How I Took My Household of three on an Epic 3-week Trip in Jamaica for About $4,000 — Together with Flights

The drive from Montego Bay was presupposed to take 4 hours, however 5 hours in, it was clear Google Maps didn’t account for the truth that the final 12 miles was an unpaved and potholed single-lane highway. 

Our rental automobile (somewhat Mazda Demio) and driver (my husband) had been tasked with dodging potholes, pulling over each time a car got here from the opposite route and letting teenagers zip previous on their motorbikes. It was darkish and our arrival window for the Airbnb was lengthy gone. Oh, and there was a screaming child within the again seat.

It was our first journey as a household of three. My daughter was a recent 6 months, with a brand-new passport, and we had been in Jamaica. However as you might need gathered, we weren’t headed to an all-inclusive resort in Negril or Montego Bay, like many households do.

I take nice satisfaction in my means to get off the overwhelmed path and save a buck, and I used to be decided to not let the truth that I now had a child change that. Plus, our good friend who grew up on the island promised our closing vacation spot — Boston Bay, on the far jap facet of the island — could be value it. 

The virtually six-hour journey from the Montego Bay airport to the far jap coast of Jamaica was brutal, however Boston Bay was the paradise our good friend assured. Clear seashores, nice surf, and quiet nights. And after a day within the water, the drive was a distant reminiscence.

Right here’s how we made this journey occur on a funds, spending somewhat over $4,000 for 3 folks to spend three weeks in paradise.

We booked flights a month upfront, used miles, and didn’t should pay for the newborn.

Value: $1,656

In our household, reserving last-minute flights is the norm. That, paired with the truth that we stay six hours from the closest worldwide airport, normally means we pay extra for flights. Nonetheless, for this journey, we had two main wins: I had some flight miles, which shaved off a couple of hundred bucks, and my daughter — who was 6 months previous — flew without cost on my lap.

We rented a automobile, which ended up being a serious expense.

Value: $750

We booked the most affordable automobile on the island from a small rental firm. The full for 3 weeks was $340 — a steal. After all, like many issues which might be too good to be true, the web value didn’t match the precise value. After admitting that, sure, we did want insurance coverage, we forked over $750. It was an surprising expense, however there was no method round it. We drove the automobile every day.

We cut up our time between two Airbnbs.

Value: $1,010

We stayed in two totally different Airbnbs throughout our journey, each within the Boston Bay space. The primary had a queen mattress and a crib and the second had two queen beds (we utilized a pillow barrier within the latter). An Airbnb was key as a result of we ate breakfast and dinner at dwelling day-after-day — one other money-saving tip.

Associated: The Greatest Occasions to Go to Jamaica, In accordance with Native Specialists

We not often went out to eat, and after we did, it was for lunch.

Value: Roughly $900

Our meals prices had been splendidly low because of the truth that there aren’t many eating places in Boston Bay and we had somewhat human who wanted to be in mattress by 7 p.m. For breakfast, we ate yogurt and tropical fruit and did plenty of pasta for dinner. Lunch was sometimes a PB&J sandwich eaten on the seashore.

That stated, it was ackee season after we arrived, so we loved a couple of good meals at Aya Naturals and visited a number of of the world’s well-known Jamaican jerk stands, the place jerk cooking was invented.

All in all, we spent round $95 a day on meals and lodging, plus flights and a rental automobile. The full journey value was $4,316.

We spent a full 20 days in Jamaica, which helped offset the price of flights and the 20-day automobile rental. We had such a good time, we’re planning on doing it once more this fall — this time with a toddler.