need advice will be moving to stx on march 9th

Good Morning Matt,

Do yourself a HUGE favor and start reading this forum! You need money, and more then you think from what I have read. Get a plan together for at least your first week. Know what you need as far as documents go. What are you prepared to do to make money? If you are 19 and have already graduated, you must be smart and hard working! You can figure this out, it just takes research.

Good Luck!

Mike

im a 19 year old male college grad with a short suppy of cash. i have a plane ticket for stx and plan to stay a year at least if not longer. ill be there march 9th and have no idea where to go from the airport. i know nobody there and have no plans for my arrivel. i have no place to stay and no definate job. any advise and help would be great and i look forward to meeting you all in march and the year to come.

thanks, matthew

No cash, no place to stay, no job, don't know anybody,

And you're a "19 yr old college grad" who doesn't know that "arrival" is spelled with two "a's" and not an "e"; and that "definite" has two i's, and no "a" ???

I hope this post is a fake.

At the very least secure yourself a hotel room for a couple of weeks and have a return ticket in case you cannot find employment or a place to stay. Good luck.

I did something like that when I was younger but I always made sure I had a few bucks, some clothes and at least a tent or a sleeping bag and a plan B ( like a round trip ticket). It's possible, you're young,WTF go for it. Before you get here book a room in town for a week or so then network your brains out.

I agree with Bombi, net work your brains out & then some!!!
And have have have that ticket home! You can alway burn it (after you find shelter & job & been here at least 6mons - 1yr)...........;)
Have fun & Good luck..read these threads & DO NOT let anyone know you are ALONE & the fact you know NO O NE once you arrive.
FYI - Cab fare is almost $40 to C'sted & somethng close to $30 to F'sted, they may even charge you per bag from the airport & honey you can't rent a car at 19! Already costing you some jack & you just got here!

To Neil, yes i am a 19 year old college grad and im lucky that was the only thing i miss spelled never was any good at spelling and i hate to read. i find life is not in a book but in you mind. i plan on living to have fun ive taken care of my self sence i was 16 and will be able to take care of my self there. i dont need much money for i can make it by whats on my back with no problem. to me you sound like someone that doesnt have a life or thinks theyre better than everyone in life. but im not going to explain the limits of life to you for people are a waist of my time. please do us all a fav and keep your bs to yourself. nobody respests someone who lacks respect.

to the rest thank you but dont think ill have the money to rent a place and get an appartment later, so i guess ill just be backpacking it till i find an apt. and i got two legs that work great lol so i plan on walkin or bikin till i get a job and some more money saved. im just gunna start a new chapter in my life and see what happens but any more info will be great
thanks again

I'm not quite sure what you mean by backpacking it but finding cheap, temporary accommodation is difficult in stx. There are no hostels or motels. During season, the cheapest hotels I can think of run for at minimum $100 a night. I have seen ads in the paper for room rentals that are around $30-40 a night short term, but I can't remember where they are located or how that works. Perhaps someone else on the board has seen those ads in the Avis recently? It's not advisable to sleep or camp on the beach (unless its Easter, but that's a whole other story ;)) or anywhere on island that is not your property because of the crime risks. Mount Victory is a good campsite, but not within walking distance of anything.

Anyway, I think your best bet would be to go to C'sted when you arrive on island since there are more job opportunities and more young people possibly in need of a roommate. You really do need to find a place to stay your first few nights however, since it would simply be dangerous not to have a roof over your head. Some of the cheaper options in c'sted: King Christian Hotel, Best Western? maybe. In F'sted, Cottages by the Sea, Frederiksted hotel. In season rates are so high now, maybe others can help with specific suggestions.

Good Luck.

What's your degree in? What kind of work do you plan to find?

You need a car in stx to get a job or you need to live in town. Bus are not reliable and break down all the time. Taxi are very expensive, safari taxi's are not unreliable but not reliable either. Walking or bicycle riding in stx is dangerous. We have very narrow roads with lots of sharp curves and people drive fast. So you need to have a kind of death wish to do it on a regular basis on the main streets.

I could be totally wrong but like many you seem to have an idea in your head of what island like should be, with the talk of backpacking. I think you may want something more rustic then the usvi. We are not at all underdeveloped, it is has become the opposite. What you are talking about doing is not safe at all here. Especially as a statesider you will be an outsider and a much bigger target if you plan to sleep on the beach. Crime is quite bad on the islands.

I would save stateside, because it is easier to do. Jobs pay less here and cost of living is much higher then most places stateside.

It makes my heart hurt to hear anyone say they hate books and reading. Its like your speaking a foreign language, I just can't understand that mindset. Can only imagine college was hell for you you with the amount of reading you have to do for it.

Hey Woolley, Betty has some good advice there...esp. the reading part. Man, you are missing out on so much if you are not reading! Geez reading a great book is like seeing an amazing movie all in your mind! And there's so much to learn about the world by reading that you CANNOT just conjure up in your mind by yourself. I will also add that March in STX (and the VI) is almost the beginning of the slow season and we've already been affected by the economic downturn in the states, so March is not be the best time to move here. I wish you luck, but you are surely gonna need it.

Well since it wasn't reading , it certainly wasn't " 'riting " maybe it was " 'rithmatic " ?
It sounds like your ideas about moving to the VI are not being based on the reality of the situation here - people have offered some good advice but with an attitude of ... "waist" of my time ... less and less of these helpful ideas will be forthcoming.

again i think all of you for the info your are giving i may be 19 but ive been on my own since about 16 i understand things cost money but also understand what i can do with out in life. i guess my ? should be more toward what i should do when i get there. ive been saving money and have been lookin up more and more info 4 months now. i plan to go to chrsted and get a place and a job. ive been a server 4 years now and have my degree as a graphic designer and work with photography.

and i no stx is not rustic just stating that i can live out of a backpack(not that i want to)

and again a "waste" of my time is not the helpful info but the words of exit zero but it happened to be mathmatics and art
and so what if i have typos and use the wrong term you still no... i mean KNOW what im talkin about and i never proof read anything i dont no y tho it would save me from having to right this o well always good to have people to talk to

look 4ward to meeting you all in person (even you neil and exit zero)

If/when you come, please post here after a few week and give us a report. You are blowing us off, but we know what we're talking about. Youcan't just "live out of a backpack" here and we're trying to help you see that.

You may do fine and hook up with a job and place to live immediately. Do you know you have to have a health card to work with food? There are past posts on how to get one.

Good luck.

woolley,
Check out my website at http://www.virginislandsrentals.com.

My least expensive rental is $750 per month, plus utilities, for short term. I don't know yet if that unit will be available in March, but if you are interested, you can PM me here or email casita37@hotmail.com. I don't offer daily or weekly, but I will rent for a month (or longer). We require first month, last month, one month security deposit, $200 utility deposit, and for short term stays, we also charge a $50 cleaning/turnover fee. A one month stay would mean $1750 to move in. You would probably use up most of the utility deposit for electric and water, maybe just half, if you conserve. (If you wanted to stay longer, you would also need to pay the last month in advance.)

We highly recommend you have some form of transportation to live here. We are approx. 3 miles from downtown Christiansted, and it's not an easy walk!

I am posting this instead of sending a PM in case there are others who may be interested.

im not blowing yall off im thanking you for every bit of info i get i no i need money im saving every pennie i will always stay posted aslong as i have a connection 4 i never want to lose contact with those that help me in my life. i am comin no matter what just tryin to get info 4 my stand point i have a small cash flow but i hope to have at least 5000 if not more. main thing i just want to meet new people and make new friends
thank again