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OK, I know this is not travel related and I may come across as a techno geek but have you sat back and thought about how good things are with the Internet? It has become such a daily part of our lives we take what it provides for granted. Of course it won't solve all the worlds problems and probably added some but we are communicating about the USVI as if we all live 'around the corner'.
Prior to the early 90's (other than for residents), the only way any of us could see scenes of the islands was through a travel brochure or our own albums. Forget about what a villa or restaurant were like or what to expect when we got there. Now we live through others visits, learn about places to stay, get updated restaurant ratings and (heaven forbid) even check the weather before leaving home.
When my wife and I first started going to the USVI, none of this was available and although the 'unknown' added to the excitement of the trip, I much prefer the way it is now. Just wanted to acknowledge how good we have it and how much I appreciate this board.
I now step off my soapbox and return you to your regularly scheduled programming...
🙂
It's truly a gift
or a curse if you consider how addicted someone with OCVPD (Obsessive Compulsive Vacation Planning Disorder) like me is.
I honestly cannot believe how I ever got along without it. Thanks to everyone for your fabulous insight!
I totally agree... but there are some drawbacks.
The key drawback is that your little secret island oasis is now more popular than ever! It sounds as if a lot of people who have been visiting STJ for several years are not happy about the growing tourist industry. The internet is one of the reasons why.
On the flip side, I wouldn't have been able to research villas, reserve our villa, ask the owner several questions without calling long distance, research charter boats, reserve a charter boat and order my copy of F,F&FWD without the internet and email.
Hell, I'm trying to understand how I ran my business up to about seven years ago, without access as now possible. So forget about just researching vacations. What is great now is with laptop in hand, a wireless connection at Gallows Point I can run a business, make money all in a tee shirt and shorts. Now that's what I call progress.
The coral is in trouble:
Nick,
I'm trying to make the connection; so the heat responsible for the dying coral is generated by folks using the Internet to plan their vacations to the USVI 🙂 ?
(DISLAIMER: I do not mean to imply that coral dying is amusing. I am only noting that the reason the coral is dying is unrelated to Internet based vacation planning, which is the topic of this thread.)
let's go snorkeling!!!!! oh yeah i'm in pa damn!!!!
Al Gore invented the internet. Al Gore wrote a book on the enviroment stating that global warming is one of the greatest threats to mankind. The coral are suffering because of warm waters.
Sheesh, do I have to explain everything.
Truly a double edged sword.
When we first planned a trip to the USVI the travel agent knew only of STT and was amazed we wanted to stay on STJ. "There's nothing there!", was her response and we had to settle for Caneel!
I am afraid the ready access has opened the development box and changed the old island we knew so well. We can't go back, but hopefully, visionaries will stand tall and establish the necessary balance.
LOL
Of course, taking a page from the Clinton defence manual...that depends on your definition of Al Gore 🙂
Good point Chris. Not wanting to get political or anything like that but he has redefined himself a few times.
Now let me go smack myself for saying that.
Are you an 'A' personality by nature (hammock picture doesn't indicate that), need to stay in touch for business or just like to 'dabble' while on vacation? I need to shut down and leave everything at home.
WOW this thread is like watching an ADD kid on crack run around in a schoolyard. Talk about topic swings. Should we talk about meat again too?
And promoguy the only real progress I see you talking about is that you have your shorts on. Now THATS progress.
Sorry sarcastic happy mood today. Holiday so no work. Happy Transfer Day everyone....
First of all I hope Stu Scott allows me to answer and with out making reference to my shorts.
Actually, not an A personality at all. Hammock is a good indicator. My business consists of me and my wife. We're a promotional products distributor. Since I have laptop and bells and whistles to run the business on it, it works. If someone wants a meeting, I figure out some excuse. For reorders, no problem. We're in Los Angeles so the three hours ahead helps us when we're on STJ. It is not a business where I can just stop making appointments for a couple of weeks. That is why we opt for the past ten years to head to STJ.
I also have a couple of clients on STJ so it works out nice.
Happy to hear someone has found the 'ideal' job.
Back to your first post: having this board and the internet to plan my trip has been wonderful. I feel that I will be able to relax and enjoy my vacation more because of knowing certain things that you all have shared over the internet. I was able to pick and choose what restaurants we would both enjoy because of online menus and others sharing their experience. I learned which beaches to find the best snorkeling and how to get to them. I learned it is worth it to rent a car and how to find parking. I found out about boat trips to places called "The Baths" and "The Bubbly Pool" and "The Indians" and "The Caves" and The Willy T. We can check the cruise ship schedule to plan our days accordingly. And sooooo... much more. With respect to traveling, the internet is a great thing.
Back before the internet, there still was a lot of information available. Most of us remember books even if we no longer use them. I travelled through Asia using the "On a Shoestring", then the "Lonely Planet" travel books and have used them to get around Mexico, Hawaii, Ireland in addition to unfamiliar areas of mainland US. You need to choose your guidebook carefully. A Frommer or Fodor guidebook will result in a very different experience than a Lonely Planet-assisted trip will. We first came to STJ in the mid-80s using guidebooks. I actually enjoy some of the adventure of not having a clear picture and having to improvise and be surprised as I travel. I plan more than I did when I was in my 20s, but I still enjoy going somewhere new without much info. Books still work pretty good. I always encourage travellers to get, study and use guidebooks.
Different strokes for different folks. Can we all get along?
Hi Nick.
I too made some Lonely Planet guided trips and I found that guidebooks were better than nothing but more often than not, the information I sought resided in numerous places and I had to request each place send it, which used lots of paper and plenty of fuel to transport the paper products, in stages, from the printer to my home. Furthermore, guidebooks were often outdated, especially for those out of the way places one might visit on a shoestring, because it took so much time for those who amassed the data to write up their information, submit their write ups to a publisher who then collected write-ups from various sources until he had what constituted a book and then submitted the material to a printer who printed and then distributed what he'd printed to booksellers where those interested in the data could finally retrieve it. I think the Internet, in all its imperfect glory, is a pretty terrific vacation-planning tool.
Oh, of course the internet is a great planning tool. It's current, there can be dialogue and information sharing. What I was getting at was that we weren't in the dark ages before the internet. I still don't travel by internet alone. I'm always packing my Lonely Planet book. And for STJ, as an example, I would always encouage someone to get a copy of "STJ: Off the Beaten Path" or "Feet, Fins & 4WD" to use as they explore the island.
