Go.
Barbados sits at a safe level 1 advisory across US, UK, and Canadian governments, though you should watch for the global measles notice. The local sketch score ticked up to 86 today.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Barbados
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Taxi fraud and short-changing
Taxi drivers and merchants may attempt to overcharge or give incorrect change. Verify prices before starting a journey and count your change carefully.
Drug sales pretext
Beach vendors use the sale of aloe vera as a cover to initiate conversations about selling marijuana or cocaine. Decline these offers immediately to avoid illegal drug solicitation.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Illegal drug possession
Marijuana and cocaine are strictly illegal and carry stern prosecution. Avoid all contact with drug peddlers on the beach.
Camouflage clothing ban
Wearing camouflage clothing is forbidden for non-military personnel. This restriction includes children's clothing and accessories like floppy hats.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Barbados remains much safer than many other Caribbean islands, but in the 2020s crime is increasing.
- •Drugs are strictly illegal, sternly prosecuted, and vigorously marketed: marijuana and cocaine being the main stuff on sale.
- •Camouflage clothing is forbidden for non-military personnel in Barbados, even kiddy outfits or anglers' floppy hats that couldn't possibly be mistaken for army camo.
Staying healthy
- •Your biggest risks are road safety, safety in the sea, and alcohol especially when combined with those.
- •Climate: Beware of the sun. Barbados is only 13o degrees north of the equator and you can burn very easily even if it's cloudy and the sea breeze is keeping you cool. Temperatures often top 32o C (90…
- •Mosquitoes are more of a nuisance than a danger: it's very rare for them to carry serious tropical disease such as malaria.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 115V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 211 / ambulance: 511 / fire: 311
Show the receipts (10 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12