pgtips

Anyone moved to the Caribbean in the last year ?
If so please share your experiences good and bad so far.
Would love to hear how it is going.

Foxy_fromCanada

Netsirk and I moved to Barbados from Toronto in May (Netsirk) and July (me).

I feel like it's still kinda early to really know what's good/bad, you know? But, I'll give it a go, just for you

Barbados sometimes gets a bad rap for customer service, which seems like a paradox for a country so reliant on tourism. I have to admit, I have found this to be the case fairly regularly. But, every once in a while, you come across someone who is happy, smiling, cheerful, and wants to help. I try to remember them more often because they make my day.

Bajan women also get a bad rap for being unfriendly, while the men are sometimes accused of being "too" friendly. I have only been here a few short months, so I am still trying to develop friendships. Expats seem strangely drawn to one another, sometimes with the only common link being our uncommonness. So far, I do have expat friends (male and female), but not many Bajan friends - the Bajan friends I do have so far are mostly men (I met them through my boyfriend), and do not fall into the stereotype. I hope that I'll be able to make friends with more Bajans, as I don't want to live in an ex-pat bubble. I've also had an injury for the past 6 weeks that has prevented me from getting around much and meeting people, so hopefully that will change soon once I'm back to walking properly.

Barbados is a fairly affluent country, in comparison with some other islands, and I feel safe here pretty much all the time (without being naive). Barbados is not in the path of hurricanes, so that is also a big plus. Being from Toronto, the weather is a nice plus as well.

Barbados is also known to be expensive, and I have found this to be true as well. However, there are some odd things that are surprisingly cheap here, compared with North America. For example, cell phones are quite cheap here when you compare the same purchase in Canada (e.g. flat-out, without a 3-year contract with the carrier). Going to the movies is remarkably cheap in comparison with where I've lived in Canada. Liquor is ridiculously cheap in comparison. Those are just some examples off the top of my head.

There are some things I've had to experience that I would never have to experience at home, like visiting Immigration for a visitor's extension. So while I found that to be an agonizing process in Barbados, I actually don't know how bad it is in comparison with someone in my shoes in Canada.

So that's a very incomplete list, but perhaps others will add value from their own experiences.

Bottom line: I would not change anything if I had it to do over again. It has always been important to me to expand my world as much as possible, and living in another country is a great way to do it. This is my second stint, as I previously spent a year in Japan teaching ESL. Each experience adds layers to my character, I'd like to think.

HTH
Foxy

pgtips

Great to hear things are going well for you so far Foxy and I agree about different experiences adding layers to one's character.

Lets hope this inspires some others to share some of their experiences about actually living the life after the initial move.

investalot

I moved to Grand Bahama Island with my family last year having lived in Spain for seven years previously. I always wanted to raise the kids in a Country where the climate encourages outside activities and not just TV and computer games etc.
Also it was important to be able to earn a crust to pay for the necessary things we need in life.
I researched several areas and found GBI by accident on one of those UK property shows while watching in Spain!
Initially I took a trip and bought some land while visiting and decided to have a house built....all went very smoothly after the nightmare of doing the same in Spain what with crooked lawyers and rogue builders.
It was refreshing to find that the purchase and building was similar in experience to the UK without the high prices. I now use the builder to build homes for some of my clients and he reimburses me for the leads,
So all in all we are very happy with our move and it is only a 30 minute flight to Florida and the biggest shopping mall in the world...much to my wife's delight.

pgtips

Great to hear investalot, keep on enjoying the good life. How are the kids enjoying it ? You are so right about the kids being stuck in front of the TV or computer.

investalot

Both boys love it !!.........Youngest one (12) doesn't wear more than a pair of shorts all year...Eldest(15) enjoys the small school numbers and has made lots of friends, plenty of sport available and the transition from Spain has been easy considering they spent seven years there. We wanted to get them back speaking English and I believe there is a great future in this part of the world with the USA so close and their understanding of Spanish culture and language will help if they decide to work in South America or Cuba !!
Buy the way us parents quite like it as well !!!!!!!

sally456

Hi All,

I have never visited the Caribbean but i'd love to visit it this year with my partner, could anyone recommend some really nice cheap places? i'd really like to visit Guantanamo Bay or St Lucia, all the 'expensive' islands! I'm now 25 and have a very tight budget as im hoping to travel to quite afew places next year with my partner travelling. Some advice would be great!

Thanks
Sally

Foxy_fromCanada

Lots of unique places to see here in the Caribbean... all depends on what you're looking for. If your budget is really tight, there will be a few places that may not be feasible to visit.

You might want to check out the costs of flights between islands here, to help you determine where you can afford to go once you arrive. Liat flies to most of the islands www.liatairline.com.

Barbados, where I live, is a great island to visit. Safe, clean, and out of the way of the hurricanes. Barbados is expensive, though, so I'm not sure it would fit into your budget. Just google it for more information on things to do.

If you're looking for a less expensive and party atmosphere, there's always Cancun, DR, Cuba - the regular "spring break" locations

pgtips

With St Lucia kinda going upmarket I would not say it is the cheapest island to visit, especially on a tight budget, however there are lots of quaint B'nB's that may suit your requirements.

sally456

Thanks for your help you 2, ill do some research and check out some bnb's

Belinda1974

Hi Sally,

Excuse my question, but what do you want to do in Guantanamo Bay??? There is really nothing interesting about that place, unless you or your husband are allowed to visit the US military base haha and I doubt so I guess you meant any other place??

AlvinR

wht's the main source of income in the Caribbean?...Wht kinda jobs are highly paid there?

Belinda1974

Hi Alvin,

not too many....I can only think about jobs in the offshore banking sector, maybe consulting and accounting. I would say, you can generally expect a higher paid jobs when a foreign owned company is involved, looking for more trained staff.
I have to add that the caribbean countries are most probably nothing for you if you are planning to get paid better than in the UK or US etc. These countries are not rich (well maybe except one or two islands) and like here in Grenada, people are really earning so little that they only can survive when living together with their family. Imagine that the average salary for Grenada is 800 - 1000 ECD, which is about 300 - 400 USD!!! Then, imagine, that electricity bills alone are an average of 300 ECD (= 110 USD) a month (not even big houses)!

I would say, if you find something innovative and start your own company, you will probably be better off than being employed. Depends on which island we are talking about.

pgtips

Agreed Belinda ia right in saying that the wages in comparison to US or UK is not that good, though there may be the odd exception.
Personally I think moving to the Caribbean is about a lifestyle choice, being that it is more for those wishing to live a relaxed, beach, outdoor kind of lifestyle. If your primary motive is to make loads of money from gained employment you are most probably looking in the wrong corner of the globe.
There are plenty of highly qualified Caribbean nationals who cannot find well paid work in their fields and so emigrate to the UK or US and sometimes Canada in search of better opportunities.

From my experience of St Lucia there are three groups of people who tend to move/return to the island.

1 The returning residents, that is those who were originally from the Caribbean. These normally elderly 60 and above age group have made their money abroad in the destination I have mentioned, and now want to return to the Caribbean to spend their retirement years. They normally survive on pensions and savings, and have accumulated enough money to buy their retirement property outright, so no mortgage or rent to pay.

2 The second group are the wealthy, some permanently reside on the island, some come and go. They choose the Caribbean for its stunning scenery, yatching, weather, tax advantages etc. They generally do not have to rely on an income from the island to live there.

3 The third group are the entrepreneurs. From my observations they tend to be in the 35-55 age group, have a bit of money behind them from business dealings abroad, property speculation etc. They want the lifestyle that group 2 have but have to earn a living. They tend to buy the small hotels, BnB's open real estate agencies etc. In fact they open a whole array of businesses and tend to employ a few local staff.

There you have it, not many go looking for a high salary, just a healthy alternative to the rat race.

Foxy_fromCanada

Seems to be about the same 3 groups of people who come/return to Barbados also. I would guess that this would be similar of most islands here in the Caribbean. Well put, pgtips