The "Drying Up The Bank" Story

Shoal Bay East on the island of Anguilla

It was an ordinary day.  We were sitting on Orient Beach in St. Martin talking about whether we want to take a day trip to the neighboring island of Anguilla.  Anguilla has some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with Shoal Bay being on the top of the list.  But, we have been there twice before and it can be a costly day.  First of all you have to take a ferry to get there and that will cost you $15.  But, you also must pay a departure tax to leave the island.  That is another $5.  On the return trip it is the same charges, so for both of us, it would be $40 for transportation.  Then you have the cost of renting a car when you get to Anguilla.  A taxi is available, but it is just about $50 for the round-trip to Shoal Bay and that will not allow for any other touring you may want to do.  A car costs about $75 for the day plus the gas and a week-long driver's license which is $20.  With food, drinks and a couple of souvernirs, it probably will cost us $350 for the day.  "Nah, I'm happy sitting right here on this beach.  Heck, we get 2fers during happy hour so our day here will only cost us $7," I told Carol.  For the past three years we have the same conversation with the same results.  For months before we travel we spend time looking through magazines and at information online and always say we should take a day trip to Anguilla, but then we get there and sand gravity sets in and we stay put.  Actually nothing wrong with that.  Traveling is fun, but the extra expenses associated with traveling can really wreck the budget.  Most Caribbean islands don't require a Visa so we are lucky, but if you are traveling to places like China, United Kingdon, Australia or even Egypt, there is a $59 fee for a Visa.  If you wait until the last minute to apply for it, it costs $99 for a rush Visa or $149 for an urgent Visa.  Don't know what the difference is except for the $50.  On the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, there is a $30 departure tax when you leave the island.  Seems like they want to try to keep you there, doesn't it.  Quite a few airlines will add that to the cost of the ticket so you don't have to worry that you have $30 left in your pocket at the end of your vacation.  Many credit card companies charge you an exchange rate charge when you use your card outside of the US.  I have researched and found that Capital One is one of the few that does not charge, so we have Capital One credit cards.  Can save you big if you buy a piece of artwork or charge an island trip or groceries on your card.  If you want to exchange US dollars for the currency of the place you are visiting, there usually is a charge for that.  Check to see what the charge will be before you leave so you can decide if you want to make the exchange when you get there or if you want to get the money while here in the US.  We have found that every place we have ever visited will accept US dollars, but some revalue the dollar to match their currency and you can never be sure if they are taking advantage of you or not.  Then, if you stay at a resort you may have to pay for internet service or even parking.  We assumed that we could park our car for free when we visited Hawaii a few years ago, but found there was a daily charge to do so.  If you are taking a cruise you will have the tips to pay for just about everything.  We have paid them upfront and added them into the cost of the trip to avoid spending all the money and not having at the end of the trip.  Then there is the usual tipping involved with traveling.  The porter at the airport, the taxi driver at your destination, the waitresses at all the places you eat, the beach boy who you rent a chair or umbrella from, and the list goes on and on.  Extra expenses can really add up if you don't plan for them, so if you are not a seasoned traveler, plan well before you pay for anything.  You will be so glad that you did so when the vacation is over.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.It was an ordinary day.  We were sitting on Orient Beach in St. Martin talking about whether we want to take a day trip to the neighboring island of Anguilla.  Anguilla has some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with Shoal Bay being on the top of the list.  But, we have been there twice before and it can be a costly day.  First of all you have to take a ferry to get there and that will cost you $15.  But, you also must pay a departure tax to leave the island.  That is another $5.  On the return trip it is the same charges, so for both of us, it would be $40 for transportation.  Then you have the cost of renting a car when you get to Anguilla.  A taxi is available, but it is just about $50 for the round-trip to Shoal Bay and that will not allow for any other touring you may want to do.  A car costs about $75 for the day plus the gas and a week-long driver's license which is $20.  With food, drinks and a couple of souvernirs, it probably will cost us $350 for the day.  "Nah, I'm happy sitting right here on this beach.  Heck, we get 2fers during happy hour so our day here will only cost us $7," I told Carol.  For the past three years we have the same conversation with the same results.  For months before we travel we spend time looking through magazines and at information online and always say we should take a day trip to Anguilla, but then we get there and sand gravity sets in and we stay put.  Actually nothing wrong with that.  Traveling is fun, but the extra expenses associated with traveling can really wreck the budget.  Most Caribbean islands don't require a Visa so we are lucky, but if you are traveling to places like China, United Kingdon, Australia or even Egypt, there is a $59 fee for a Visa.  If you wait until the last minute to apply for it, it costs $99 for a rush Visa or $149 for an urgent Visa.  Don't know what the difference is except for the $50.  On the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, there is a $30 departure tax when you leave the island.  Seems like they want to try to keep you there, doesn't it.  Quite a few airlines will add that to the cost of the ticket so you don't have to worry that you have $30 left in your pocket at the end of your vacation.  Many credit card companies charge you an exchange rate charge when you use your card outside of the US.  I have researched and found that Capital One is one of the few that does not charge, so we have Capital One credit cards.  Can save you big if you buy a piece of artwork or charge an island trip or groceries on your card.  If you want to exchange US dollars for the currency of the place you are visiting, there usually is a charge for that.  Check to see what the charge will be before you leave so you can decide if you want to make the exchange when you get there or if you want to get the money while here in the US.  We have found that every place we have ever visited will accept US dollars, but some revalue the dollar to match their currency and you can never be sure if they are taking advantage of you or not.  Then, if you stay at a resort you may have to pay for internet service or even parking.  We assumed that we could park our car for free when we visited Hawaii a few years ago, but found there was a daily charge to do so.  If you are taking a cruise you will have the tips to pay for just about everything.  We have paid them upfront and added them into the cost of the trip to avoid spending all the money and not having at the end of the trip.  Then there is the usual tipping involved with traveling.  The porter at the airport, the taxi driver at your destination, the waitresses at all the places you eat, the beach boy who you rent a chair or umbrella from, and the list goes on and on.  Extra expenses can really add up if you don't plan for them, so if you are not a seasoned traveler, plan well before you pay for anything.  You will be so glad that you did so when the vacation is over.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.It was an ordinary day.  We were sitting on Orient Beach in St. Martin talking about whether we want to take a day trip to the neighboring island of Anguilla.  Anguilla has some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with Shoal Bay being on the top of the list.  But, we have been there twice before and it can be a costly day.  First of all you have to take a ferry to get there and that will cost you $15.  But, you also must pay a departure tax to leave the island.  That is another $5.  On the return trip it is the same charges, so for both of us, it would be $40 for transportation.  Then you have the cost of renting a car when you get to Anguilla.  A taxi is available, but it is just about $50 for the round-trip to Shoal Bay and that will not allow for any other touring you may want to do.  A car costs about $75 for the day plus the gas and a week-long driver's license which is $20.  With food, drinks and a couple of souvernirs, it probably will cost us $350 for the day.  "Nah, I'm happy sitting right here on this beach.  Heck, we get 2fers during happy hour so our day here will only cost us $7," I told Carol.  For the past three years we have the same conversation with the same results.  For months before we travel we spend time looking through magazines and at information online and always say we should take a day trip to Anguilla, but then we get there and sand gravity sets in and we stay put.  Actually nothing wrong with that.  Traveling is fun, but the extra expenses associated with traveling can really wreck the budget.  Most Caribbean islands don't require a Visa so we are lucky, but if you are traveling to places like China, United Kingdon, Australia or even Egypt, there is a $59 fee for a Visa.  If you wait until the last minute to apply for it, it costs $99 for a rush Visa or $149 for an urgent Visa.  Don't know what the difference is except for the $50.  On the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten, there is a $30 departure tax when you leave the island.  Seems like they want to try to keep you there, doesn't it.  Quite a few airlines will add that to the cost of the ticket so you don't have to worry that you have $30 left in your pocket at the end of your vacation.  Many credit card companies charge you an exchange rate charge when you use your card outside of the US.  I have researched and found that Capital One is one of the few that does not charge, so we have Capital One credit cards.  Can save you big if you buy a piece of artwork or charge an island trip or groceries on your card.  If you want to exchange US dollars for the currency of the place you are visiting, there usually is a charge for that.  Check to see what the charge will be before you leave so you can decide if you want to make the exchange when you get there or if you want to get the money while here in the US.  We have found that every place we have ever visited will accept US dollars, but some revalue the dollar to match their currency and you can never be sure if they are taking advantage of you or not.  Then, if you stay at a resort you may have to pay for internet service or even parking.  We assumed that we could park our car for free when we visited Hawaii a few years ago, but found there was a daily charge to do so.  If you are taking a cruise you will have the tips to pay for just about everything.  We have paid them upfront and added them into the cost of the trip to avoid spending all the money and not having at the end of the trip.  Then there is the usual tipping involved with traveling.  The porter at the airport, the taxi driver at your destination, the waitresses at all the places you eat, the beach boy who you rent a chair or umbrella from, and the list goes on and on.  Extra expenses can really add up if you don't plan for them, so if you are not a seasoned traveler, plan well before you pay for anything.  You will be so glad that you did so when the vacation is over.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.