Experience True Bajan Culture

So you want to experience the ‘Real Barbados‘ during your time on the island, we don’t blame you, the Bajan culture here is one of a kind! The island’s varied heritage makes way for a melting pot culture of British, African and Caribbean influence.

If you want to do as the locals do and get under the skin of Barbados away from the usual tourist spots then take a look at our suggestions on how to experience true Bajan culture.

1. Eat Local

Local delicacies like flying fish and macaroni pie are available at all local restaurants, local fish cakes are a must too! You’ll see signs on Saturdays for Pudding and Souse, a local dish made from pork and sweet potatoes. Bread fruit grows plentifully on the island, try the sliced and fried bread fruit chips as an alternative to regular potato. You have to get your hand on mangos when they are in season (during late spring early summer), we have never tasted such sweet and creamy mangos anywhere on earth.

2. Visit Oistins

A Friday night institution in Barbados, the Oistins Fish Fry, a coming together of locals and tourists all in the name of great food, drink and music. Engage with the local people, it is a friendly environment and they will be happy to talk.

3. Hop on a bus

Travel like a local on one of the island’s yellow busses, or the reggae bus as we fondly call them! For just $2 you can travel anywhere on the island. Be prepared for a fast and bumpy ride, accompanied by great reggae music. At night time the busses really come alive with funky lights!

4. Discover the island’s history of slavery

Visit one of the island’s signalling stations, GunHill, Grenade Hall or Cotton Tower, all offer great views. Learn about the slave revolt of 1816 and the emmancipation of the islands’s slaves as instructed by Queen Victoria in 1838. The Barbados Museum in Bridgetown is worth a visit if you’re interesting in learning more about the island’s past.

5. See more than one coast

Explore the four coasts of Barbados, each being so different from the next. You will experience so much more of this unique island by seeing the variety it offers. The North coast being rugged rock, with sea caves and huge crashing waves. The East coast offers isolated windswept beaches and world class surfing. The South coast is home to the majority of hotels and nightlife, the famous boardwalk is great to stroll along. Finally the West coast, or Platinum coast as it’s known, five star hotels and high end restaurants accompany calm waters.

6. For a look at Bajan Culture go to ‘Lime’ at a Rum Shop

Dotted all over the island, a Rum Shop is where locals go to ‘lime’ (chill out and relax). Grab a drink or some traditional local food and soak in the sights and sounds. Locals play dominoes, catch up on what’s going on and enjoy a laid back vibe. Usually located at the side of a road, you won’t miss them, wooden shacks with lots going on!

7. Celebrate Bajan Culture and ‘Jump Up’ for Crop Over

If you are visiting Barbados during July or early August you can get involved in the huge celebration that is Crop Over. Traditionally celebrating the end of the sugar cane harvest, the slaves would have a party to rejoice that the hard work was done! There’s parties and events galore, all building up to the main event that is Kadooment Day (1st August every year). Now a globally recognised carnival, the atmosphere is electric and the most Bajan experience on the calendar. Get dressed up and jump up (that’s Bajan for party)!

If you want to learn more, be sure to read our up-to-date Travel Guide to Barbados. For more info on events and trip planning, check out Visit Barbados.

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15 WAYS TO ENJOY A MORE FULFILLING VACATION

By Spotzer Spotzer • September 25, 2025

With over 25 years experience in luxury travel industry, we have seen it all. To help you enjoy your next trip to the fullest, the ZenBreak’s team has compiled the best and worst travel experiences and extracted the lessons we learned from the past. Our recommendations applies to business trip, short weekend get away or long escape on the beach. If you like staying in luxury hotels or are planning to go backpacking for a while, any of the following will apply. BOOK AHEAD Yes, there are tons of flight comparison websites, and you’ve just spent the last hour looking for the best deal possible. However you’re not the only one searching and those internet cookies leave crumbs behind. Next time you go back online, the probabilities are that the price you loved today will be higher. Time flies! Book that trip before the price goes up or you might regret it. DON’T BE FLASHY Never underestimate the eyes of pickpockets. Wearing a fancy watch, or even an unnoticeable bracelet might not seem like something to think about when you travel. However, you never know who’s watching you. Being discreet is the best way to avoid embarrassing or unfortunate situations. Don’t show off and remain anonymous. KEEP A JOURNAL Met someone special? Had an interesting or unusual chat? Writing down how you were affected by certain experiences creates a better platform for reflection at a later date. Souvenirs may not always be photos, words carry your emotions much better sometimes. Remember that by writing what you experienced, you drastically increase the probability of remembering what you lived in the future. WRITE THINGS DOWN Just had directions explained to you in a strong hard-to-understand accent? Not sure you’ll remember the details of which way to go? Just write it down. Take that extra minute to recap and make sure you don’t miss the essentials. It may save you, valuable time later on. MORE TIME, FEWER PLACES Would you rather know a limited amount of information about many different places, or really experience and immerse yourself in a few areas? The world is huge and it’s just impossible to go everywhere. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can only remember how clean or dirty airports or trains were. Try dedicating a full week to explore a large city. I was once forced to increase my stay in Bangkok from 2 days to 7 due to the SARS virus in Hong Kong. It turns out to be one of the best experiences I ever had. ALWAYS ASK HOW MUCH ($) You’ve just got in a cab, and you’re asking yourself if you’ve got enough cash? Don’t put yourself in a situation where you don’t know how much something costs, and don’t be afraid to ask for the price before committing. If it’s too much, feel free to find another option. This applies to taxi, but also to excursions, restaurants, bars and hotels. Many unscrupulous institutions will inflate their prices when a foreigner show up at their door. Be sure not to be the sucker they all remember. If you feel the pressure to commit, just walk out. LEARN SOME BASIC LANGUAGE Hallo! Ciao! Hej! Namaste! Bonjour! xin chào! It may not be the best, but at least you’re making an effort. It may sound rude only speaking your own language, show you are considerate and learn a few simple words on the way to a foreign country. There are no better ways to make friends. PUT YOUR MOBILE PHONE AWAY Why would you travel thousands of miles to stay hooked on your phone? Forget about social media and various apps during your stay and enjoy a little more of the world around you. Rediscover what it is to live disconnected. You may realize you don’t miss your phone at all! TRY THE STREET FOOD Restaurants are nice, but street food is the real deal. Nobody ever died from eating skewers or local specialties from street vendors. Cheap, fast and authentic, eating outside can only do you good. They will leave you with unbelievable memories. DON’T COMMUTE TOO MUCH Yes, you may feel like there is so much to do! And no, unfortunately your holidays won’t last forever. But is it really worth trying to reach every single town of a country you are only just discovering? Take the time to really explore the town you’re in, you can always come back for a future vacation. ALWAYS SAY THANK YOU! Politeness is universal and enjoyed by all. Don’t be rude, even with the insistent seller at the market, culture varies from one place to the other, what may seem like an aggressive sale pitch may just be the norm where you are. Show appreciation to locals, and earn their respect. This may lead to more chances to say thank you! REMEMBER TO CARRY WATER Don’t risk getting ill from tap water because you forgot to pack a bottle in your bag. A little flask is your best friend for hydration. Don’t forget to wash your hand regularly, or if no fresh water is available, to use alcohol-based hand sanitisers. LEAVE REVIEWS Try to leave a short review on commonly used platforms such as TripAdvisor or Google My Business. Do it, whether your experience was incredible, average or poor? Statistics show that those platforms are the number driver when you pick a service or a restaurant. If we don’t leave negative comments to avoid hurting someone, the owner may not find out that you were unsatisfied and the next traveller will not be informed of your experience. On the other end, if your experience really exceeded your expectations, don’t hesitate to mention the individual who provided outstanding service. They may get rewarded. SLOW DOWN, STOP AND OBSERVE Do you feel that you rush around too much in your everyday life? Take the time to look at all the interesting and different things around you. If you enjoy taking pictures, you are sure to find many things to shoot if you slow down a little. Discover the local day-to-day life, this is where the true beauty hides. GET UP EARLY The early bird catches the worm. Rising early gives you more time for exploring, miles traveled and a better overall experience. Early birds enjoy their time off even more! …and finally, to get the best vacation possible, nothing better than saving some money, enjoy the best price guaranteed on your vacation rental with ZenBeak.com

ACCEPT DOGS IN YOUR HOLIDAY HOME ANDINCREASE YOUR BOOKINGS.

By Spotzer Spotzer • September 25, 2025

Did you know that on Airbnb, ‘pet-friendly’ is the fourth most popular request when looking for an apartment or a villa? The top three in order are: Free parking A full kitchen Pool Being dog friendly ranks even higher than wifi. Accepting dogs in your vacation rental will increase your income. For many, dogs aren’t seen as pets but as family members. They are often our best friends, they bring joy wherever they go. No home feels quite right without your pet, so why not bring them with you? 48% of American families own a dog. The number of guests traveling with dogs is increasing every year. According to a TripAdvisor survey, 53% of pet owners take their furry friends on the road with them. However, less than 25% of vacation properties welcome pets with their owners.This ratio plays a big role in favour of those who open their holiday home to dogs. With so many potential customers looking for pet-friendly properties, offering this service is likely to increase your bookings and will allow you to increase your stay costs. Being pet-friendly when renting out your home or villa means that your potential clientele will increase greatly, resulting in a higher occupancy rate. After analyzing the statistics of our partners, such as Airbnb and Homeaway, we found that pet-friendly vacation rentals generated higher rental income and occupancy than those that did not accept dogs – between 10% and 20% more. Accepting dogs will generate repeat rentals from the customers. Paying someone to feed, walk and watch your dog every day can be very expensive for the owner, not to mention the anxiety and stress of separation for both parties. By providing dog-friendly accommodations, you allow patrons to create memories with the whole family, which is likely to generate a return for your visitors in the years to come. Man’s best friend will also allow you to increase the length of the stays of the travelers. When a traveler wants to relocate for a long time, it becomes essential for them to find a property that will accept their faithful companion. Asking their friends and families to keep Fido for a week or two, can work, but when the stay stretches over 3 weeks or more, family and friends become scarce and the cost of institutional care becomes prohibitive. Do not worry about the condition of your property. Worried about the damage that Fido could cause you to your rental property during his visit? Statistics show that tenants of short term rentals that accommodate dogs and those who refuse them show the same cleanliness score and the same house conditions when the visitors leave. Dog or no dog, you won’t tell a difference. You will increase the off-season rental occupation. Looking to fill slow rental periods? Opening your doors to pets will increase rentals during times of low traffic. We found that occupancy rates were much higher in dog-friendly houses during the slow season. Note that guests book more last-minute trips out of season. With a small window between the reservation and the stay, it can be difficult to find a place to keep the dog. Competition for dog-friendly homes is lower at this time of year, guests can both book the perfect accommodation and be accompanied by their dog. In conclusion Open your doors to pets, especially dogs. By accepting dogs in your holiday home, you will increase bookings throughout the year and you will also see increased returns from past clients. The risk of damage is far outweighed by the increase in income, which in addition will not prevent you from increasing cleaning costs when a client reserves with a pet, a practice widely accepted by dog owners. So, make the right decision and increase your income, say: Good boy Fido, good boy!