Crime in Jamaica is centered in a few neighborhoods in the city sections of Kingston, which is located on the Southern part of Jamaica. The villas are located on the Northern part of Jamaica, usually about 125 miles and a whole mountain range away. Only a tiny percentage of visitors to the north coast experience any crime-usually theft of belongings left on a public beach. Our private villas have no history of crime. top

We do not recommend you bringing items requiring electricity if you are coming from Australia or England. If you do intend to bring electrical items, you will need the appropriate transformers and adapters. Telephones are standard RJ-11 plugs top

You may exchange foreign currency at local Cambios. There are about a dozen of them in Ocho Rios. Their only service is exchanging money. Major banks are also available in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. ATM machines are at Scotia Bank and Commercial Bank on Main Street in Ocho Rios. The ATM will dispense Jamaican dollars. top

Jamaica's violent image is vastly exaggerated. Much of the trouble one may hear about is restricted to areas within the city of Kingston, or in areas that tourists will never see. Ninety-nine percent of the island's visitors will never experience a moment of crime, or violence. Blue-uniformed tourist police walk the beaches and roads in Negril should you ever have a complaint.

Since the wages of the average unskilled worker are not high, people are generally surprised to note that Jamaica is not a "cheap" destination. There is also the expectation that it is possible to enjoy the advantages of the rate of exchange considering that Jamaica is a developing country with a weak currency. Some visitors may feel they are being used or manipulated.

Jamaica is the third largest Caribbean island. It is 146 miles long from east to west and 51 miles at its widest point, from north to south.

Mission Jamaica (MJ) is a short-term "vacation with a purpose" mission experience which began at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. In 1990, Senior Pastor Roger Eigenfeld felt the call to develop an international mission program and through contacts in Jamaica found an opportunity. The first mission group went to Hope Valley Experimental School in Kingston, Jamaica with 19 missionaries.

Beyond Borders is an exchange program. Meaning students from UWI come to the FSU and students from FSU travel to UWI. This is what makes the program unique. In October, twelve UWI students and four staff members travel to FSU for one week. During this time, you will be involved with the planning of their activities, spending time with them, participating in dialogues and just hanging out.

Work on the building project or with teachers and children in the classroom. We have devotions each night and each team member is responsible for one night. Also plan to share your life experiences with the others.

Jamaica's cellular system operates on the TDMA network so it is not compatable with CDMA, GSM or 3G networks. Cable & Wireless and Digicell are the Jamaican providers and do have roming agreements with AT&T, Sprint, Cingular Wireless, Rogers Wireless and Cayman Cable and Wireless. Please check with your service provider if they are compatible with the Jamaican providers, Cable and Wireless and Digicel. top

We recommend that you purchase a Jamaican prepaid calling card to use for all international long distance calls. We recommend that you purchase a World Talk Calling Card locally to expedite overseas calls. The staff at the villa can buy this for you in various denominations. Most villas have a cellular unit from which you can charge overseas calls to a credit card. You can also call collect, of course. AT&T calling cards and prepaid phone cards will not be accepted. top

If you bring your laptop to Jamaica, you can easily purchase a NetKyaad for specific minutes of internet time Some of our villas have computers with Internet access. Most, however, do not. You can access the internet from Internet cafes in all of the towns where our villas are located. Please see:www.netkyaad.com. Another option is to contact Infochannel in Kingston before your arrival. Telephone (876) 978-2960, fax (876) 978-2966 or (876) 927-8086 or email icquery@infochan.

Citizens of the US and Canada do not require a visa to go to Jamaica as tourists and are permitted to visit the island for a period not exceeding six months. Citizens 16 years and older of these countries may use the following documents for entry: valid passport (or passport which has expired for a period not exceeding one year), or an original Birth Certificate (with raised seal) along with a photo ID (documents must bear the same name). Residents may use an alien registration card.

Jamaica is located in the Caribbean and enjoys typical tropical weather. The rainy season is more likely to be in May/June and September/October. Jamaica is casual in style and we therefore recommend you not bring expensive jewellry along. top

Through our experience, we have found that the van and car packages with private driver provide the easiest and convenient way. Your driver will personally meet you at the Montego Bay Airport. No need to wait in lines for rental cars. Your party will be comfortably transported, using a private van service, direct to your villa. This way, airport transfers are also included. For large groups, it is economical and less hassles.

Visitors can be married just 24 hours after arriving in Jamaica, providing prior application has been made for marriage license. Italian nationals celebrating their marriage in Jamaica must notify their embassy and a certified copy of their marriage certificate must be forwarded to their embassy to be legalized and translated. French Canadians need a notarized translated English copy of all documents and a photocopy of the original French documents.