Question about Peat Taylor tour

I have decided to take a tour with Peat Taylor while in Jamaica. I read in his plans for us that we will stop off in a town and see a school and the childern. I am imagining that while at the school the children will beg for money. Maybe I'm wrong.

Can anyone tell me if while on this Peat Taylor tour did the childern have their hand out for something?

The reason I ask is this- If this is the case, would it be better to give them school supplies rather than money and if so what specific supplies?

I don't want to come off as some cheap skate as that's not my point. I am more than willing to help out the children while we are there, I just wonder would would be the most beneficial.

Please only respond if you have experience with a Peat Taylor tour in this specific sense.

I am doing this tour in Dec and its my understanding that they welcome the school supplies so thats what we are taking. I also understood that you dont have to go to the school if you dont want, Peat is very flexible and you can just about plan your own tour, he will go where you want.

Do you mind me asking what you will be specifically donating?

No, the children won't have their hands out for money. I am sure they would welcome supplies such as pencils, notepads, etc. As mentioned you do not have to even go there if you do not want to. He just tries to set up a tour that gives you an idea of life on the island. We used Peat's services and did not make that stop. So you are not required to do it. If you wish to, I am sure they would be happy to see you. You will have a great time.

We are taking crayons, pencils, erasers, glue, rulers, paper,sticker books, and a few more things like that. I heard they really appreciate it, that school supplies are hard to come by. The school also has only 6-8 kids so you dont have to take much. We are also taking lollypops for the kids.

The children at the school are young and very, very sweet. Their teacher would never allow them to ask for a handout. She is very loving and proud of her kids. I am a teacher also, and we talked for a long time. If I were going again, I would take them some notebook paper or tablet paper, but nobody ever solicited any of that. I noticed they were writing on the back sides of older kids' spiral notebook pages, but they were very proud of the work they were doing. The kids WILL expect attention and a hug from you. They will likely grab your hand and try to show you around. Go on about how smart they are and lucky they are to have such a nice schoolroom, and they will be very happy. They do not ask for money like the some of the adults do. This was my favorite moment in Jamaica. Have fun!

When I went to Jamaica a little over a year ago I took a whole suitcase and filled it with used backpacks (about 4) some new/used kids clothes and some school supplies and took it to a local church in Ocho Rios. Not only did they greatly appreciate the stuff, but it gave me an empty suitcase to bring home lots of goodies from my vacation. (Just some food for thought)

I actually met up with Peet's brother Orville that day and he took us on a great tour.

We were just there and we took the children crayons and colored pencils. We asked the guide for the Peat Taylor tour to give them to the children next tour as that day was a school holiday for them.

We didn't stop at a school when we did the Pete Taylor tour. Pete was the best! It was one of my favorite tours.

Beachbuddy

Just returned from a Peat Taylor tour last Monday. I would highly recommend him. We had about 15 in his minibus, and he asked for a consensous of whether or not to stop at the school, which we did. The kids were all around 5-6 and very cute in their uniforms. They sang a song and were very nice. We knew about the school stop in advance, and brought some crayons and markers, which were appreciated but not expected. I think we were the only ones, and no one was asked for money - all in all a very nice stop.

Dunn's River was a blast, but there is a vendor area at the top where we needed to go to pick up our DVD (we paid $20). The vendors there are very high pressure!

Just returned from a Peat Taylor tour last Monday. I would highly recommend him. We had about 15 in his minibus, and he asked for a consensous of whether or not to stop at the school, which we did. The kids were all around 5-6 and very cute in their uniforms. They sang a song and were very nice. We knew about the school stop in advance, and brought some crayons and markers, which were appreciated but not expected. I think we were the only ones, and no one was asked for money - all in all a very nice stop.

Dunn's River was a blast, but there is a vendor area at the top where we needed to go to pick up our DVD (we paid $20). The vendors there are very high pressure!

We were with Peat Taylor tour in October & we paid $40 for the Dunn River Fall video that was recorded live. I think we got took!!:)

We were in Jamaica in Sept. and went on the tour with Peat Taylor. We stopped at the school and it was the best part of the trip. The children were so well behaved and they were more interested in my 5 year old son than anything we had for them. They sang a song for us and showed us around their schoolroom, they also liked to tell us everything they were learning. I would suggest you don't bring crayons and coloring books because that seems to be what everyone brings. As a teacher I would say that you could bring some stencils, paper, children's books, or even some puzzles. The tour was excellent, we did not have Peat we had his son. I can not stress enough about how wonderful the teacher and the students were, it was good for my son to see that not all children have it as good as he does. Have a good trip!

What age are the kids at the school Peat brings the tour to?

If I remember correctly, the children ranged in age from 4 - 7.

We just tooka tour with Peat a couple weeks ago. The teacher in the school we stopped at said the kids were 3-4 years old. There was a small table in the corner of the school that was stacked with crayons, pencil, notebooks, etc. I am assuming these came from tourists, but am not sure. The kids are adorable, and NEVER asked for anything but some attention.

Here is a review I posted on another thread..

We started at Dunn's River Falls. In fact, we were the first group up the Falls! Peat prides himself on getting there before the huge crowd from the ship's excursion arrives. Before we entered the Falls, he gave us advise on how to handle the "shopkeepers" in the marketplace. Good thing too....they are very aggresive!

From there we took a beautiful tour through Fern Gulley (sp). All along the way he was pointing out sights of interest. If we saw something really cool, and it was feasible, he would pull the bus over so everyone had an opportunty to see and take pictures.

Next, we stopped at a little one room school up on a mountain. The kids were 3-4 years old, and very cute! They sang a few songs for us, and we were off again.

After that, we stopped at a pottery factory for a tour. Very interesting, and the pottery was all handmade and very beautiful.

At this point my wife and I needed to return to the ship to meet with the large group we were with. On the way back to the ship, Peat was coordinating the afternoon activities with the other passengers. Some were going horseback riding, and some were going river tubing. He provides transportation to wherever you want to go.

We just back from a tour with Peat. We told him we wanted to go the school and had supplies. He took us through an average neighborhood and to a small school with 4 year olds. We gave them the supplies and they were happy to see us and very nice. The kids all wanted to shake our hands but no one asked for money or anything. I also need to mention that Peat's wife is a teacher at another much larger school that appears well funded and he did NOT take us there to give supplies. My gut feeling is that he took us to a school he knew would benefit from the supplies but he did not make us feel like we had to do it or anything else.

I am glad to hear that Peat has added the school stop to his tour. I first used Peat in 2003 and it was great. In 2004 we didn't go with Peat, but we told another couple at our dining table about him. They ask for him at the pier and someone called him at home to come down because he didn't have a tour booked for that day. He picked them up and took them where ever they wanted. One of their request was a school, being they were both teachers. They talked with the kids and teacher for a long time. After they got back to the ship that evening they couldn't say enough about Peat and the school.

Last year my sisters family used Peat and had a great experience. Now I'm going to use him again in Montego Bay in March. He didn't say anything about a school stop there, but I'm sure it will be great.

Last year my sisters family used Peat and had a great experience. Now I'm going to use him again in Montego Bay in March. He didn't say anything about a school stop there, but I'm sure it will be great.

cdman - thanks so much for your post. As I was reading everyone's raves about Peat, I was wondering if he also operates his tour from Mo Bay (I will be there in a few weeks!).

I found his website, but it doesn't say anything about Montego Bay. Do you know for sure if he operates from Mo Bay?

Here is a copy of the proposed itinereries he emailed my. We are even modifying tour #2 to skip the river rafting and spending more time at the beach and shopping. Chris

PEAT TAYLOR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES

Bonham Spring Lodge P.O. St. Ann

Jamaica W. I.

TEL: 876 975 0028

FAX: 876 975 0205

Mobile: 876 999 7658

876 829 2007

Email: *********************** or

*********************

“Hey Mon No Problem

Website: peattaylor.com

March 28th, 2005

Dear Chris,

Thank you it was my pleasure.

I take pleasure in forwarding the following proposal as requested:

I will refer to the Montego Bay itinerary and make the necessary arrangements, should this package be accepted. The tours consist of:

Tour 1

1. A lush country side drive to Ocho Rios

2. A visit to the renowned Dunn’s River Falls. (Entry fee not included.)

3. A visit to Fern Gully, a picturesque location with various species of ferns.

4. White river tubing (entry fee US$20.00 per person not included)

5. Shopping and lunch in Ocho Rios

Tour last approximately 6 hours

The cost will be US$180.00 for a ratio of 1- 4 persons inclusive of admission to Dunn’s River Falls and transportation, or US$45.00 p.p. for more than 4 persons. No charge for children under 2 years old. You can pay in cash are travelers cheque on completion of tour.

Tour 2

We can also do a tour in and around the City of Montego Bay.

1. .1. A visit to the Rose Hall Great House ( entry fee not included)

2. Rafting on the Martha Brae River cost (US$40.00 per couple)

3. City Center Shopping and Margaritta Ville

4. Doctor’s Cave Beach.

The cost is $120.00 for a ratio of 1-4 persons or US$30 per adult & US$20.00 per child for more than 4 persons. (price do not include entry fees).

Please confirm ASAP so I can make proper arrangements.

Sincerely,

Peat Taylor

:D I can sum Peat Taylor up in one word GENTLEMAN .Three years ago we took the advice of a few posters on these boards. Contacted Peat via the web and set everything up in advance, He met us at the pier took us right up to dunns river falls and we were first up the falls a tour around the Island and a stop at a school. THE KIDS WERE GREAT!!!!!! Dont worry about looking for hand out, just alot of pride in there work. We had fun showing the children their picture on the video camara! Please dont miss meeting this man, he is one of Janaica treasures PS Bring apples from the ship aparently it is hard to get them on the island and his kids lovethem.

:D I can sum Peat Taylor up in one word GENTLEMAN .Three years ago we took the advice of a few posters on these boards. Contacted Peat via the web and set everything up in advance, He met us at the pier took us right up to dunns river falls and we were first up the falls a tour around the Island and a stop at a school. THE KIDS WERE GREAT!!!!!! Dont worry about looking for hand out, just alot of pride in there work. We had fun showing the children their picture on the video camara! Please dont miss meeting this man, he is one of Janaica treasures PS Bring apples from the ship aparently it is hard to get them on the island and his kids lovethem.

I'd like to add my praise of Peat Taylor. We went with him a year or two ago. We met him and his college age son. They treated us very professionally yet personably (sp?). We also went to the little one room school house and met the little children. They in no way asked or seemed to expect money (however we did give the teacher some money to use for the classroom.) We were there during the kids lunchtime, so I don't feel like we intruded on their lessons. We took pictures with our digital cameras and the kids were crazy about it. They seemed facinated to see their pictures after I took it (as most kids are!) . I wonder how many of those children ever get to see pictures of themselves. Enjoy!!!1