To want to move to the Caribbean

[Thisisnotataste]

totally.
I dream of living in a wooden house by the beach, with DD playing on the beach after school, DH working from home, same job, me working from home PT. Is it possible? Obviously my work and his are totally doable remotely!
Doesn't have to be Caribbean just somewhere relaxed and warm. I miss the sea since we moved inland.
Talk me out of this dream please! Its probably lockdown fever...

@Thisisnotataste

If schools are academically so-so but generally safe then I would be absolutely fine with that. I am pretty sure I can teach her to read and write in the next year so I'm not worrying about her getting behind

Did you not see my post?! Don't think you have anything to worry about re literacy.

@Biwi I did see sorry! Yes for Barbados I don't think Id have any problems.

I'm thinking not gated community but middle class area. Maybe gated property if thats appropriate for the area. Close to the sea but good point about how noisy it can be! Maybe up to a mile away into town. So on a stormy night you can still hear the sea.

I woke with a feeling of "what a stupid pipe dream" but now I'm all geared up again!

Oh OP now you’ve put ideas in my head! I LOVE Barbados! DH works from home and I’m being made redundant. Hmmm.....!

In countries like the Caribbean, they break in to burgle and then murder the family on the way out.

I can't believe how stupid and offensive this sentence is. Starting with the fact that the Caribbean IS NOT A COUNTRY.

A couple of really offensive posts on here!

I think it's a brilliant idea OP and work allowing, you should go for it. Your kids are the perfect age and the Barbados year visa offer will make it easier. (Wonder if you could do it without even telling your work where you are! )

We’re planning to emigrate to spain. I think it’ll take us 4 /5 years. Go for it

Family in Caribbean (T&T). Rent is no different from the UK. Almost everything is imported so can be expensive (except rum, bananas and some fish).

And I experienced healthcare there last time we visited. Wouldn't want COVID-19 there...

Prejudice is an incredible thing. Many cities in the US have a higher crime rate than Jamaica. There doesn’t seem to be the same panic and deep-seated fear about visiting the US

OP is being idealistic and dreaming. It's good to be realistic when considering moving to a new country. You think people wouldn't worry about moving to the US? If OP started a thread about wanting to live in a big American city and experience all the joys of the home of the brave and the land of the free, people 100% would be replying warning her that crime rates are high, poverty is high, inequality is high, social unrest is high, etc.

I'd certainly much rather live in the Caribbean than in the US!

The tax issues are not so much from their end, but by working in a country you might establish a 'permanent establishment' for your company in that overseas jurisdiction, making your UK company pay tax in Barbados.

We also don't allow access to company information and files from other jurisdictions as data protection laws differ from place to place and this is seen as a huge liability for us as a UK company.

Not trying to piss on your chips, sorry

@RyanBergarasTeeth

Yes jamaica looks lovely but i would be worried as its listed as 2nd in the world for highest murder rate as well as forbes saying its unsafe for female travellers.

A girl friend was murdered just outside her property there. She and her husband moved there, he died there of a heart attack, she stayed on.She started a cattery. Her murder came to light when her friends were alarmed when she didn't turn up to work. Poverty and wealth make bad bedfellows.

@Leafeater totally piss free chips here. Gone from pipe dream to how can I make this a reality so I'm really appreciating all the reality checks.

...and so my earworm for today is Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise

Bermuda is doing the same thing as Barbados - visas for a year.

It's further north than the Caribbean, so it's not quite as crazy hot and gets less hurricanes. Public schools are very good. There is less poverty than the Caribbean island (IMO) and you'd have to get used to riding a scooter! Housing is expensive but the beaches are stunning!

The problem I can see with Bermuda is that us apparently the most expensive country in the world..

It isn't cheap!

@Tellmetruth4
I rip up what I was going to post, as you've said it all much better! Some posts here are as ridiculous as someone saying 'Oh, careful if you want to move to Europe, it's racist, it's poor, health care and education are bad, etc. We'd be like 'Where exactly??'

Thanks to you @Phoenix21 for the spelling comment, it was getting on my nerves. Even our local branch of Tesco got it wrong on the aisle sign

@WanderingMilly not everywhere is hot all year round. The high altitude regions of Jamaica, for example, are cool enough that you need a blanket at night. And in Barbados the breeze off the sea can be very strong and cooling. People go there to surf.

A former colleague from the Grenadines told me that they don't lock their doors there. I don't recall which of the Grenadines she's from, but definitely crime is not a thing there.

If you want warm and beaches try jersey

We have lovely beaches

Possibly outing, but I work from Barbados a lot. Work I an industry where people can work from anywhere.
Barbados I think ranks 19th in the world for education, which probably beats the U.K. part of the deal with the 1 year thing is that kids will be guaranteed a school place.
Crime exists but I feel safer in Barbados than in the U.K. just like theU.K., there are places i wouldn’t flaunt jewellery in, but they are mostly in the south/south east of the island. On the west coast your highest risk is burglary, but idea of guns & machetes ridiculous here. Maybe if you live in some mansion middle of nowhere. That said, most people have burglar alarms or live in complexes where there is a security guard (iME they are usually sleeping half the night).
WiFi speeds are better than we get in the U.K. ridiculously fast - whole island was upgraded 2 or 3 years ago. To counter this, electricity cuts happen frequently (usually for a couple of minutes only, occasionally for half a day. Same with water utilities.
Supermarket food is shockingly expensive. You can eat all the normal supermarket stuff if you like but if you didn’t change your diet and British habits ref ready made pizza/dish fingers etc then you’d Probably spend 3 times as much in groceries as in the U.K. if you switch to fish from the fish markets, and making stuff from scratch (eg chips, own curries etc) you could bring it down to twice U.K. prices.
No hurricanes (very east situation which helps).
Lots of British people work from Barbados.
Air con costs a fortune.
Locals aren’t racist but do tend to charge you double for ‘trade’ work (eg plumbing work that kind of thing). They do all assume that the British people are all very rich. You will end up spending more living in Barbados than in U.K.
If something goes wrong and you need to head back to uk at short notice - eg poorly relative - flights are very expensive and time wise will take 14 hours or so when you take into account journey time/check in and so on.

NC for this. DH and I just accepted job offers in the Caribbean, OP, and we are hoping to move by the end of the year, depending on work permits. So you are not alone in thinking about this! If you really want something, make it happen!

Yes there are downsides but you only have one life. Worst case scenario is we get there, get bored, and come back to London.

@Thisisnotataste what became of your dream? Did it become a reality? We may have an opportunity to move to Barbados and would love to hear if you went and what happened!

@IhateWinter88 and did you go? Would love to hear experiences and what it's like! I share your mentality of you only have one life- I havent always lived by that but determined to do so now!

@Allthetoast yes! A bit later than planned as we had to stick around for some family stuff. Currently in quarantine so can't give you too much info yet but I can confirm the weather is exceptional, everyone is super friendly, everywhere is very well looked after and did I mention the exceptional weather?

@IhateWinter88 sorry for taking so long to reply! Personal admin meltdown at the moment! Ah, that's amazing that you moved out there, how exciting. Hope quarantine is alright. It seems like things are looking more likely that we may go, which is great and terrifying! I'd love to know more about how things are going for you and how you planned stuff. I dont know if you mind if I DM you at some point! Anyway, congrats, what an awesome thing to have done! You only live once indeed.