To Move or Not to Move

Read "Don't Stop the Carnival" by Herman Wouk.

What you are asking is a HUGE question with so many variables. You need to do a little homework and come back with more specific questions. 🙂

At the top of this page you will see tabs that say Home, PreMove, The Move, Island Life, etc... Start by reading all of those tabs. Then read this message board like it was a book, IT is the best source of information out there. You just have to skim past the petty bickering. You will find answers to questions you never thought to ask.

OK, this may sound harsh but it's really meant to give you some guidance.

You've said : "My husband and I are beginning our research as to whether or not we would be able to move to the U.S.V.I." Well - doing "research" is more than just posting a very broad question on a 'relocation forum", especially this one which is so chock full of information it will take you weeks to read everything. What I'm trying to say is YOU have to do the research. AS Hiya pointed out there are loads of links at the top of this page - start there and read EVERYTHING - you'll find answers to all your questions and scores more that you haven't even thought of yet.

Everyone who has visited this site has, at one time or another, been bitten by the "wouldn't it be great to live/work on an island in the Caribbean". That's why this forum was created and there's tons of information here - it's free for the taking. YOUR only requirement is to invest time in reading the material.

Basic questions like "what's the cost of living", "what's the job market like" and "what's involved in running a business" have been covered thoroughly on the relocation portion of this website and in literally thousands of posts on this forum - use the search feature and you'll find they are among the most discussed topics.

So prepare yourself for some reading - you'll find the material here very informative. After your initial research if you still have question come back to the forum - you'll find that you'll get a lot more help if you've done your homework BEFORE you start asking questions.

Now for some general answers:
1) As a rule of thumb Cost of Living in the islands is probably going to be higher and wages for comparable jobs are going to be lower than you are use to seeing "back home".
2) The availability of jobs is similar to other areas. The economy in the islands is not that much different from other parts of the world - it all depends on your abilities & skill levels. Are people employed as teaches and aircraft mechanics - certainly. Would you be able to find a job in those professions - perhaps. Finding employment in the USVI's takes the same effort as it does anywhere. How successful YOU will be depends on what YOU have to offer.
3) Operating a Bed & Breakfast - That's a dream shared by hundreds, if not thousands of people - if it was easy everyone would be doing it. If you have the financial wherewithal to purchase and renovate a desirable property and enough extra money to support yourself in the endeavor you'll probably find relatively easy - if you are looking at it as a way to earn a decent living then it could be quite a challenge. There's an old saying that goes something like this - Q - How do you make a $1 million in the Caribbean? A- Start with $2 million. You need to do lots of REAL RESEARCH and DUE DILIGENCE to get answers about the feasibility of running a Bed & Breakfast. I can tell you this - I know several couples who, over the years, have tried operating a B&B and in each case they failed within a few years. I'm not saying you can't be successful doing it but rather it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and the ability to withstand financial downturns.

Good luck in your research.

Ditto on the B&B and Beach bars dream. Live here at LEAST a year. It's so hard to make a business work here that you really need a good lay of the land and you need to make contacts and really get to know people. I worked my way thru college working in hotels and have a good idea what running a B&B would be like. You would work hard and very little free time. As guest will call you with non-emergencies and real emergencies. Not to mention cleaning and cooking every single day. Never being able to say no to guests for fear of a bad review. Hotel guests are kinda a pain in the ass, soon as I graduated I got away from hotels asap. Or at least the customer service part of it.

Q - How do you make a $1 million in the Caribbean? A- Start with $2 million.

That would be increasing your money by 50%, but the joke goes more like this:
Q - How do you leave the Caribbean with $1 million?
A - Come with $2 million.

Not to cut to the chase or anything, but I think if you are even asking should we, you shouldn't. Not yet. Take a long visit. Also, the more different ways you can earn a living, the more likely you will keep money flowing when "things change" which they always do.

Just to speak to one question: Running a B&B - there are quite a few seminars in many parts of the country that will give you a very good insight into this as a business plan - in the VI or anywhere.
Cape May NJ has a large concentrations of B&Bs - if you are on the NE corridor it might be worth a visit.

Thanks for all of the insight. I have been reading and apparently just need to continue doing so. If I have specific questions in the future, I will be sure to ask.

Thanks!

Re: B&Bs, you might get a hold of Ronnie Lockhart who is a board participant under the sketchy name of "Ronnie". ;). He runs a successful B&B in his family home. He is also active in a group of small hotels and inns.