TRINIDAD CARNIVAL. As I’ve done for the last 3 years, I went to Trinidad in February to take part in Trinidad’s carnival season. I stayed there a total of 3 weeks, went to 11 fetes, played Jouvert and Carnival both days on the road and somehow got out alive.
So how does one do it all and afford it? Here’s my break down on how I prep for Trinidad Carnival…
1. Preparation
The Trinidad carnival season is centralized around different events, parties and activities so if you want to experience an authentic ‘feteran’ carnival experience, planning is crucial.
Start by figuring out what events are being held, where they are located, when they start and end, how many events you plan on attending, how much the events cost, transportation to and fro and any other miscellaneous things you would like to do within your trip.
If you plan on “playing mas” as well, research different Carnival mas bands from the year before. Find out any specific mas band information by emailing them or reading up on their website or social media pages. The two bands I recommend for newcomers are Tribe and Yuma. They are two of the big party mas bands and deliver phenomenal costume designs and receive great feedback from their masqueraders every year. For 3 years I’ve played with Yuma and this year with Tribe ( I have my reservations about this year but that’s a talk for another post, another time…..)
For newcomers who know nothing about fetes and/or people who don’t want to do too much work you can hire a concierge service to do everything for you. Some services are : Carnival Made Easy, Karnival by Kandi, and Mango Reef Productions. I haven’t used any concierge service for Trinidad Carnival but I have used Karnival by Kandi for Jamaica Carnival in 2015 and it was a very smooth process. You usually pay the concierge service a fee for their aid and they provide you with certain packages which you pay a deposit on and pay the balance off before a said date or when you are picking up your package.
When planning transportation, the most common thing to do is cover all your events and plans by hiring a driver. Trinidad’s transportation system is composed of buses, taxis (licensed taxi drivers in their own cars) and maxis (a small taxi van that runs certain routes across the country).
People hire taxi drivers as their personal concierge to take them to and from every event or planned activity they have on their agenda. The total price of your transport depends on where you go and usually is a big bulk of your expenses regarding a Carnival trip.
Trinidad also has a taxi service app similar to taxi services like Uber and Lyft called “Drop”. They offer fixed rates based off which zone area you travel in and out of and do not surge charge or offer shared rides. I’ve used it multiple times and have no complaints. However, I do suggest planning your rides in advance so you have a confirmed booking rather than waiting for drivers to be available. Since the app is relatively new, drop still has a fewer number of drivers that are available at peak times throughout the day.
Since I’m more of a local, I do a mixture of all things but I rarely ever take the bus when traveling. Maxis and taxis are my main means of transportation in the mornings, afternoons and evenings when going shopping, visiting family or to the mall etc. For night time travel, if I’m hiring a taxi, I use “Versatile Taxi Service” who is run by a really good friend of mine named Polo. You can find more info here.
Drop is available on the Play Store for Android or Apple Store for Iphone users.
- Budgeting
MONEY. Always make sure you have more than enough spending money when going anywhere.
I create a budget plan months in advance so my subconscious can prepare for the months ahead. You never know what you may end up wanting to do outside of scheduled plans or get thrown into, and things can add up quite quickly when you’re having fun.
Trinidad’s current US dollar to TT dollar exchange rate is $6.8 but prices for different items can be jacked up in the country. I would recommend buying all clothing, shoes and hygienic products in your home country and keep shopping in Trinidad to a minimum.
…
The first thing to purchase and secure are airfare and accommodation. You should never plan fete tickets and carnival costumes before having a place to stay and a confirmed ticket to your destination.
Air Bnb has become popular over the last couple of years and is a cheaper housing alternative than hotels around the island. Booking.com is another website for viewing hotels and guesthouses in certain areas and makes it easy to compare places by location and price range. Hotels and guest houses do sell out relatively fast so I suggest booking as soon as possible so you don’t end up scrambling once the months near closer.
I’m a flight attendant so I usually travel for free or buy discounted tickets earlier in the year but I suggest using sites like kayak.com or hopper.com, to set up price alerts. The earlier you buy your tickets the better AND cheaper. My boyfriend scored a round trip ticket to Trinidad for next year on Carnival Wednesday for $400 RT. Tickets RT for Carnival in February this year were almost $1000 US.
THE PLAN
Your budget plan should look something like this: (This is an estimate for a traveler who wants to experience a semi party packed Carnival experience)
Trinidad Carnival: Dates Feb 2, 2018 to Feb 16, 2018 (Carnival falls on a Monday and Tuesday and varies on month and dates every year. Next year’s dates are February 12 & 13)
Budget start date: July 12, 2017
Budget end date: Jan 31, 2018
Carnival Costume: 5040 TT = 800 US | $300 deposit in August
Fete Tickets: 4800 TT = 761 US
Planet ticket: $400US Roundtrip
Transport: 150 US Per person (For 2 people)
Accommodation: 12 days at Holiday Inn for two people @ $127 a night = $2554 ($1,277 a person) OR other housing options.
Jouvert (optional): $80 – 100 US
Spending Money: $250- 400 US
Clothing for trip (spent beforehand): $200- 300 US
Hygienic and beauty products: $50- 150
Other miscellaneous expenses: $100 US
TOTAL(lowest prices): $4068
How to budget:
- Figure out how many weeks are between your start budget day and your end budget day. I usually give myself anywhere from 26 weeks to 29 weeks.
- Divide your highest estimated total cost for your trip into the amount of weeks between your start budget and end budget day ($4438/ 29 weeks)
- Your total will be how much money you should save a week to afford your trips by your end budget date ($153 a week)
- By starting to save 5-6 months in advance, you give yourself enough time to accumulate funds to pay for things that come out with time restraints like Airfare, fete tickets and costumes.
- With this method, (assuming you are responsible in saving incoming money in the bank) by the time you reach month 3 you will have enough to cover the cost of your hotel and airfare and can use the remaining accumulating $153 to go towards fete tickets and your costume.
3. Research
Even if you are an experienced Carnivalista or Carnivalian like myself, research is always important. Make sure you know the details of everything you plan to be involved in. Knowing too much is better than knowing barley anything.
4. Pick ya crew
The Crew. The Pump Squad. Your battalion. This is what makes or breaks your experience. You can be the life of the party but if the members of your crew are Debbie Downer’s, they will down your experience. Whomever you decide to bring along with you on a trip should be responsible, financially stable, FUN and well organized. Make sure you all share the same agendas, deadlines and have the same intentions when going away. The WORST thing you could ever do is invite someone out of the country or on a vacation with you who doesn’t want to do the same things you do.
5. Be open to new things
If you’re foreign to Carnival or if you’re experienced make sure you’re open to trying new things. Sticking to the same old routine may have worked in the past but trying something new here and there doesn’t hurt either. Try doing something non-Carnival related in the middle of your trip like, zip lining or snorkeling. Carnival is all about the party but throwing in a few spontaneous other activities is fun too!
- Document everything & Have a Time!
Some of you may know or may not know but I photograph everything! If you can document and film it all, DO IT! Memories last a lifetime and looking back months after when you’re feeling that carnival tabanca will surely make your day a lot better. Encourage others to plan trips or invite them with you on your next! Be sure to make the best out of your Carnival experience even if it isn’t what you expected and if you are having a ball, ENJOY IT! After all you probably had been waiting for months counting down.
❤️Choonks