The Caribbean is renowned world wide for being one of the friendliest places on earth, and many people consider moving there after visiting. The Caribbean is made up of many different islands, so the first thing to do will be to decide where in the Caribbean you wish to reside. Perhaps plan an extended holiday and visit as many different islands as you can, you may think you know where you want to live… until you discover somewhere else! Below is a few ideas to get you thinking…

The Dominican Republic:

The Dominican Republic has the second largest economy in the whole of the Caribbean and the Americas. The country has been known for its production of sugar in the past, though is now known for its telecommunication systems. That said, unemployment is still high and you should take that into consideration when moving. The climate is very tropical and the average temperature is around 25 decrees C. Beware that hurricanes and cyclones can hit the island hard. Cyclones happen mainly along the southern coast and hit every couple of years. Hurricanes are more frequent, tending to occur between August and October, though they are mainly quite tame.

Jamaica:

Although a beautiful country, Jamaica has the highest murder rate in the world. It is also labelled the most ‘homophobic country in the world’ and attacks on gay couples are on the increase. This is not really the place to go if you are highly liberal. Having said that, the country is world famous for many positive things; mainly reggae music, Bob Marley and Jerk chicken. Jamaica is a beautiful, colourful country and the majority of the people are warm and friendly.

The Cayman Islands:

Situated south of Cuba, and northwest of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands are three little islands which are part of the British Overseas Territory. The climate is that of a tropical marine nature; it has a wet season which sees warm, rainy summers; and a dry season where the winters are relatively cool. Summer is May – October and winter is November to April. There are natural hazards, as with the Caribbean in general, and tropical cyclones can occur as a result of the hurricane season which falls between July and November.

St. Lucia:

St. Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state, however power is held by the Prime Minister of St. Lucia and the cabinet. St. Lucia is a volcanic island and is therefore much more mountainous than other Caribbean islands. The hot summers are balanced with the cool breeze during winter, and the rainforest in the centre of the island receives more rainfall than the coastal areas, though rain showers are likely throughout the year. The tourism industry is important to the economic growth of the country, just behind the banana trade. The island also has the worlds only ‘drive-in’ volcano, known as Sulphur Springs.

Barbados:

Barbados is the 51st richest country In the world, when it comes to Gross Domestic Product, it also has quite a high standard of living and a well developed economy. English is the official language of Barbados, so fitting in will be made all the more easy with no language barrier. As most Barbadians are of European or African descent, meaning that around 95% of the country is of Christian religion. The culture of Barbados is very much influenced by England, and this can be seen in their love of cricket, their national sport. Music is  a large part of Barbadian culture, with their ‘face of Tourism for Barbados’ being international music star, Rihanna, who grew up on the island.