Just a reply to Michael. I see you feel the same way about St Croix as I do. Nice to hear good things about a great place. I agree with almost all of your opinions. Having been there 8 times and planning our 9th trip for this July, I have to say that you have done more things than I have. I always have big plans for each trip but never seem to get them done. I met a guy one time on a trip to Mexico and he had a terrific reply to one of my questions to him. He had been there for a month,kind of recovering from some sort of surgery,and I asked him what he did all day to pass the time. His answer was, "I'm so busy doing nothing,that I can't find time to do anything". That's what happens to me on St Croix.

One more thing. You guys talk about how much you had to drink on your trips. I got "rum poisoning" on a trip about 2 years ago.

Just kidding, but I kind of over did it with the rum. Easy to do on St Croix.

autumn;
It seems so easy to say, 'I'm moving to STX.' I want to be at the point of saying the same. However, it seems such a huge task.
I already wish I lived there, and I havn't even visited yet. Will get there this year for sure. Bigest concerns are need to earn a living, not being wealthy; and those large insurance premiums.
How would you suggest addressing these items? I've made many visits to the Caribbean, and every time wondered, why did I come back here? And I'm in Florida. Which is nice, but very very busy.

Yes, we are indeed thinking of moving there, but nothing is in stone yet. We’ve only been back for a week and plan on sitting down soon and honestly assessing our lives to consider the possibilities. We have many issues to consider. One is our dog, Lucky. He has an extremely thick, furry coat and he would be very uncomfortable in STX sun and heat. This means he’ll have to stay inside all the time in the AC, but can we afford AC? Also there is the issue with dogs not being very welcomed by native islanders, we’ve heard of poisonings, dognappings and such. We have to consider that as well. We also own a parrot. He is Blue Crown Conure that was captive bred and raised, but we do not know if we can bring him to the island.
There is also the house, two cars and many possessions to consider. Will we need to sell it off or pay to have it shipped? Is it worth selling off the cars and buying new on the island? How about employment? Both my wife and I are intelligent, honest, hard working people with more than 20 years of retail and real estate work under our belts, but we learned that work experience and dedication means absolutely squat on STX. We have heard stories of ‘substandard’ work performance to the extreme, but the person in question never looses their job because they were hired by a friend or family member. It seems that in the employment arena on STX that poor work habits are the norm and acceptable. As a retail manager, it would go against everything I was trained to do to let an employee not show up for work for weeks at a time and not terminate them, but I understand this is quite normal on STX. Bending the rules is not the problem for me, blatantly breaking them is and I would have a hard time adjusting to that.
These seem to be our only concerns for now. My wife and I are by no means hermits or antisocial in any way, but having a large social/party life is unimportant to us. All we really need is each other, a few good books, a good coffee maker, sunshine and a nice beach to relax on when not working.
I guess it comes down to weighing the pros and cons and deciding what is more important in life…quality or quantity.

Michael,
I remember you guys espeicially the beautiful red hair! Maybe you didn't notice but I was the real sweaty guy who grabbed coffee to go every morning at the Terrace at the end of my run. (Had to blow out that beer!)I tried to make it quick so as not to offend anyone!:) But I remember you guys sitting near the stairway quite often.

Jim W

Make use of the Relocating Message Board, a link for which is in the upper RH corner of this page under the ad for Virgin Islands Pictorial Guidebook.

Well, for me...I have already started saving & actually started a little business on the side to help me make the money to get started. i have decided to sell everything i own except some clothing and photos..simple stuff like that. it may seem like a whim to some...but as a child my mom & I traversed the states like it was nothing. this is a little different, but i believe fully that the powers above will be looking out for me. i have faith in good karma..and i don't mind working..even if it is not what i am accustomed to. For me, it is just about doing it! ;0)

Wonderful information Michael, thank you. Again, it really sounds like you convered the island. I had a good laugh about your example of islander directions - LOL. I look forward to reading your wife's report!

Check out our sister site on relocating and living in the Virgin Islands at http://www.vimovingcenter.com. There are discussions on the relocation board about birds, dogs, cost of living... the things you mentioned.

--Islander

Thanks for the very practicle answer. I agree with the philosophy.
If you can't live without a daily extravagance like Starbucks, don't go. I care little about going out to eat anything. They can not make it as good or as economical as I can cook it. I guarantee. A rental movie. A beach swim. A little fishing. Time to talk to friends [in person] What more do ya' need? This cell phone culture here is nuts.

it was so nice to go there and not see a huge escalade or bmw everytime i turned around. not concerned with starbucks...i get my coffee at 7-11!!! since i have stopped eating most meat, going out to eat has not been as important. my concern when i first thought of moving was "how will i live without carne asada fries?!)---but now it is "no problemo" ;0)

Loved your pictures. Thanks for sharing

Thanks for your great info. and beautiful photos. We will be going to STX for the first time in August. Did you go horseback riding with Equus? If so, please tell us about it. Also, we were thinking about a moonlit kayak on Salt River, and parasailing. Did you do those? Thanks again for writing. Congratulations!

We went horseback riding with Paul and Jill's. Our decision to go with them was based on hearing that she takes unprecedented care of her horses. We had a blast as Jill does not treat you like a baby and spoon feed you. (I and my wife have never been on horseback before, but we are both healthy, strong and well coordinated people and learn quickly. Neither of us likes being babied.)
Moonlight kayak? I didn’t even know there was such a thing and we were there for three weeks! Sounds like fun though, but I would suggest dousing yourself in Deep Woods Off before you go out. Seriously!
Parasailing we did consider, until we saw the price, it was just a little out of our price range.