Info/Relocation/Guidance

You can do an amazing amount of research on this site BUT nothing will be apparent and fully understood until you spend the time and money to come here on a pre move visit to see the island style differences you will experience 1st hand. It is not for everybody - can be a wonderful choice for some people - and is far removed from the culture and lifestyle in Chicago. Securing housing or a job before you arrive has always been difficult and is usually discouraged by respondents on this forum for many reasons.

I understand without a doubt it's fully different from Chicago..hence my will to try something new and the fact that I cannot find a suitable job at this time.

I also realize visiting first is much more beneficial. By looking around at costs/flights/hotel etc, it would really put a dent into my moving/relocation savings and isnt' feasible at this time.

Are there hostels/temp housing available until I could find I place and get on my feet? I do have more than a few thousand dollars saved.

Thanks for the input.

Chicagoblues, although it is not recommended by posters on this board, I moved to St. Croix without visiting beforehand. It can be done, but it takes a lot of planning and research beforehand. I would say we planned for 6-9 months before coming. We learned about the demographics of the island, where to go, where not to go, where to look for work (it's hard to find a job or apartment before you arrive as people don't want to spend time working with someone who may never end up coming down), who to talk to about finding a place to live, what prices of food and overall cost of living will be. We basically bought one-way tickets and made sure we had enough money to get home if things didn't work out. We got a hotel for our first few nights and made appointments with realtors for our first full day on island. We were able to find a place we could move into the very next day, which was pretty lucky. Whatever you do, be sure to factor in buying/renting a car because you really need one down here.

As for what island, use the search function on this site to get an idea of what each island has to offer, as this is asked often here. Good luck with your research and let us know what you decide!

-Kate

Good night chicagoblues,

It's easier to put a dent into your moving expenses than it is to scrape up what you need to move back to the states. Not that a blind move can't be done successfully, but I've seen a lot more of the other story. If all you want is an adventure, by all means move down anytime. If you really want a new way of life, you may or may not find what you are looking for.

There is temporary housing available. Read the archives and the moving stories on this board.

Keep us posted as you go along.

Thanks for the the ideas and suggestions. I can tell you that I plan on coming down for a few weeks to visit and do some hands on dissection next month. I purchased someones unused tickets through FlyHub for $250 so that's not bad at all. After doing many hours of research on this site (so much so that I thought I was losing vision) and reading ALL the stories tells me that it's best I do come first, get educated and find out the 'In's and outs' of the island(s), meet some people and decide what's best for me given my situation. I anticipate accomplishing a lot during my two week stay..

I also did some research and found a lot of good housing options via craigslist and sublet.com etc..I ordered a few of the relocation books as well. It sounds like everyone is so friendly and willing to assist and lend a hand. Seems like an amazing place.

Thanks again. Any other thoughts and recommendations are much appreciated.

Have a great afternoon.

-Mike