Barbados Packing List

Leave the camouflage at home, including the children's.

This is the one genuinely unusual line on any Barbados packing list, and the official advice gives it in unusually wide terms: it is illegal for anyone, including children, to wear camouflage clothing.

The clause about children is in the source and it is not decoration. Camouflage print turns up on children's shorts, caps, backpacks and swim shorts without anybody thinking of it as military clothing, and a family can pack several items without noticing. Check the bags before you close them, not at the airport.

For the water, which is where the official advice is sharpest.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office warns that currents can be deceptively strong, including on some of the popular beaches on the south and west coasts, and that some beaches do not have lifeguards or warning flags. Where stations exist they are not staffed around the clock.

That is an argument for packing for self reliance in the water rather than assuming supervision: something to swim in that you are comfortable in, footwear you can walk on rock in, and a realistic view of your own swimming. Our travel safety guide carries the rest of the water advice, including motorized craft operating close to shore.

Sun, and the practical reason to over pack it.

No source in this register publishes a temperature or a rainfall figure for Barbados, so this guide gives neither. What can be said usefully is that medical treatment here can be expensive and that private clinics may not accept medical travel insurance as payment, which makes avoiding an avoidable problem worth more than usual. Sun protection, a hat and more water than you think are the cheapest insurance on the list.

Medication and the paperwork that travels with it.

The official advice notes that the legal status and regulation of medicines prescribed or bought at home can be different in other countries, and points travelers to guidance on traveling with medicines. Carry what you need in its original labeled packaging with a copy of the prescription, and check anything unusual before you fly rather than at the border.

Vaccine recommendations should be checked at least 8 weeks before your trip, which is earlier than most people think of it. If you are arriving from a country listed as a yellow fever transmission risk you will also need a certificate to enter at all: see our entry requirements guide.

Money, in the form you will actually need it.

Pack for cash. Taxis here have no meters and drivers do not always accept card payments, so the first journey of the trip is often the one that catches people without it. Our money guide explains what is agreed in which currency, and why no exchange rate appears on this site.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Barbados travel advice, safety and security: that although there is no recent history of terrorism in Barbados attacks cannot be ruled out; that there have been incidents of violent crime including armed robbery, sexual assault, gang-related shootings and carjackings, and that there has been an increase in gang-related murders involving guns, some in populated and public areas; that visitors should secure their accommodation, take care walking alone off busy main roads and taking money from ATMs, avoid isolated areas including beaches after dark, use only licensed taxis, take particular care around large gatherings including street and beach parties, and leave valuables in a safe; that it is illegal to possess drugs and that there are severe penalties for all drug offenses; that it is illegal for anyone, including children, to wear camouflage clothing; that attitudes toward the LGBT+ community in the Caribbean are mostly conservative; that currents can be deceptively strong including on some popular beaches on the south and west coasts and that some beaches have no lifeguards or warning flags; that taxis do not have meters, that there are standard fares for most destinations, that the fare should be agreed in Barbados dollars with the driver, and that drivers do not always accept card payments; that the hurricane season normally runs from June to November; that earthquakes are a potential risk with occasional tremors; and that the underwater volcano Kick em Jenny is located 5 miles off the coast of Grenada. Accessed 20 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Barbados travel advice, health: that the emergency medical number is 511 and a caller should ask for an ambulance; that vaccine recommendations should be checked at least 8 weeks before a trip; that health risks in Barbados include Zika virus, dengue and chikungunya; that the Barbados healthcare system is not as extensive as the United Kingdom system; that Queen Elizabeth Hospital can cope with many types of treatment but that serious cases may need emergency evacuation; that medical treatment can be expensive; and that private clinics may not accept medical travel insurance as payment. Accessed 20 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Barbados travel advice, entry requirements: that a passport must be valid for the planned length of the stay; that no visa is needed to visit and that a traveler is told how long they can stay when they arrive; that an extension must be applied and paid for through the Barbados Immigration Department; that it is illegal to overstay or to work without a work permit; that visitors must be able to show an onward or return ticket in order to enter; that everyone arriving must complete an immigration and customs form online before they arrive; that all passengers aged 2 years and older pay a departure tax of 55 Barbados dollars, given also as 27.50 US dollars, with an additional 70 US dollars for passengers traveling outside the Caribbean region and an additional 20 US dollars for those traveling within it, and that most airlines include the cost in the ticket price; and that a yellow fever certificate is required from travelers arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk. Accessed 20 September 2026.