Legally, It's Easy to Move to the Virgin Islands: But is it a Realistic Plan?

So, you're moving to the Virgin Islands, are you? Finally decided to grab life by the nut-sack and escape to paradise like you've always dreamed of doing, hey? Good for you! You've done all the research. You've sold your car. You've booked the one-way ticket. There's no turning back now, right?

I know your situation so well because I'm another guy for whom there was "no turning back." I was in that very same situation not long ago, friend. My credit card is still warm with the sweat from booking those one-way tickets. And how did the great escape work out for me? Well... I live in north-central Wisconsin now, thanks for asking. (It's not so bad... sometimes I'll go to the grocery store for a liter of cheap rum and some half-rotten plantains, then head home and crank my gas heat up until I feel like I'm at Magen's Bay Beach. Then I cry myself to sleep.)

If part of your relocation plan is "Head to the winter home in Phoenix if a hurricane hits", then you can rest easy. You'll probably do just fine, and my little guide won't make or break your adventure. But if you're a normal guy like me, you don't have a winter home in Phoenix--you don't even have a car anymore, remember? If you're a normal guy like me, all you're really working with is a bulimic checking account and a deliciously bad idea.

I'm not saying you can't--or shouldn't--go for it. The worst-case scenario here is that you go on a pretty sweet adventure that turns out to be kind of pointless. When "failure" means having the adventure of a lifetime, you're already doing something right. So please don't mistake my realism for pessimism. In my professional opinion, your bad idea is a pretty good decision no matter how things end up.