#1917
Does anyone live or had moved to the TROPICS?
DiveGirl55 - 9/04/2008 3:48 PM
Category: General
Replies: 10



I am just wondering if any ex-pats have any advice of knowledge of moving from USA to someplace like Fiji, Bahamas, Caymans etc. and if they could share their stories on the forum or to me personally as of the ease (or not) of establishing oneself on an island : living, buying, working etc.


 


THANKS
#51828
Greg - 9/06/2008 7:29 AM
You can also check out http://www.escapeartist.com/. They have a bunch of info on moving internationally, buying land, investing, rules, etc. If you find the perfect place, let me know and Bec and I will move with you :)
#11601
badintexas - 9/06/2008 7:17 PM
Umm.. Greg’s right. Valentina, you’d love to have Greg and I and our 3 wonderful babies living with you, huh? OK! It’s on! Just joking
#73
seasportsdiving - 9/07/2008 7:20 AM
I recently moved to Grand Cayman. It was relatively easy. First, get a job. Second, find a place to stay. Third, apply for a work permit with the first two (your employer will do that). Amazingly enough I ended up buying the dive operation I came down to work for 8 months later. Cayman law requires you to have a Caymanian partner who owns 60% shares in the company (not 60% of the money or profits). Buying the business was pretty easy but there were quite a few fees involved. But there is no tax (there is hidden tax like duties and stamp fees when you purchase housing and land but no yearly recurring taxes).

Grand Cayman is a very easy island to live on. English is the main language and it is very North American in terms of services. The cost of living is higher but that is the price you pay for living in the tropics on a beautiful island with one of the best beaches in the world. And of course, some of the best diving in the world as well (http://photos.seasportsdiving.com/).

I would have to say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Hope this helps!
#140
JDub - 9/07/2008 9:41 AM
I was in Okinawa, Japan for 6 years, and the diving is awesome. There are plenty of places to dive just around the island itself. Then all the smaller islands around Oki that you can take a boat or fly to. You can check out our myspace, it is under the name dive ammo or my myspace under the name sirjacelot, for some videos and pics.
#2070
Snappahead - 9/08/2008 9:33 AM


I’m working on it.....
#5919
SCUBASMITTY - 9/08/2008 10:16 PM
WHY EX-PATRIATE ?-so many islands-so little time; unless you have your heart set firmly on one island,I would suggest you visit ALL the islands, what I mean by that is that you should consider cruising the worlds oceans by a 30-45 ft sailboat !! cruise till you find what your looking for in a community(island) and set up shop! there are literally hundreds of little-known islands all over the pacific that you can live on!! depending on the life style you want. the nice thing about living on a boat is that if you dont like the neighborhood any more, then you can weigh anchor and move on,BUT you are always at home!a nice little secret about SOME of these islands, is that IF you find one that is not GOVERNED by any nation,you can file a claim on said island due to the international guano act!!(a nitrate used in munitions)and lay claim to it !! I have met some of the happiest people in the world on some of these and they weren’t worried about the rat race of so called civilization/tax’s/rent/utilities/current events/or what the spoiled rich witch is doing this week ! as BOB BITCHIN and the crew of LATITUDES AND ATTITUDES say the lower the latitude the better the attitude!! - BESIDES think of all the off the beaten path places you can dive and discover!!! then TELL US !!
#1917
Subscribed
DiveGirl55 - 9/11/2008 7:29 PM
HAHAHA, I carry that one around with me like the Bible! THANKS
#1917
Subscribed
DiveGirl55 - 9/11/2008 7:31 PM
Great, because I got us a 5 bedroom in FIJI. I love you Bec! I wish you lived closer so we could go to Sephora together and be girls!
#170
waterlog - 9/14/2008 5:03 PM


You could always go someplace tropicalin the U.S. like hawaii or some of the islands back east. Then there is no special visa for work or citticenship fees.