Participants of the 2007-2008 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers who just didn’t want to go home have had the opportunity of continuing on around the world for another 14 months. On March 26th 2009, they will be approaching St Lucia again having circumnavigated the world.

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers provides sailors with the opportunity of crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a sheltered environment by travelling as a group. There are usually over 200 yachts that start from the Canary Islands and complete the journey in St Lucia. The World Atlantic Rally for Cruisers is an event designed for those who just want to keep on going.

The route took the 37 vessels involved, from St Lucia last January through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos, across the Pacific via Fiji and Tahiti to Australia, then past the Maldives to South Africa and onto Brazil. Plenty of time was allowed to stop off at places of interest and to cruise independently off the “beaten track”.
Continue reading "Circumnavigation to St Lucia"

The average daily commute is long enough to travel 2.5 times around the world in a lifetime. That is a lot of hours, when you could be doing something interesting! Instead of sitting in a traffic jam, or standing in a packed commuter train feeling stressed that you are going to be late for work, you may wish to consider a change of lifestyle and have something a little more exciting?

Relocating to the Caribbean could take you away from commuting and cold weather and allow you to work from home in a land where the sun shines almost every day of the year. But what would you do for income? Here are a few basic ideas just to whet your appetite:

Running an Online Business

It is always nice if you can come up with a new idea and start a small online business; however it takes many hours and a lot of hard work, to build a business to the point where it can support you - even if your new Caribbean lifestyle does not require you to earn the income that you previously needed for living in the "real world".

The alternative is to consider buying one of the many small online businesses for sale, that have already gone through their initial growing pains and are returning a steady profits. Search terms such as “sites for sale” or " online business for sale" will quickly give you and idea of the large number of businesses available.

Being a Freelance Writer

Writing a book, articles, technical manuals, or even your own blog can earn you a steady income. If you are a creative writer, writing a blog based on the additional traffic it brings to the website can be lucrative. Articles can also provide a living, with the average 1,500 word article paying anywhere from US$200 and upwards. Books of course are a much longer term venture, and cannot be counted upon to support you, unless you have already established yourself with a publisher as an author.

Continue reading "Working in the Caribbean"

It's impossible to shrug off the despondency that can seep in like a cold winters fog, over the days that follow getting the news that you have been made redundant. The redundancy letter, no matter how nicely worded and appreciative of your contributions to the company, is likely to immediately turn your whole life upside down. However for some there is a silver lining in the redundancy payout - as this may allow a major change in the direction of your life.

Many choose to invest their redundancy cash into starting up a small businesses, or into an extension for the home, whilst others disillusioned with being made redundant, the falling property prices and the general economic gloom this winter, have taken the decision to up sticks and head for a new life in the sun.

Where better than the Caribbean where property prices on most islands are still rising steadily and you are guaranteed sunshine nearly every day of the year. Choosing some of the cheaper islands as your new home, can give you a better lifestyle for less per month due to the significantly lower cost of living, and for a few dollars extra, also allow you to employ a maid and a gardener. Continue reading "Silver Lining to Redundancy"