5 Budget Travel Tips: US Virgin Islands

Earlier this year Skylar and I took a trip to the US Virgin Islands. We were able to find budget friendly options for flights, accommodations, car rentals, food and activities. We walked along secluded beaches with amazing views without having to worry about the vacation burning a hole in our pockets. Here are five tips for planning an amazing vacation to this Caribbean paradise.

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1. Consider a Budget Airline

We ended up booking a direct flight with Spirit Airlines. This choice saved us quite a bit of money. Yes, we knew that meant we were not getting a free snack on the plane. And yes, we knew we were only allowed one item that could fit under the seat in front of us for free. It was still the right option for us. Knowing this ahead of time we brought our own (healthier) snacks on the flight. If we needed a beverage on the flight we just purchased one. We still came out on top after spending a few extra bucks in flight.

We both have travel backpacks that can hold an impressive amount of stuff, and fit under the seat in the plane. We also plan ahead to determine what additional luggage we will need to pay for. It is usually cheaper to book your luggage the same time you book your flight vs adding it on later, or paying for it at the airport. We always consider all of the options. Usually we find it is less expensive for us to pay for one large checked bag and share it vs paying for two individual carry ons.

Bonus Tips:

• Pay attention when booking flights. At times the budget airlines websites make it seem like it is required to pay extra for add-ons like priority boarding or choosing your seat. It is optional. You only need to pay for those options if you want the add-ons. If the price isn’t worth it for you continue to look at the website as there will be another option to skip add-ons. I have to admit though sometimes those sites are quite tricky and it takes a moment to locate the option to skip or decline the add-ons.
• Make sure to check the luggage weight limit, the budget airlines typically do have lower weight limits on luggage. This has not yet been an issue for us and we are always packing heavier items like snorkel gear, travel hammocks, dry bags – items for exploring.

2. Keep an Open Mind about Accommodations

If you take a moment to search accommodations in the US Virgin Islands one will quickly realize that a modest budget may not get you very far. Skylar and I had to identify what was most important to us during our trip. Ultimately we wanted a priceless view. We decided we did not need much space, but the view was a necessity.

We found the perfect Airbnb for our trip. It was an open air guest suite. We had never stayed at a place quite like it and we loved it. Our suite was small with a kitchen area, bed and bathroom. The kitchen included a small fridge, an electric burner and a toaster oven. This is all we needed for the meals we cooked. The shower was outdoors and the whole unit overlooked Magen’s Bay. The view anytime of day or evening was absolutely amazing. I had a hard time falling asleep at night because I would lay in bed looking at the bay, wishing I could wake up to the view every day- I wanted to soak in every moment staying at this unique home. The breeze would come through the screens all day and night. Staying at this Airbnb was an experience in and of itself. Keeping an open mind may lead you to your perfect rental.

Bonus Tips:

• When considering Airbnbs read the reviews to ensure you are fully aware of the experience you are signing up for. Each Airbnb is unique and from the reviews one should be able to have an idea of the type of experience each one offers.
• Try to book with Superhosts. They are clearly identified as Superhosts on the Airbnb site and it means they are highly rated by their guests and have experience being a host.
• Before booking check the additional fees in the listing. Each host can determine a cleaning fee or fee for additional guests. These fees vary quite a bit and may help you decide which option is best for you.
• For even more tips check out our post on finding your perfect Airbnb.

3. Rent A Car in St. Thomas

During our stay we rented a car the duration of our time in the US Virgin Islands on St. Thomas. We reserved the rental around the same time we booked our flights. We have found Auto Slash to be a reliable site for affordable car rentals. We were able to pick up our rental at the airport in Charlotte Amalie. From there were drove all around the island. It took a quick moment to adjust to driving on the left side of the road. Both Skylar and I drove on the island. We adjusted quicker than we expected. We thought facing the anxiety of driving on the left side was worth being able to explore where ever we wanted without having to arrange transportation. Once out of the downtown area the traffic died down and the main roads were all paved.

We did do a day trip to St John. We decided to take the people ferry vs the car ferry. The car ferry stops running early in the evening and we wanted to stay on the island later then the last car ferry. Also, we didn’t want to run the risk of missing the last car ferry back to St. Thomas. Renting a car on St John was worth it. We were able to explore the entire island and had the option to say on the island into the evening.

Bonus Tips:

• Download Google maps for both St Thomas as St John. This will allow GPS tracking in Google maps where there is poor cell phone service or where cell phones ping the British Virgin Island towers. *There are areas in St John where this occurs. We kept our cells phones on airplane mode when leaving Cruz Bay to ensure we didn’t rack up any crazy charges from the British towers.
• If planning to rent a car on St. John reserve with a company early. While there are at least 10 options, if there is a cruise ship in port the rentals can be taken up fast. We visited without a reservation. We called all of the options on the island and no one had a rental. When we arrived on St John we had to talk to a local who hooked us up with a rental but we ended up having to pay him a $20 finders fee. We definitely could have found a better deal if we would have reserved early.

4. Buy Meals at a Grocery Store or Local Market

When we arrived in Charlotte Amalie our first stop was a grocery store – Pueblo Supermarket. We ended up there because it was the first store we found but there are several options in Charlotte Amalie. We knew our plan was to be out and about most of the days were were in the US Virgin Islands so we bought food for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, snacks, and even a dinner meal to cook at our Airbnb the first evening. We were able to get up in the mornings, enjoy coffee with breakfast, and pack a healthy lunch with snacks to fuel us for our hiking adventures.

Bonus Tips:

• Stop by an outdoor local market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Look for the local options in stores. The items that are imported are quite expensive.
• Pack a collapsible cooler if you plan to prepare meals for when you are out and about. Our Airbnb had a cooler for us to use but we would have brought one if one wasn’t available to us.

5. Include Free Activities in Your Travel Plans

During our visit we explored eight different beaches and went on three hikes that were all free – Sandy Beach, Neltjeberg Beach and Little Cinnamon Beach. If you do a little research one can find several free options on the islands – there were even more free options that we didn’t make it to on St Thomas and St John.

Bonus Tips:

• For hikes to beaches check out Botany Bay (St Thomas) to visit the Mermaid’s Chair and Sandy Beach, Dorothea Beach (St Thomas) to visit Neltjeberg Beach and Cinnamon Beach (St John) to visit Little Cinnamon Beach. We will be writing more about all of these experiences in the weeks to come.
• For a hike with amazing views check out Ram’s Head (St John).
• Magen’s Bay does have a parking fee but if you arrive before the park area opens you do not have to pay.

If you are planning a trip to the US Virgin Islands we hope you find some of these tips helpful. To kick off our series of US Virgin Islands posts we have uploaded a video of our peaceful flight from from Orlando to St Thomas.

We also created travel vlogs of our time in St Thomas and St John:

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To hear about Jamie Skylar’s journey, listen to the podcast interview on “If I Could Tell You One Thing”: