside the obvious past time of $$$ on women, drinking liquor and watching TV. How do expats address the island fever?

I did read the safety tips for new people coming to DR. Some of the advice of living in a fortress and isolated doesn't appeal to me. I am security concision and street wise, when I am not distracted by a pretty face. In the DR, I get it, anyone, especially many women, can be a conspirator in a shake down.

If a person become integrated with the general society and culture of DR, what other countries would that experience be helpful when traveling? When you plan to not spend 50% of the time in tourist circles. I would like to read experiences.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
i know dominican people who travel abroad even once a month. most of middle/high class, however, have full time jobs so that limits travel time. some rich folks have holiday houses in the states, mainly miami. european destinations are less popular because if travel time.

living in splendid isolation is the best thing for me. i'm depressed as it is, i do not need noise, dirt, nagging, crime and other crap associated with regular living here. my treatment for island fever is dr1. but nothing can cure you from this country.
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
83
My wealthier Dominican friends travel regularly. A few weekend trips each year to New York and Miami for shopping. Extended vacation time amongst those I know tends to be trips to Europe, the occasional African safari, Brazil and snow skiing in Colorado. Younger kids may go to USA for summer camps to assist with English competency. As dv8 said, homes or apartments in USA are somewhat common in this group. One travels in his own jet.

I also have several Dominican friends, middle class, in their late 20's to early 30's, single, who travel a couple of times a year out of the country. Recent destinations for them were New York, Boston, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Mexico. Only one I know has been to Europe and he told me this weekend he is promising himself a week a year in Paris.

I can't recall any Dominicans I know traveling to another Caribbean island for tourism.

As for this gringo DR resident - USA, Europe and Brazil trips in 2014.
 
Last edited:
I don't really want to go island jumping it is all the same pretty much. I would rather go back to the states. I've had enough of the beach to last me a lifetime. I miss developed country stuff! San Juan I would do the ferry across and maybe Central America.
I miss Vegas, Seattle that kinda stuff. Will travel to Miami I am sure. Actual civilization!! That's what I want on most of my vacays!!
 

chic

Silver
Nov 20, 2013
4,305
1
0
as i have always said"i'm on my way to Havanna"
d.r. is a pretty big place...and if you do things you have so much to explore /discover that you might not want to go to the "states"etc...maybe you have to...for visa etc...
 

Kipling333

Bronze
Jan 12, 2010
2,528
829
113
I also travel regularly overseas for the sake of my sanity ..DR is about the worst base you could imagine , The taxes for entry and egress are extremely high, there is often a forced sitution of having to transit in an american airport, there are no direct flights to Jamaica, the flightto our closest south american neighbour leaves very late at night and the cost of parking a car at SDQ is obscene. So I try to use JetBlue direct to NY and BA direct to Gatwick London and COPA for the Americas but there are still the drawbacks mentioned above .. Not to mention the current slowness of the interent here to make reservations
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,671
1,133
113
"Island Fever" here shouldn't be a problem as the Hispaniola is so big (22 largest in the world). You do not get the sense that you are surrounded by water and travel is constrained. Personally, to see and experience different cultures and sights. To another island or somewhere on the mainland is not a consideration. The ability to get where I am going without transiting the US is.
 

Dolores1

DR1
May 3, 2000
8,215
37
48
www.
The reason DR is a good base for extensive travel is that this is the most connected island in the Caribbean (via regular flights). Not sure Punta Cana has more flights than Panama, but would think so because of the tourist trade.

I would think that expats can avoid many of the local too-high-taxes on airfares here by just starting their trip abroad.

By purchasing one way fares one can avoid paying many of the taxes on airplane tickets. If you have a multi-stop destination, do not only purchase one ticket, break it up. Did so and saved about US$300 on a fare that was Santo Domingo-San Juan-New York-Washington, D.C.-San Juan-Santo Domingo.

That said, inter-Caribbean travel is difficult and very expensive. But I think this is the same regardless of where one is. Once went to a conference in Cayman Islands and it was US$2,000 in airfare on AA! A direct flight should not have taken more than an hour and a half, at most. There are reasonably priced fares to Caribbean islands served by their local carriers and where there are large Dominican populations -- Antigua, St. Maarten, Aruba, Curacao.
 

Riva_31

Bronze
Apr 1, 2013
2,533
179
63
San Pedro de Macoris
Punta Cana Airport is the airport with most destinations from Dominican Republic and is located where less Dominican lives, that airport is use it mostly by turist, and the Dominicans that use it are no more than 2% or 1%, and we use it because we dont have more options, in my case as I dont have american visa and I can not make conections in USA so I dont have any other option that to go to Punta and take a direct flight to Canada, Now with the new highway from Santo Domingo takes 3 hrs to get to Punta Cana Airport.

Its turns more complicated because you must be 3 hrs before your flight at the airport, plus 3 hours driving, if take a taxi will make you much more expensive your ticket, and if you take a express bus from Santo Domingo is the only way you can save some money on the taxi.

Santo Domingo is the closer airport but only has conections to USA, Central America and South America via Panama with Copa wich usually has very expensive price.

About caribbean Island Insel and Liat you can go to Aruba, Curacao, Saint Marteen, where a lot Dominicans live there and from there you can connect to other island from Santo Domingo

Also you can connect from Santo Domingo to Venezuela, and Bogot?.

To Brasil with Gol from Santo Domingo until March 2015, this airline is moving its operations to Punta Cana.

To Per? with Taca is also moving its operation on January 2015 to Punta Cana.

So Santo Domingo is loosing 2 importants Direct destinations in South America, now to go South America from Santo Domingo will be via Copa with conection in Panama, or with Avianca with Conections en Bogot?.

To Europe till now from Santo Domingo direct flights to Spain, France, Germany and Brussels.

If some body is planning to have Dominican as a Home Base for traveling better move very close to Punta Cana, from there will be very easy to go arround the world with direct flights, 2 airlines conect with Russia, also others to Europe, USA and South America, some other destinations are seasonals.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Riva,
remember, Samana flies to Canada.... WestJet toToronto every Saturday

AZS -- YYZ.....

shorter than three hours as I see it.... closer to 2 and no crowds, you can arrive 1 hr before the flight
 

Riva_31

Bronze
Apr 1, 2013
2,533
179
63
San Pedro de Macoris
Riva,
remember, Samana flies to Canada.... WestJet toToronto every Saturday

AZS -- YYZ.....

shorter than three hours as I see it.... closer to 2 and no crowds, you can arrive 1 hr before the flight

Yes I know, and from La Romana every friday from November till April, but the problem is they only fligh on day a week, and from Punta Cana they have flights every day to Toronto.
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
50
48
LIAT fly to most caribbean islands out of SDQ via Antigua for about US$300 pp
I have done the island hops this year. If do a santo domingo Antigua return. Once in Antigua there are countless one way 100 small plane excursions to other islands
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
333
83
Judging from the few posts on this forum I have read, there is not a lot of traveling to other countries on the agendas of expats or locals. Obviously the highest income group, business, school and medical traveler does have this luxury or necessity .

Reading the cost of living thread showed traveling round the island once a month or weeks apart, is the routine for some. There were not any posts referring to travel to other countries for leisure, other than their native home.

Smaller countries in the Caribbean reference an “island fever” main land people feel from being on an island too long, after the novelty has worn off. They tend to miss the convenience of those urban support systems, disposal lifestyles and government safety nets.

How frequent do people in the middle or upper income travel to other islands and/or other countries?

Beside the obvious past time of $$$ on women, drinking liquor and watching TV. How do expats address the island fever?

I did read the safety tips for new people coming to DR. Some of the advice of living in a fortress and isolated doesn't appeal to me. I am security concision and street wise, when I am not distracted by a pretty face. In the DR, I get it, anyone, especially many women, can be a conspirator in a shake down.

If a person become integrated with the general society and culture of DR, what other countries would that experience be helpful when traveling? When you plan to not spend 50% of the time in tourist circles. I would like to read experiences.

Island Fever as you put it is a reality in the Caribbean. I travel a lot throughout the islands here and specifically, Puerto Plata is my home base. I'm currently on the Island of St. Thomas, or as I call it (St. Toilet).. I'm not rich by any means and travel for work. When we need to "get off the rock" as we call needing to get away from the DR, my wife and I usually travel to Puerto Rico because there is such a wide variety of things to do there. Rain forest, nice restaurants, cities that are somewhat "normal", and there's even a wal mart!. Old San Juan is nice, renting a car is a normal process unlike many other islands including the DR. We find it nice spot to escape to. All of the islands here have something unique to offer and regarding your question about being integrated into DR culture, it does help. Spanish helps a lot. Puerto Rico? They may be American, but they speak Spanish there. The other islands? English is prevalent on most, but Spanish, French, and Dutch are spoken on many of the leeward islands. One last thing. You will find a good amount of Dominicans on all of the Caribbean islands. Suggestion.. Check them all out. Some are better then others, but they are all excellent! Airlines for the Caribbean include; Insel air, Turks & Caicos air, Cape Air, Seaborne air and of course Liat. (late in all times). Liat is absolutely the worst. Don't take my word for it, do a search and see what people say about liat. Insel gets you to St. Maartin and from there, you're good to go anywhere. Cape air is partnered with Jet Blue and is ok for small prop planes. Seaborne is probably the best and cheapest from DR to PR. Turks & Caicos air has service from POP to SJU for $245.00. Cheap for pop.. Hope this all helps.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
2,842
383
83
I leave the DR once a year and go to Europe. Luckily for me, I still have a home base of sorts in NYC, so I fly there and then out again. I am just back from a month away, spending 2 weeks in Israel and the remainder in Paris and NYC. It's just nice to be able to go to a museum, ride subways, and speak languages that are more familiar than Spanish is to me. It's nice to see women in clothes that fit, instead of the "if it ain't tight, it ain't right" fashion rule-of-thumb here. It's nice to see clean streets and walk on level sidewalks. I love the DR, but the month away is essential for my First World sanity.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
0
The reason DR is a good base for extensive travel is that this is the most connected island in the Caribbean (via regular flights). Not sure Punta Cana has more flights than Panama, but would think so because of the tourist trade (...) By purchasing one way fares one can avoid paying many of the taxes on airplane tickets.

nonsense. DR is a crappy base for travel because there aren't that many scheduled flights, especially to europe, not to mention south america or, god forbid, asia/africa. PUJ is a busy airport but many flights are charters and it's not easy to book such flight, sometimes even impossible.
one way is a no no for many people. i can fly one way to europe, miesposo cannot, he is not a resident. not to mention that one way flight to/from europe i ever looked at were way more expensive than return flights.
 

drSix

Silver
Oct 13, 2013
1,323
0
36
I also travel regularly overseas for the sake of my sanity ..DR is about the worst base you could imagine , The taxes for entry and egress are extremely high, there is often a forced sitution of having to transit in an american airport, there are no direct flights to Jamaica, the flightto our closest south american neighbour leaves very late at night and the cost of parking a car at SDQ is obscene. So I try to use JetBlue direct to NY and BA direct to Gatwick London and COPA for the Americas but there are still the drawbacks mentioned above .. Not to mention the current slowness of the interent here to make reservations

Welcome to interCaribbean (Air Turks And Caicos)

These guys have a STI to Montego Bay Flight.
 

drSix

Silver
Oct 13, 2013
1,323
0
36
god forbid, asia/africa.

Yea, my flight to work involves going to New York, over to Europe, and down to West Central Africa. 24 hours! I go 3000 miles north, just to go 3000 miles south again.
 

islandhopping

New member
Nov 11, 2014
208
0
0
I also travel regularly overseas for the sake of my sanity ..DR is about the worst base you could imagine , The taxes for entry and egress are extremely high, there is often a forced sitution of having to transit in an american airport, there are no direct flights to Jamaica, the flightto our closest south american neighbour leaves very late at night and the cost of parking a car at SDQ is obscene. So I try to use JetBlue direct to NY and BA direct to Gatwick London and COPA for the Americas but there are still the drawbacks mentioned above .. Not to mention the current slowness of the interent here to make reservations

I will keep that in mind, thanks.