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okay, ill retry this. i need as much info as possible to get myself on my way to the islands. i just saw my first jimmy buffett concert this weekend in vegas and it was the straw that broke the camels back. i have been stewing over this decision for a long time and finally decided that the islands are where i need to be, so i have narrowed it down to either st. croix, st. thomas, or st. john. the questions i have are basic.
#1- Getting there-- I will be leaving from the west coast. what are some of the best ways to find a cheap flight to st. thomas? which airport is the best to fly into (stt, or stx) do you know if it is possible to get an open ended ticket? or how much that would cost? whats the average cost of a flight to the usvi?
#2-Finding a place to live-- When i get there and am trying to establish a place of residency, is there a hostel or an inexpensive place to crash for however long it takes to find a place to live? how long does it usually take to find a place to live? is it eay to find people to room with or just get a studio type place? whats the average cost of renting an apartment/room?
#3-- I have recently been working por the princess cruise line in alaska as a bartender on the train so im really into the customer service type jobs, entertainment, bartending,food serving, scuba diving, outdoors. so which island would be the best place to find a job in the tourism industry? what part of the island would be a good place to get to to find one of those jobs? Whats the average payscale there?
#4--- communication-- I love my mother dearly so i must be able to keep in contact with her, how is the postal system there, is it pretty much the same as the mainland? are there internet cafes to e-mail from?
#5-- Transportation-- Im thinking about getting something preally small and cheap, a bicycle, or a scooter/moped. about how much would each of those cost? whats the gas prices like there?
im sorry if a lot of my questions sound ingorent, i really dont know anything about living on the island, except that i want to. it has always been a dream of mine and im trying to make it a reality. i apologize if some of my questions are dumb, but i just want to find out what i can about the VI to make that transition easily, any info would help, contact numbers, e-mail, websights. thank you
Posted : September 23, 2003 3:41 pm
Hi michael,
you sound just like us a few months back when we had all the same questions! Dont worry, all that info, and alot more, is right here, Everyone has been very helpful and we are looking foward to meeting them on the islands when we arrive ( in 5 days! ) just wanted to give you a word of encouragement on your dicision to move because we are moving from fairbanks Alaska! There going to think Alaska is invading them soon! We are also going down with 2 other people, and about a dozen behind me waiting to see how the report is. I work for home depot so job is taken care of, Ronnie at villa fairview can help you out with a temporary room...I have a feeling you live in Anchorage if you work on the train..but, if you live in Fairbanks you will get a kick out of there being a " Fairview" apts in st. thomas! Ha Ha....I'll explain later Ronnie... All things are possible, even moving out of Alaskas lovely brisk 50 below weather to the islands 73 degree winter low. I still have not figured out what to do with ALL my clothes. I think I have about 3 t-shirts and 2 pair of shorts that I usually reserved for the 3 months of summer here. Ronnie has assured me of near celebrity status due to being a transpotted Alaskan, ( I'll have to hold onto my drivers liscence for a while just to win a few bar bets! ) ha ha! people will probly point and stare, also due to being the palest mexican youve ever seen! I will be known on st. thomas as the only albino mexican and will probly squint for the first year and ask repeatedly " what is that big orange thing in the sky? and when does it go away for the year??) Ha Ha, well Ive answered none of your questions and only managed to amuse myself... but isnt that whats its all bout.. Time to go!! See you on St. Thomas!! P.S. Im burning my cartharts and sorels!
Posted : September 23, 2003 9:14 pm
Much better 🙂
St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John - you stil have lots of narrowing down to do. 🙂
First suggestion read all of the moving guide on this site. In the topic Island Life there are sub topics on the right hand side too - so dont miss those sections also.
#1- Getting there-- Best way to find cheap tickets - search the net, sign up for the weekly newsletters with fare specials, American, Delta, US Airlines, Continental - check them all out. All try yahoo travel, cheap tickets and other ticket sites. Call a travel agent and see what they qoute you - just look around. Best airport - if you are going to St. THomas or St. John fly to St. Thomas airport... if you are going to St. Croix then fly to St. Croix. You might also try flying to Puerto Rico and taking a small commuter to the island you are moving to. Open ended - I dont think so. One way you can buy. Avg. cost depends.... from west coast I have found tickets anywhere from $400-1500 depending on season... avg. price $600-800 that usually gets qouted... but look around for a deal.
#2-Finding a place to live-- No hostels. There are b&b... avg low end price - $55-75 a night. You can find a place to live in a day.... depends on how picky you are and if you have the money to pay the first month, last month and deposit. You can get studios sure... and room-mates can be found once you start working and making friends at work that might be willing to room with you. Don't usually find room mate wanted asds though. Apartment cost can be found in the housing section of the moving guide on this site.
#3-- Busiest island for bartending and food service with most variety of option is St. Thomas. Tourism jobs can be found on all three islands... There are restaurants and hotels scattered all over the islands... the islands are not large... on St. Thomas most hotels and restaurants are in Charlotte Amalie and East End. Pay scale for bartending and restaurant - hard to say - their $$ comes mostly from tip so it depends on how busy the place you work at gets and how good you are. There is a payscale chart in the employment section of the moving guide on this site.
#4--- communication-- Postal system in US federal postal system, there is UPS, Fed Ex... all that stuff. Internet, cell phones, long distance... yes yes yes... you can call anywhere from here. No issues there.
#5-- Transportation-- Rethink a bicycle and a scooter - they are not the optimum transportation for the USVI which are hilly, curvy, steep... ect... short rain showers, drivers are used to 2 wheeled vehicles, no side walks really or side areas just the road then the grass or drop off. Gas prices are in the cost of living section in the moving guide so is transporation.
None of your questions sound ignorant - glad you are doing your homework - You should read the moving guide lots of your answers are there. And you do need to do your research to make the transition smoother like you said.
All the best - read the sections I suggested and then ask the new questions that come up - as usually more questions do come up. LOL
--Islander
Posted : September 24, 2003 4:24 am
As usual, Islander has most of the answers to everybody's questions. Someday he will explain how he came to know all this stuff. I don't think I've ever seen him give a bad answer. I would also suggest you purchase and memorize the Settler's Handbook. There will be a test when you get here. Islander is also correct about the three islands. Even though they are in the same territory, they are as different in their personalities as they can be. It took us several trips to decide that St Croix was the island for us. It may or may not be the one for you. One of the three will probably be a fit for you. Check out the archives (Older messages) on this board also. That will not only answer a lot of your questions, it will probably bring up some things you haven't even thought about yet. The better prepared you are for the move, the easier and more pleasant it is.
Posted : September 25, 2003 9:03 pm
Michael,
Ric gives good advice - definately see which island will work best for you, they are all very different.
I wanted to add a note - you asked which airport to fly too. Get prices both for flying to St. Thomas and to St. Croix (if you intend to move to St. Croix that is)... seems as though because there are more airlines with flights to St. Thomas that its cheaper. Then you would need to figure in which commuter is cheapest to get you from St. Thomas to St. Croix OR alternatively you can fly to San Juan Puerto Rico and get a commuter airline to St. Croix. So note to previous post. IF you are moving to St. Thomas or St. John fly to St. Thomas ariport. IF its St. Croix then check out the multiple options to see which works best. You will find the airlines with service to the USVI in the getting here section of the general guide.
Ric - some day 🙂 the explanation will come. LOL. Thanks for your vote of confidence!!
--Islander
Posted : September 25, 2003 10:24 pm
