Venezuela :: Travel Tips

Local time
Venezuela is 4 hours and 30 minutes behind UTC/GMT (-04:30 UTC/GMT).
Don’t forget that we are in the tropics, where people have a rather relaxed attitude towards time.

Opening hours
Commerce hours: 8:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 18:00

The big Shopping centers: Monday to Saturday 11:00 - 21:00
Sundays & Holydays 12:00 - 20:00

Post offices: Monday to Friday 8:00 -16:30

Banks: Monday to Friday 8:30 to 15:30
In some big shopping centers, Monday to Saturday 8:30 - 19:00

Electricity Supply
Voltage is generally 110 Volts at 50 Hz. No adapters are needed.

Valid Driver’s License
US, Canadian, UK citizens can use their regular license and do not need any validation.

Forms of payment cards
American Express, Diners Club, Visa and Master Card in the principal cities (must show passport for use) or cash. Keep in mind that outside main cities you may have to pay only with cash

Weights and Measuring
Kg and Decimal Metric System.

Health & Vaccines
Medical care in Caracas is good at private hospitals and clinics. In rural areas, physicians
and medical supplies are more limited.

Bring a small first-aids kit. General medication and first aids gear are available in largest
towns.

No vaccines are required for entry to Venezuela. However, if you are travelling to Amazonas
we advise you to take a vaccine against yellow fever.

Since most vaccines don’t produce immunity at least two weeks after they’re given, visit
a physician four the eight weeks before departure. Ask your doctor for an international
Certificate of Vaccination (otherwise as the yellow booklet), which will list all the vaccination
upon entry, but it’s a good idea to carry wherever you travel.

What to Bring, Wear & Carry
The overwhelming majority of the country is lowland, so you don’t need much in the way of warm clothing, bring with you the minimum possible. Pay attention to important items such as a good backpack, comfortable shoes, a basic set of clothes and photographic gear. Some essentials might be worth packing: a swimming suit, sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat, a mosquito repellent lotion or cream, a bilingual book of phrases, flip-flops or thongs, and your prescription medications (if applicable). Rain gear will come if you’re visiting the country in wet season, as well as some warm clothing (one sweater or sport jacket) if you go to the Andes or Great Savannah, and light-colored clothes, long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, absorbent socks, water bottle or canteen, are essential in the Amazonas and jungle programs. Plastic bags will protect your gear from rain and dust. Consider a set of nice casual clothes for dining out and special occasions.

You must carry your passport and credit card with you at all times. Make copies of important documents such as your passport (data pages plus visas), credit cards, airline tickets, travel insurance policy and traveler check slips. Make a list of important numbers: serial numbers of cameras, lenses, camcorder, lap-top and other high-tech stuff, as well as emergency phone numbers. It is a good idea to keep one dossier of copies and numbers with you, and another one in your hotel.

You should keep valuable documents and objects, such as jewels and watches, as well as your airline tickets, as secure as possible, leave them in the hotel's security box. The most common protection used by travelers is wearing under clothing money belts, cloth pouches sewn into trousers, or both. Besides, give yourself easy access to enough cash (US$ 50 or US$ 100 in local money) to cover your daily expenditure, without extracting money from your belt or pouch, in order to avoid muggers and thieves attention. Slip US$ 50 or US$ 100 into an unlikely place to use as an emergency stash.

Water &Food
-Drink only mineral water, tap water is generally not safe to drink. Vigorous boiling for one minute is the most effective means of water purification. At altitude greater than 2000m, boil for three minutes. Another option is to disinfect water with iodine tablets (such as Globaline) but it is more practical to buy the bottles of mineral water; you can find them in supermarkets, snack bars and others.

-Preferably eat fresh fruits or vegetables if cooked or peeled and be highly selective when eating food from street vendors

-Within the traditional Venezuelan dishes “comida criolla”, we have:

Pabellón: Consists of shredded beef, rice, black beans, white cheese and fried plantain

Arepas: Cooked corn flour bread in most diverse variations, which are traditionally eaten in nearly all meals
We also have the traditional “hallacas” in Christmas time, besides tropical fruits such as mangos, papayas, pineapples, avocado and of course banana.

There are varieties of chic restaurants that can offer national and international food service, which is known throughout the world as some of the best. We would also say that the main fast food chains have branches in Caracas as well as in some of the most important cities in the country.
We expect you to share with us a wide selection of culinary Venezuela specialties…

Greeting
A handshake and polite smile are used when greeting a Venezuelan “señor”, “señora” or “señorita” and the person's surname is appropriate. A married woman is greeted as “señora” and an unmarried woman is addressed to as “señorita”. Venezuelans are very aware of university degrees and when making a public introduction make sure they use the person's professional degree. College people are referred to as “licenciado” for man and “licenciada” for a woman. Check with them to find out their preference.

Respect local traditions
Dress appropriately if visiting churches and shrines and consider the effect of your presence.

Making a Toast
Toasts are appropriate whenever cocktails are being consumed. Venezuelans are festive people. The typical toast is “salud”.

Ask before taking someone’s photo
This is especially true of indigenous people, who may not like to be photographed mostly for their beliefs, so be aware of this.

Shopping
There is an abundance of shops, particularly in the country's main cities. The shops range from exclusive boutiques run by fashion designers to multi-level malls. Beautiful handcrafts and wicker baskets can be found in markets. These markets offer a vast array of native tapestries, jewelry and carvings. They also sell brightly-colored hammocks, knit wall hangings and clay pots. Haggling both in top flight shops and open markets is common.

Negotiating
When conducting business, locals prefer soft, informal approach. Being highly social people, they feel more comfortable getting to know potential business partners or clients on a casual, personal basis before they forge a professional relationship. It is advisable to take a formal approach, offering specific facts and figures. Venezuelans are shrewd and no not want to be left with any doubts in their minds about a deal.

Driving in Venezuela
Venezuela has one of Latin America's wider road network, as far as 17000 km have been developed, but some of them lack maintenance, signals or else. A gas fare is cheaper than mineral water. You need to bring your International Driving Permit license as well as your own one and a credit card if you want to rent a car.

Bargaining and other local usages
Bargaining in Venezuela is part of everyday life. Not everything is a matter of negotiation: airfares, bus fares, metro tickets, goods in supermarkets, food in restaurants and rates of finer hotels are fixed. Taxi and boat fares, some goods and services, some products purchased at the public open market or at informal street sales (called “buhoneros”), even some less fancy hotel tariffs are negotiable to some extent, if you speak a fluent Spanish. You should do it in a friendly and easygoing manner, with a smile and a jocular fashion. Don't lose your temper or express anger if you are given a foreigner’s price (higher than the local's).

Since most dining and drinking establishment with table service charge a 10 % automatically, further tipping is, in theory, unnecessary. But if you consider you have received a good service, it is polite to leave a tip which amount will be up to your consideration. Drivers are not tipped normally, since taxi and boat fares are just a verbal agreement between driver and passenger. Pay only when you arrive to your destination. Use hotel taxi lines.

Find out in good maps your destination, points of interest and gas stations and check them with a mark, especially if you plan to drive inland Venezuela. Reduce your speed in the points of control and “alcabalas” until the guard officer indicates you can follow your way.

Locals normally dress casually, especially on weekends. Due to the tropical weather, people often wear jeans and a top or short-sleeved shirt. In warmer weathers, shorts may be more common. Swimming and sunbathing naked or topless are not well-seen either, but in some hidden and exclusive beaches in Margarita.

Safety & Security
These are some few recommendations we suggest you to keep in mind during your visit in the country:

-As in the world's large cities, there is a high incidence of handbag snatching. Therefore, we recommend you to carry money and credit cards in a money belt and do not take a handbag unless it is absolutely essential.

-Be careful with cameras and video recorders in places where lots of people congregate such as public squares, etc.

-In the city outskirts or outside main cities, night dining can be dangerous because of unmarked road damage or repairs in progress, unlighted vehicles and livestock.

-Stops at National Guard and local police checkpoints “alcabalas” are mandatory.

-Drivers should follow all National Guard instructions and be prepared to show vehicle and insurance papers (license and Registration), and passports as well.

-Only take official taxis from hotels or taxi lines; it is the best way to be safe.
-Keep some separate photocopies of important documents, like your passport, airline ticket, visas, traveler's checks and serial numbers.