Another "Consideration" Thread

I might add that by saying "getting" a house or apt, I mean renting, and my roommate would be working as well to help cover a relatively equal share of the living expenses.

Again, thanks.

Your biggest problem will be finding a rental on STJ with that sized dog. It's a bit cheaper with mroe rentals on STT, and you might check into living on the east end & ferrying to STJ for work. Many do.

Good morning LostAtSea,

You sound very organized and a very good candidate for a move like this one. Since you've already got money saved up, all you really need to do is figure out "when".

Moving with a big dog does make it more challenging, but it is not impossible -- there are a lot of animal lovers on the island. You will probably have to pay extra rent for your beastie, though, and be sure to read the shipping-a-large-dog threads so you won't face any surprises in getting him/her here. If $1,500/month is your limit, assume you'll immediately drop $4,500 of that seven grand right away on your first/last/security deposit for your rental. You won't find much in the way of 2-bedrooms in that price range (depends on what time of year you move down, though, and the economy is in your favor for better rents at the moment). Plan to spend the rest on a vehicle, then with whatever is left over, pay for your vehicle insurance/registration, your mail service/PO box, set up any utilities you'll need, set up your new pantry (plan on paying about 1.5x what you pay stateside for food. It's cheaper in St. Thomas but not so much that it's usually worth the hassle + ferry costs). And watch your bar/dining tab that first month while you're not working. 😉

Crime on St. John definitely happens -- mostly burglary -- but it is not anything like what you've read about St. Croix or St. Thomas. Depending on the neighborhood, some people never even lock their doors. St. John has a special community, and commuting from St. Thomas is definitely not the same as living on the island.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

You will also have trouble with a 115lb dog with the airlines. One of my renters had to send their large lab through cargo. American would not take a dog in the passenger plane if the dog and the crate together way more then 100lbs. So the good thing is American cargo planes leave from stt, the bad thing is they often have overnight stays. Check into it with the airlines, STT has more airlines coming into it then stx does.

Good morning to you as well, fdr,

Thanks for the advice. My idea was to buy a motorcycle or even a scooter as my main means of transportation, and I am an experienced rider. My potential roommate is debating sending a vehicle. It's a new American made mid-sized SUV, is this a good idea? Should she just buy an island car instead? Personally, I'm not really into owning and using a car unless I absolutely have to. Mainly this is because I"ve always been able to get around either by bike, foot, or public transportation, and it makes me feel good that I'm taking a more sustainable approach. I would hate to add another car to a small island unless absolutely necessary.

For STJ you will absolutely have to have a motorycycle. Anything less the 200cc on a scooter for any of these islands is a joke. STT is pretty hilly as well. The steep hills on stj and stt make it dangerous even for a experience driver, our roads are not keep in good shape so there are dirt, gravel and roads with lots of potholes. On top of all that we get rain pretty much every day.

If the car is not paid off your roomate needs to ask the lien holder if they can even bring the car here, many will not let you. Where is the roomate going to ship from? Usually all said and done its around $2500 one way to ship from south florida area.

It sounds like maybe acquiring a vehicle upon arrival is the way to go here, especially if we only stay a year or two. The car is brand new, and $2500 in means $2500 out as well, plus accelerated wear due to the island's natural conditions.

Using a scooter or motorcycle as transportation on island can be done, though it is not recommended. If you opt to do so, please make sure the VI Motor Vehicle Bureau marks your license "organ donor." The Caribbean islands are too far from the states to take advantage of most stateside donor organs, but Puerto Rico has become a more active transplant locale over the past dozen years, so we need to supply our own donor organs.

wow dntw8up,

first let me pick my chin up off the floor........ pause........... then maybe snicker a bit on that one.............

Not sure if your post was commentary or a true attempt to help those who might be in need, but either way ..

Wow, try not to hold back so much from now on, lol

I expect Marty will be chimin in any time now.

Using a scooter or motorcycle as transportation on island can be done, though it is not recommended. If you opt to do so, please make sure the VI Motor Vehicle Bureau marks your license "organ donor." The Caribbean islands are too far from the states to take advantage of most stateside donor organs, but Puerto Rico has become a more active transplant locale over the past dozen years, so we need to supply our own donor organs.

Thanks for the advice/warning.

I will make sure the VI Motor Vehicle board is aware that I would like to donate my organs if I decide to get a bike, and an unfortunate accident occurs. I would like to think that won't be the case, but one never knows.

Cheesehead as a experienced rider I can tell you that my feelings about riding a bike here resemble dntwups. These islands are not the place for a bike. As a car driver now, I'd rather see a motorcycle any day over a bicycle. These island roads are very dangerous, blind curves, potholes the size of an economy car (not there one day and there the next), steep hills with gravel, etc... With a motorcycle its always a matter of when, but here your number will come up quicker. Those that have lived here have seen the obituaries.

Now the people with the bicycles are just stark raving mad. Like the sheep and goats that just walk in front of your car. The island roads were never ever meant for them.

I would like to comment on the "motorcycle thing". I do not ride a motorcycle and have only been on one a few times on island. Based on my observation of bike riders, The dire warnings are probably true, but they do not need to be. It is more about the rider than the vehicle.

Yes, there are hills ,potholes, slippery places and bad drivers. The thing that makes a motorcycle more dangerous is you.. the driver (rider). You are just as exposed walking or on a bicycle or small car,as on a MC but if you ride more defensively on a motorcycle you can minimize the danger.

Bottom line is that the fast acceleration and cornering and darting in and out of traffic increases the danger. If you ride your bike like a little old lady you will probably be fine. However, most MC riders haven't figured that out, or refuse to change (until they crash). Ask Marty. (where are you Marty, is your puter still broke?)

So,my advice, ride your bike slower than you want to, make other drivers aware of your position and you will be just fine. Or as fine as any driver on island roads.

It is a little more than that. The lose gravel on the roads and the post holes. You can come around a corner and hit some loose gravel that you cannot see that will wipe you out. Same with the pot holes. Everyone that comes to visit us wants to ride our motorcycles and everyone of them has wiped out on loose gravel. Obviously I am not against riding motocycles on the islands as we ride ours but you really need to pay attention to what you are doing. I would not recommend people who are on vacation to use that mode of transportation.

Yes, I've had a bad experience with loose gravel here on a road heavily used for logging. Going through a turn the bike slid on the gravel and went right out from under me. I guess my whole thought here is that if my roomie has her jeep, I could hitch rides with her when need be, and putt around on the scooter as well. That way we wouldn't be adding two more vehicles to the island. I will say that here stateside I'm accustomed to riding sports bikes with 1000cc engines, what I envision having down there is just your basic scooter; here they're not even classified as motorcycles because the engines are only like 150cc.

How fast do people drive down there? I probably would be putting around like a "little old lady" anyhow. I think the potholes the size of a small car that appear out of nowhere sound like the biggest hazard.

If you've never been here, you better do a pre-move visit before you ship anything down.

If you've never been here, you better do a pre-move visit before you ship anything down.

Thanks for the candid advice.

It could save you a lot of $$ in the long run. It's always better to see things first-hand. Hope you find a place that works with your dog!

I had a Harley decades ago, before my spouse, our son, and the VI became a part of my life. I would not ride a bike in the VI no matter how adept I was at defensive driving, but I believe everyone should be free to make such decisions for themselves. I am entirely serious about organ donation as the odds of bike riders becoming organ donors here is higher, and usable donor organs are in great demand.

I'm an organ donor here in the states, and you're right, it is a serious topic. If people are going to take the risks involved in riding motorcycles, they need to be responsible and think of helping others in case of a life ending accident. If you ride, you have to accept this potential outcome. If you can't, you shouldn't be on a bike anywhere, period.

Ah, the debate lives on. 😉 Here's another story -- being on a bike on STJ, rather than in a car, once saved me from getting into a very serious accident. Container truck, Centerline Road, blind curve -- the truck driver was doing the usual 50-mph downhill race to the ferry and taking up not just 2/3 of the road like usual but 3/4 of it! There was zero time to react and noplace to get out of the way. Fortunately, because I was on my scooter and already hugging the left shoulder, my passenger and I were not hit. If we'd been in a Jeep, even hugging the shoulder, at best the vehicle would have been totalled; at worst we would have both been seriously injured or even killed by the collision.

A 200cc engine is not a minimum requirement for St. John if there's only one person on the bike -- me and my gear/groceries did great on a 150cc scooter for several months last fall, and I went everywhere, a lot -- but it's not enough if you're nearing the vehicle's carrying capacity (generally 300 lbs on a scoot). I think a dual-sport motorcycle is the way to go on STJ due to better tire grip and better maneuverability compared with a scooter. Motorcycles aren't always easy to find on island -- if you know exactly what you want, you might want to ship it from the States. You'll also need to be comfortable doing your own maintenance.

Good luck!

I still stand by the 250cc. With a bike a big part of defensive driving is offensive driving. If you have to get out of a sticky situation you need some power, and going uphill on a 150cc doesn't give you much. On a stx hill no problem but stj I have a very hard time believing thats enough. I like the dual sport or motorcycle idea much better as well.

I agree with Betty. the 150cc or 200cc may get you up the hill, but it will surly p*ss of anyone behind you. Of course if you have no consideration for others, go right ahead.

I agree with Betty. the 150cc or 200cc may get you up the hill, but it will surly p*ss of anyone behind you. Of course if you have no consideration for others, go right ahead.

Ouch! The people behind couldn't pass if I"m on the shoulder? Well, I'll find out soon enough; going to come down in May I think and check it out. That's good advice about the maintenance. I can handle basic maintenance, but major repairs, ehhhh, I don't know.....

fdr, thanks for the story!

lol....no offense but you do need a pmv...no shoulders on any of these islands....you're very lucky if theres grass to go into and not thick tree like brush. You will need to be handy and come down with basic parts for bike so you don't have to order anything.