When all you need to maintain the Dot Com lifestyle is a laptop and/or smartphone and an online connection, the world is your office.
And it should be.
After you made the commitment to take action as an e-commerce entrepreneur and had the discipline to stay with it, you should spend some of the time you’ve regained by exploring all the globe has to offer … without needing VR.
Sooner or later, you’ll want to fit in a serene trip to the Caribbean, for a variety of awesome reasons. Here are just a few:
- The weather … with 70°F/21°C lows and 86°F/30°C highs, it’s a 24/7 comfort zone;
- The cultures … influences from Europe, Africa, India and even China;
- The nature … flora and fauna formed from volcanoes; and
- The beaches … an abundance of golden sand and aqua blue water.
And here’s a sampling of islands that are just waiting for you to grace their shores:
25. American Virgin Islands
A destination of choice for cruise ships, these islands are really small. In fact, they’re no bigger than Washington DC.
24. Cayman Islands
Due to being a popular tax haven, this place has more registered businesses than it does people. But the sea adventures are much more interesting.
23. Puerto Rico
One of the Caribbean’s most popular destinations, this American territory is a popular cruise destination.
22. St Vincent and the Grenadines
In spite of a high unemployment rate, this chain of islands is famous for its bananas, beaches, and being the movie set for Pirates of the Caribbean.
21. British Virgin Islands
Although this British Overseas Territory used to have trouble with drug smugglers, these days, it’s primary claim to fame is its scenic beaches.
20. Antigua and Barbuda
Nicknamed the land of 365 beaches, tourism accounts for 50% of GDP while banking and finance account for the other half. Do know that building is not a branch office.
19. Anguilla
Widely known for its cuisine and jazz festivals, reserving a hotel room here usually requires booking your reservation months in advance.
18. St Martin
It’s one of the smallest islands in the world that’s divided by two nations, St Martin is half-French and half-Dutch.
The Dutch side is known for its festive night life and casinos, while the French side is famous for its beaches and shopping.
17. Barbados
As one of the eastern-most islands in the Caribbean, Barbados is located outside of the typical hurricane strike zone and only gets hit, on average, once every 26 years.
Although tourism is a huge part of its economy, Barbados has the third-largest stock exchange in the Caribbean, and its finance sector is well-developed.
16. Jamaica
Being the third-most populous English-speaking country in the Americas after the United States and Canada, Jamaica has left its mark on the world with its record-breaking athletes and influential music culture.
In spite of a high crime rate, the islands’ popularity has led to tourism still being a significant part of the economy.
15. Dominican Republic
This is one of only two Caribbean islands that are shared by more than one country: the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, with around 10million people. Combining a vibrant culture with diverse geography, eco-tourism has been on the rise in recent years.
14. Bahamas
Composed of over 3000 islands, the Bahamas has one of the higher GDPs in the America’s — behind the United States, Canada, and several other islands — and is supported almost entirely by the cruise industry.
13. St Lucia
Home to what St Lucians claim is the world’s only drive-through volcano, this island is mountainous, even by Caribbean standards.
Although most tourists coming here stay near their cruise ships in Castries, the capital, it’s well worth the time to go exploring.
12. Dominica
Christopher Columbus named the island after the day when he first spotted it; Dominica means Sunday in Latin.
Since then, however, it has been nicknamed the Caribbean’s nature island, due to its unspoiled beauty.
11. Saba
This island is so small, it only has one road — aptly called The Road — and with barely 1800 residents, Saba’s population only reaches 2000 when classes are in session at SABA University School of Medicine.
Of note, it’s often listed as one of the 10 best scuba diving locations in the world.
10. Aruba
Lying outside of the Caribbean hurricane belt, Aruba makes for an excellent tourist destination.
It’s much flatter than most of its island counterparts and, because it is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the primary language here is Dutch.
9. Grenada
Known as the Island of Spice due to its production of nutmeg and mace, it’s a land of diversity, with beautiful beaches along the coasts and a mountainous interior laced with picturesque waterfalls.
8. Martinique
As part of France, Martinique is also a part of the European Union.
The island consists of several volcanoes, one of which is currently active and, as a result, the geography is very mountainous.
7. Turks and Caicos
These former pirate hideouts and British Territories are a favorite getaway for tourists, particularly Canadians.
In fact, there was even a debate at one point as to whether Canada should annex the islands.
6. Bonaire
A part of the Netherlands, Bonaire is so small, it only has two official towns.
The island, however, is a nature lover’s paradise; the economy is almost exclusively centered around diving and snorkeling.
5. St Kitts and Nevis
As the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, St Kitts and Nevis was one of the first to be settled by Europeans and has thus adopted the nickname Mother Colony of the West Indies.
4. Trinidad & Tobago
When it comes to the Caribbean islands, Trinidad & Tobago is one of the most diverse, owing to its long history of conquest.
In fact, a good amount of its population can trace its roots back to India when the English brought people over to work as indentured servants.
3. Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an overseas territory of France, well known for its accomplishments in sports and literature.
Although tourism — 80% of which comes from France — is the main industry, there’s a significant agricultural aspect to its economy.
2. Curaçao
This transcontinental island — it’s considered part of South America and the West Indies — lies just off the coast of Venezuela.
It’s widely known for its diving, especially the characteristic drop-off of the sea floor known as the blue edge only several hundred feet from shore.
1. St Barts
A volcanic island fully encircled by shallow reefs, the language, culture, and cuisine of St Barts is almost exclusively French.
It has an extremely high standard of living that stems from its high-end tourism industry supported by luxury hotels and villas, which is why it’s known as a playground for the rich.
Now, you may be asking yourself, where’s Kokomo? It looked quite inviting in the movie Cocktail.
The hard fact is, until the Beach Boys recorded the song, there was no tropical paradise named Kokomo. Afterwards, a couple of private islands took the name. One is actually in Jamaica’s Montego Bay, owned by the Sandals resort chain.
The other is in Fiji. That could well be another luxury vacation you richly deserve.
