Living on an island in the Caribbean, surrounded by
jungle-covered hills and picture-perfect beaches sounds like a dream. Wake up,
enjoy a cup of coffee and fresh fruit picked from the trees around your house,
walk along the beach and maybe go for a swim to cool off from the sun’s warmth.
This is paradise. This is a dream come true. But wait, are you sure you’re
ready to live your life in an Island? Here are the things you should know.
The laid back island vibe is common here, the heat that
slows you down will put you to a feeling of no worries. “I will do it today”
means they will do it within the week (if you are lucky) or “I am on my way”
means they haven’t even left are common phrases here.
2. Drinking is the name of the game
Laid back vibes, Tourists all around you drinking like it’s
their last cocktail of the year. Alcohol consumption for new arrivals usually
goes up 10 fold. And you become good at it too!
3. Every weekend feels like vacation
Happy hours all around, people on the streets drinking, no
mention of work! Saturday and Sunday? It all gets a lot better; lazy beach days
and parties everywhere. Everything you imagine a great summer vacation has to
be like, it’s there for the taking every single weekend.
4. Becoming a car mechanic is essential to your survival
When your car breaks down every couple of months, you pick
up a few things. Like a battery only lasts about 1 and a half year in the
Caribbean. The car parts store becomes a regular stop and you know your exact
car make, year and chassis number. Standard items in the back of your car:
Spare tire, jack, duct tape, WD-40 and jumper cables.
5. Doing groceries is for the rich
A lot of products are scarce and scarcity means higher
prices. Much, higher, prices. Luckily, in most islands the prices for basic
food groups are government regulated. Try to not focus too much on the pricing;
if you can afford it, just buy it and enjoy it.
6. It is always dark after 7 pm
You are close to the equator. This means that the sun
generally comes up between 6 and 7 am and sets between 6 and 7 pm (depending on
the time of year).
7. Summer is a real thing
Most people move to the Caribbean because of the weather.
And rightfully so, if you love summer vibes and nights, the Caribbean climate
nears perfection. Usually, the temperature is around 28 – 30 Celsius (82 – 86
degrees) during the day, about 25 at night and the water is about 28. It’s not
always great unfortunately: in September and October the wind disappears and it
gets a lot sweatier.
8. You have to speak multiple languages every day
Island populations are extremely multicultural. People
flocking from all over the world, but also neighbouring islands. And they all
speak different languages. Make sure you know the most basic phrases of each
language. After a while, you know exactly who speaks what, which store is run
by Venezuelans, which by Chinese and which by locals.
9. Mosquitos are truly the worst insects of all
The world’s most deadliest animal spreads all kinds of
diseases. Especially in the Caribbean: dengue, chikungunya and who knows what
variation pops up every year. And then there is all the itching and the buzzing
keeping you up all night.
10. Choosing what to wear has never been easier
Islands don’t have clothing trends. Every year it’s about
the same. And understandable, what can you really change in a swimming short
design, flip flops or a cute beach dress. You also wear a lot less. So no
jackets, sweaters, you just don’t need them. That makes stepping out of the
house a lot easier.
11. Island hopping is a challenge
Flying here is expensive as you least expected. Even
traveling to a neighbouring island can set you back a couple of hundred bucks.
Then there are the delays… Don’t expect anybody informing you about the cause
of the delay. Just sit back, and wait and wait. Always make sure you have
enough time between connecting flights.
12. The infrastructure may be lacking.
Potholes as big as canyons, constant power outages, slow
internet when the power is actually on...the list goes on. There’s a reason
everything runs on “island time” in the Caribbean: You need an excuse for what
seems like purely insane waiting and running around for such simple tasks as
cashing a check.
13. Island life is like small-town living. Everyone knows
everyone and everything.
Islands are small communities and in small communities there
are no secrets. The only reliably efficient system on an island is the rumor
mill, constantly feeding through fabricated lies and gossip.
14. Acquiring things can be difficult on an island.
Sometimes boats get delayed so the grocery store looks
post-apocalyptic. Sometimes you pay an exorbitant fee to ship large items from
the States, yet they still don’t arrive for months on end.
15. Storms happen, and they can be gravely serious.
Hurricane season is no joke in the Caribbean, if you move to
an island prone to being hit by hurricanes and tropical storms, don’t try to
pretend you’re smarter than the local construction workers who are building
your home to withstand those storms.
16. Island life can be isolating.
Islands are small and your options become much more limited.
You certainly won’t know what’s happening in the news because nobody watches
it. You won’t have the latest gadgets everyone back home is talking about. You
won’t see the newest films in theaters, nor catch the new TV series as it
actually airs. You will be behind in everything. And you will look out into the
never-ending sea and realize how small you truly are.
If you’ve read all these and think that island life sounds
horrible, you most certainly should not move to the Caribbean. Caribbean island
life is not for everybody. That’s why you see many people return to their home
countries within a short period of time. Take a vacation and then go back but if
you're still dreaming of living in the Caribbean, then you should take note of
these islands and how to acquire citizenships.
Caribbean Islands Citizenship & Passport by investment
within a few months :
1-Antigua Barbuda
Citizenship
Antigua and Barbuda has proposed a new economic citizenship
by investment and passport program for investors who can directly acquire
citizenship and passport either by donation to a charity or buying a real
estate. The passport of Antigua and
Barbuda has 5 year validity period. The
Antigua Barbuda Citizenship by Investment program requires only 5 days of
physical presence during the initial 5 year period and after that it can be
renewed with paying applicable passport fee.
Advantages
- Antigua & Barbuda passport provides visa free access
to approximately 130 countries including Canada, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore
and the European Schengen Area States.
- Antigua is a hub for the Eastern Caribbean. Travel
connections are very good, with regular flights into the island from key
tourist markets of Canada, USA and UK.
- We provide the real estate acquisition, legal, financial
management and property asset management services.
- Passport is issued in a fast and easy way 2-3 months with 5
years validity.
2-St. Kitts and Nevis
Citizenship
We put this twin-island federation together because it’s
hard to separate one from the other — St Kitts is the place to do business, the
place to study, while Nevis is an even more laid back, untouched paradise. Both
are great options for those seeking small islands with big potential. The
country is well connected by flights from US, Europe and the Caribbean
airliners. And it’s got the best Citizenship by Investment programme in the
Caribbean.
Benefits
· The St. Kitts and Nevis passport is very well
regarded and has excellent reputation, and only relatively few passports have
been issued under this citizenship-by-investment program by the Government.
- ·
Visa free travel to European Schengen area including
UK, Canada and Ireland along with other 80 countries
- ·
No prior residence requirements
- ·
No income or wealth tax.
- ·
Citizenship for family members (spouse and
children)
- ·
Lifetime citizenship
- ·
No restrictions on Dual citizenship
- ·
Choice of Real Estate investment
- ·
No personal visit required
- ·
Minimum Investment
3-Dominica
Citizenship / Passport:
Dominica is a 751 sq.km island nation in the eastern
Caribbean. The economy is primarily agriculture based and Roseau is the capital
city.
Dominica has an “Economic citizenship by investment” program
which allows granting citizenship to those who make a contribution to the
development of the country. Still Dominica is the only country where you can
get a second citizenship, is more affordable and cheaper compared to other
economic citizenship programs offered by other countries in Europe or
Caribbean.
Dominica directly offers full life citizenship to investors
without any prior residency requirement. With Dominica passport, you can travel
visa free to over 80 countries including the UK and common wealth country.
4- Grenada
Citizenship by Investment
Grenada is a beautiful country in the Caribbean with white
sand beaches and pristine blue waters.
Grenada Economic Investment Program (“GEIP”) newly launched
by the Government of Grenada, offers foreign nationals citizenship and passport
in exchange for a minimum investment of $200,000 USD (plus administrative fees)
towards Grenada’s economy and infrastructure.
It takes about 2 months (fastest) to receive the passport
which enables visa free travel to over 100 countries including EU, UK and
Canada. The total costs will come around $350,000 (all inclusive) for one
person and additional fees for each family member.
