Get creative
Organize your art supplies and get to crafting. Consider painting faceless dolls in varying sizes and colours—they’re faceless because the Dominican people represent a variety of racial and ethnic groups with a mixture of the native Taino, Spanish, French, and African backgrounds.
Need more inspiration? Check out these famous Dominican Republic museums.
Pick a film
Watch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for the Dominican Republic include:
- Ponchao (2013)
- Ballplayer: Pelotero (2011)
- Lotto Man (2011)
Study some history
Dive deep into the history of specific sites you’ll visit on tour. Santo Domingo’s Colonial City—the first urban settlement in the New World—houses excellent museums providing insight into the Spanish colonial days, from the Alcázar de Colón palace to the Museo de las Casas Reales. The city also boasts a museum complex at Plaza de la Cultura, showcasing history and modern art, while the latest offering in the city is all about Dominican chocolate.
In Puerto Plata, you can learn about national heroes and precious stones, while Samaná offers an insightful small museum on its humpback whales, and Sosúa has a fascinating Museum of Jewish Heritage. La Romana’s Altos de Chavón is home to the most comprehensive display on the Taino at the Regional Museum of Archeology. Whether covering history, geography, precious stones, chocolate, baseball, rum, or architecture, among other topics, there’s a Dominican museum to fit all ages and interests.
Choose a book
Read and discuss a book that takes place in your destination or describes the local culture. Pick from titles like:
- Caribbean by James A. Michener
- Little Heroes: Boys of the Barrio by Raimund Johannes Wild
- How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Fill up your plate
Arrange a potluck and encourage your friends to bring a traditional dish from your destination. Know a chef? Hold a virtual mangu cooking class with your travel group, or support a local restaurant that offers delivery/take-out of your destination’s cuisine. Try sancocho (seven meat stew), arroz blanco (white rice), pollo guisado (braised chicken), tostones (twice-fried plantains), and habichuelas con dulce (sweet cream of beans).
Learn the language
Call up a friend or set up a group video chat and practice your language skills. It helps to make flashcards with Dominican slang to use on the phone or throughout your travels (think about ordering at restaurants, buying souvenirs, and chatting with locals).
Did you know?
Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas!