It is 6:32 am and I find myself rained in, not to complain, it is lovely to actually have a view of the Caribbean Sea despite the heavy rain. Of course moving to the greenest island in the eastern Caribbean, you would expect monsoons of rain right? At least that’s what I was informed, “We get lots of rain throughout the day, so it's best you carry an umbrella.”
Like most expats, I am a traveller on a budget, so flying during the hurricane season is a natural choice it you want to find cheaper flights. However, as much as I prepared for my trip and budgeted, my good intentions seemed to go out the window, as soon as I left my front door.
In my effort to get to the Caribbean as cheaply as possible, I over-packed my suitcase with every little thing I could find. I had other options of shipping my provisions like a barrel, but I figured I could use the extra 150 bucks for other fun stuff when I got to the island. However when I checked in my baggage at La Guardia, I realized I should have bought a barrel, because the overweight fee with US Airways was a whopping 80 bucks, plus the 40 checked baggage fee. Plus another overweight charge of $40 on my connection from St. Martin to Dominica!!! A bit of advice if you are planning on staying abroad for 6 months or more - compare the cost of shipping items before you go.
For lazy backpackers and travellers like myself, if you simply do not have the time to pre-pack and ship a barrel, I suggest you bring a large suitcase, but call the airport first and confirm the cost of overweight luggage, so you can budget. I did know I had options, but I forgot to add the cost of an overweight suitcase. Sometimes my frugalness can be a bit radical, as much of the extra weight in my suitcase was from simple toiletries and other items, which are much more expensive to purchase in the Caribbean, but with all the overweight charges are now more expensive than buying locally !!
However, here I am a single young woman in search of any and every thing, on my journey to the little unspoiled island of Dominica; which is such an amazingly lovely place for the traveller or expat, if you really enjoy nature. And so as the heavy rain beats on the lapping waves outside my apartment, I am happy to have escaped the rat race of city life in New York City, and be starting my adventure living in a small fishing village on the south coast of Dominica.
More Next Week . . . .
