Although all of these islands are expensive I can recommend that when you do have travel money avoid the Cayman Islands. Don't get me wrong, it is a great set of islands and some of the best diving in the world. Being a former resident and having family in Grand Cayman I can tell you they are going through "silent" gentrification. Not to improve slum neighborhoods but rather to keep those with limited funds away. Everything is very expensive. They desire wealthy sophisticated visitors versus the rest of us who won't spend too much money and want cheap booze. When you have the funds, go to Mexico and have a hell of a time for a lot less.
I went to Cayman Islands in 2007 after economy tanked and loved liked it a lot. Not crowded clean beaches good experience. I went there in 2018 and didn’t like it at all. It got crowded Water got polluted(rum point) and new developments were everywhere. It was expensive both trips lol
I have to say, the TH-cam algorithm got this absolutely right! Super happy I stumbled onto this amazing channel. In the middle of binging my way through all your videos and I’ll be keeping my eye out for your uploads in the future!
Love ur vids man. Looks like the TH-cam algorithm is picking them up hard. Keep up the uploads and you should expect to see rapid growth in the next few months.
I started watching your channel about a week ago, I think. Plus I recommended it to a friend. Good luck on your forthcoming growth! The Caribbean island that I should visit is the cheapest one that is safe and that the US government doesn't ban travel to. If I didn't have to concern myself with the price... I would follow in your footsteps and head for Grenada for the perfect mix!
I'm glad you found the channel and thank you for the support! Grenada is very reasonable cost wise but the flight there can be expensive. Other than a couple of big cities on the bigger islands not mentioned in the video, there's nowhere in the region that's unsafe. Getting pickpocketed is your biggest concern and even that's not as common as in other tourist hotspots.
Hey guys, a Grenadian here, randomly came across this video. It's cool to know you came to my island for your first visit in the Caribbean! To those that plan to come to a Caribbean island, whichever it is; I hope you have a good time
My better half is Jamaican, and her uncle happens to be a large land owner in Antigua. I really look forward to visiting the small island. I grew up spending summer in the Caribbean as a kid, and loved it there. It truly is a special place, and specially for those who love to fish.
Dude, I found your channel recently and I love it. I live in Tennessee too about 45 minutes above you on I75 or HWY 411 and when you talk about the south, you hit it dead on! Thank you for researching the USA and giving us the information. It’s fun to see the different parts of the country. Keep it up.
I have lived in the USVI for many years. There are no flights between St Thomas and St John. Ferries only. And you missed the largest of the VI. St Croix. I have visited and all Islands you mentioned. I have to agree with your comments. My favorite (other than STX) is Antigua.
Aruba actually is kind of both depending on what you are looking for. The area with all the hotels (palm beach area) is kind of like a little Vagas but less crazy at night. During the day everyone is on the beach and it is very relaxing. There are tons of families and people of all ages.
Just found your channel, probably watched 20 of your videos already. I really enjoy your style and the personality you add, the videos are the perfect length for watching while I eat lunch and they're packed with interesting information and cool places. I'm not from Sacramento myself, but I will always support a Sacramento king. We truly do love to see it.
Two things: I thought Dominica was pronounced DOH-MIN-ee-kaa... am I wrong? And I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of St John, USVI. You can easily take a ferry boat (or just a boat) that goes from St Thomas to St John & St John’s beaches are AMAZING. The ecotourism resorts are amazing (though RIP Maho Bay Eco Lodge) & very affordable. Absolutely in love with this national park. There is a small shopping area near the ferry stop. But you can do a really nice day trip from St Thomas to St John and it is so so so worth it!
Love your channel I wanna be like you when I’m older as a Geography professor right now I am only a teen , but I have been to 25/50 states my life goal is to get 50/50 I love traveling and weird geography facts with a passion , so thank you so much for your wonderful content we all love it !
Thank you! We need more of you! One of the best things about geography is you can study almost anything you like and make it a geographical topic. Almost everything has a geographical component. I have friends who work in natural disaster preparedness, computer mapping, park ranger, land surveying, satellite imagery/remote sensing, sea turtle conservation, oil and natural gas exploration, international shipping- and they all have degrees in geography.
Great goal to have. I would challenge you to pick a country count you want to strive for and go for it too. My state count is 42 so only 8 to go. Country count 94 so only 6 to go. I won't stop traveling when I get there. Just revisit some of my favorites
I stumbled across one of your videos yesterday and I'm hooked. Your intelligence is impressive. I just had to come to your page and just say Thank you for your commentary and amazing personality it shines so bright through the screen. Your relaxed and friendly demeanor is so necessary in these hard times so again thank you for sharing & may God bless you 😊
I went to Anguilla in the summer of 2017, let me say it was the most relaxing vacation ever. Spent five days on the white sand and in the crystal clear warm blue water. Definitely would recommend for anyone going for a more relaxing trip. Heads up though it is a hassle to get to the island, usually most people will have to fly into Saint Martin and then take a boat (they also may offer flights) to get to Anguilla
As a veteran Caribbean tourist, who has visited many different islands, my favorite- by far - is St. John’s in the USVI. Unlike what he says, it’s not that difficult to get to. Once there, it has plenty of restaurants and other shops to visit. And the many, many pretty and super easily accessible beaches makes it a wonderful place to visit. It also has incredible snorkeling.
Very informative "one stop shop" for Caribbean travel knowledge, thank you! I've been to Bahamas and Jamaica, I'm eyeing St Lucia for our next Caribbean trip, hopefully soon! I love all of your videos, thank you for them.
Interesting aside about Grenada, it’s got a large Veterinary and Medical school at SGU. Tons of US students and it’s programs are accredited in the US and the UK. Totally unique student experience, as my significant other went to St. George’s University. Extremely unique campus at the school, it’s beautiful.
I got one for you. When I was a child in the second grade (1976) I remember watching a film on Australia. Towards the beginning of the film they showed an island just to the west of Australia and looked to be about a quarter of the size of. They briefly showed and explained that the island looked similar to Scotland with it's hilly grasslands. A class mate asked the teacher a question about it and she answered, "I don't know, it's probably not going to be around for very much longer" and proceeded to talk about Australia. Very bizarre. Incredibly, this island is now spoken about in a Mandela Effect TH-cam video. My head almost explodes anytime I think about how other people remember about it, too. It gets a little weirder. The only place you can see this island on a map is in the movie "Dazed and Confused" when an actor is spinning a globe in a classroom somewhere towards the beginning. You got to pause the video at the right time to see it. All of this I'm saying is confirmable on line but they don't make it easy. Thank you for listening, The Newmans 🍻
I hope you do the other Caribbean island too. I like how you explained the islands, it’s very helpful for someone who wants to go down there but doesn’t know what’s gonna be the best for them
Been to almost all those islands and your descriptions are spot on. St John is our favorite island, and though you didn’t include it, Dominican Republic has everything you could ask for, and the locals are very welcoming. Not all islands love the tourist.
I lived and worked on St John for 3 years. Its a secret hidden gem. He didn't mention that there are ferries from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook on St. Thomas but I'm not mad about it. 🤣
Use to live on St John. Worked at Caneel Bay and also managed Cafe Roma in Cruz Bay. I've lived on all three Virgin Islands and stayed on St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua, Dominica and Barbados. They were all awesome also the British Virgin Islands. Best Beach were in St John and the BVI. 🌴❤️
I've been to almost every caribbean island and i have different favourites. For culture and just walking around it's Cuba. For scuba diving it's Bonaire and Curacao (though Roatan and Cozumel come in a good second), for hiking it's Dominica and St-Kitts & Nevis. For just being lazy on beaches Turks & Caicos is hard to beat. If you feel like being in France, Martinique is fun. Maho beach in Sint Maarten is something you have to experience once but it gets old fast, and the nice beaches are on the Saint-Martin side. Nicest beaches I've seen were in Haiti, but sadly it's not safe for tourists.
@WageSlaving2TheTop ! I've been to Cuba a few times... some visits to huge 5 star caribbean resorts on the north side, twice to Havana. They do have decent social programs, but it remains a poor country. Honestly poverty wise it's no worse than other poor Caribbean nations like Jamaiica, Honduras or the DR and is a paradise compared to Haiti. It gets demonised by the US, but the rest of the world keeps visiting Cuba so...
Love your videos, I’ve been watching for the past year or so, as someone who is from the Turks and Caicos but now lives in South Florida I can tell you most people just go to Providenciales aka Provo, most people call it Provo. Truth is the islands are relatively flat and not much to see on the interior, most tourist simply engage in water activities, snorkeling, diving, Water sports, jet skies that sort of thing. From the photos you can tell the beaches are pretty white and sandy very very beautiful. And Grand Turk the capital is the only island that has a Cruise port. But the main thing I wanted to correct is that Turks and Caicos is and Cayman Islands are a part of the greater Antilles, the greater and lesser has nothing to do with population but rather just location.
Just stumbled on your videos... Kyle, thank you so much for what you do for all of us. I instantly subscribed and am now in binge-watch mode. Your delivery of info and topics come with a friendliness I'm happy to have in my home. Looking forward to getting aquatinted with your channel. Again, glad to be here.
I love your videos they are so chill and I feel like I’m learning stuff even if I’m procrastinating! I found you off the state Capitol videos and I’m so glad your channel is growing!
Amazing review. Love that you use your own photography which gives a more authentic impression of what to expect rather than the stuff you find Instagram. Wish you could do this for all destinations!
I found your channel last week while temporarily living and working in USVI. Before returning to the states, ive been wondering what other islands to visit, and lo-and-behold... You have the answer! Also everyone do yourself a favour and skip the USVI. Its not what you want from your caribbean getaway
Great presentation as always. I have been fortunate to have been to all of these islands and the vid is right on. Been to St. Barts but I cannot imagine any value in going someplace to see celebrities.
Out of all the places here I've been to St. Lucia, the Cayman Islands, and Turks & Caicos. St. Lucia was by far my favorite. It's a beautiful, exotic island that even has a volcano you can visit. The scuba diving there is pretty underrated as well. The Caymans & Grand Turk are kind of bland in my opinion compared to St. Lucia.
Well I lived on St Thomas for awhile in the late 90's, people were very friendly and I meet a lot of different people from everywhere. The British V I are so beautiful, people were very polite their as well. So many great places to go and see on both US and BVI.
Came across your videos all the way from another island, Sri Lanka. We're pretty isolated from everywhere and too poor to travel all the way to your part of the globe. Plus we can't travel right now anyways and on curfew stuck in our homes. Your videos are an escape, I've recommended them to my friends. Good job! Please keep safe and make more videos!
Fell over your channel af few days ago and i have been binge watchinng your channel since. i see youve gained a ton of subs since then, relativle speaking from 4k. Keep up the work and nice quality, and i bet you will ride on the wave of the TH-cam algorithm and you will have 100k's of subs! You can really tell that these videoes are about topics you are passionate about, and thats the quality that really draws in viewers, no matter if they share the same interesting.
Very best comparison video I have seen. It would have been helpful if you mentioned what language was spoken on each island as that is so important when traveling. I will have to check into my favorite sounding ones St Lucia, Grenada, and the unknown to me St Kitts and Nevis. Was looking at Guadeloupe but French the French language is really off putting. Thank you.
I visited Aruba in my 20s, about 20 years ago and the one my memories of it was you could drive around it in one day stopping @ interesting areas like a hidden beach we had to hike to and fed some aggressive goats.
@@boatdetective By the time you pay for the 6-12 months of charter it would take to visit all the islands around the Caribbean, you could have bought a good boat on the used market.
@@operator0 I've worked in the marine business for 40 years. Most normal people don't want to check out completely for the expense and risk of dealing with a boat in the islands. This explains why the charter trade has grown so much in the BVI.
So glad I found your channel a few days ago, really awesome vids! Only Caribbean island I've been to is Grand Cayman, and the first hotel shown was where I stayed!
Lived in st maarten for a year before covid and can confirm, its a great party scene (lotus is the best club there and weekends can have lots of americans if they have time off school and lots of touristy beaches to party on too) but there's areas where they are still rebuilding (including the airport) from hurricane irma. Party scene is also a bit out of the way from the ports if youre on a cruise too
Trinidad and Tobago more than half of the population of the lesser Antilles i think it would be worth at lease mentioning even if you haven't visited. Trinidad has incredibly vibrant and unique culture lots of geographic wonders including limestone caves, waterfalls, and bird sanctuaries. Trinidad's carnival is the biggest festival/party in the region. And Tobago is on pare with many of the islands you mentioned as far a a mix of beaches, relaxation and history.
Yesss, my father was born and raised for part of his childhood there it’s beautiful and amazing although depending where you go they don’t like foreigners too much. Also the water can get VERY dangerous. Other than that if you stay to the touristy area it’s beautiful
Sint Maarten (The Netherlands)/Saint Martin (France), at 23 square miles (59.6 square kilometers), is indeed the smallest landmass on earth shared by two nations. I believe that the Dutch side is larger at 14 square miles (36.3 square kilometers).
Solid video! I was a little bummed about the USVI part. You didn't mention St. Croix! That place is really neat in terms of jungle exploration, culture, and scuba diving. It's pretty impoverished but if you get a good guide it's a must!
The U.S. and British Virgin Islands have ferrys that run between them like a bus service. That is, often, convenient and cheep. When I went there I went on many day trips to different islands, so no, one doesn't need a boat to island hop. Furthermore, the different islands offer very different experiences so they are well worth day trips. One does need to be aware of when they run as some, the last ferry is relatively early, but the weather is such that it isn't usually a big deal sleeping on the beach in a worse case scenario.
I'm not as familiar with them but I do know both are larger and have more people than most of the other islands. They both have great beaches and a beautiful mountainous rainforested interior. But for us personally the language barrier is probably a hassle that although not a big deal can be a little annoying for a relaxing vacation. But if you speak French I can recommend both. Of the two Guadaloupe looks a little more interesting to me for the mix of beaches, hiking, and capital city. I think Martinique's capital is supposedly kinda rough and not interesting for a tourist visit.
@@GeographyKing I spent a week in Basse Terre (the undeveloped part of Guadeloupe) a few years ago. Younger people spoke English, but for others (including our Airbnb hosts) it was touch and go. That part of the island is incredible, with waterfalls/jungle/volcano and also beaches.
Love your vids but I think you forgot an island. Trinidad is the southernmost of the lesser Antilles and there are a lot of nice street food all over. I recommend you try doubles. Probably recommend visiting Port of Spain, the capital. Tobago is apart of the country too and Scarborough is a nice place. The beaches are moderate but the culture is excellent. If you want to party I recommend the crossing in San Fernando and both islands have interior rainforests and mountains.
Kyle, kudos on mentioning Dominica. I had a chance a couple of years ago to go anywhere in the world for 2-3 weeks by myself; my air miles allowed me to consider faraway places like Mauritius. But of the world, I picked Dominica, and I had a fabulous time! My criteria: very low crime, English as the language (so that I could chit-chat in depth with the locals), overwhelming lush greenery, not overrun by Americans, not too expensive for a budget-oriented traveler, and a variety of land-based things to do that are accessible by road besides sitting on the beach or playing golf or tennis. I also wanted a place with hot springs. I eventually ruled out Mauritius simply because it was too far away from the USA. One cool fact about Dominica: It's the closest country to the 50 states that you can't fly to directly. This will change of course if Puerto Rico becomes a state. Lonely Planet once called Dominica "Mother Nature's Picasso." Keep up the great channel, Kyle. I'm about your age, and I love geography. When I was a little kid (below age 10), i would tell friends' parents in the car when they missed their turn, or would help them navigate their way out of a new city. I was like the navigation savant.
Thank you very much for your comment. It's been crazy trying to keep up with all of them! If travel gets back to normal I'll be in Dominica in December 2021 and hopefully will be doing a lot of hiking. It's definitely not easy to get to flight wise, so that keeps a lot of Americans away. And I know all about being the little kid navigator in the back seat barking out directions to my parents lol
@@GeographyKing , have a wonderful time when you do go. Perhaps you will encounter some Kalinago people, the last indigenous Carib people after whom the Caribbean was named. Only Dominica now has them. And you may know that the locals call Dominica "Waitukubuli," which means "tall is her body" since that resembles its terrain. Perhaps you will get to hike one of the Waitukubuli Trail segments.
Just subscribed, maybe the best geography/travel channel find on UTube for me, thanks. Liked the 2 “10 worst” videos a lot too, for example. A rare mix of boots on the ground/been-there knowledge combined w/ research and some exceptionally objective reporting. Just wanted to note a very minor thing re this video: With the U.S. Virgin Islands, it is a ferry ride to St. John, from Red Hook on St. Thomas, not a plane hop. The plane would be necessary to get to St. Croix. Reason I mention this is that St. John is so very beautiful. Camped there once in the Cinnamon Bay/Maho Bay Area. Still though, what a great, all-around Lesser Antilles tour!
Thanks for your videos. Could you add some text somewhere where islands are listed by category? party, beach, adventure/mountains etc. It would help to process all this. Thanks!
I never stopped working through quarantine being that I'm an essential worker. I finally took a two weeks off in August and went to Jamaica. No regrets..wish I was there now.
One thing you don't mention in the video is food options. I've been to the Turks and Caicos twice (Providenciales) and most of the restaurants are amazing and not overwhelmingly expensive. Also, I think it's one of the few islands where you can rent a car and safely drive around the whole island and discover the different beaches (they're pretty much all beautiful) and the different restaurants. So you're not just confined to your resort and one beach here. Only drawback is you have to drive on the left side of the road. There are also houses and villas you can rent instead of staying at a resort if you want more privacy.
Not sure where to suggest this, I don't see a way to get to you directly so I'll just comment here. Apologies if I'm missing something obvious. Enjoying your channel, and just finished the video about 16 quirks of US geography. If you're interested in another quirk, it's possible to drive from Mississippi to Arkansas without crossing a bridge or getting your tires wet. The Mississippi river was the original border for many US states along its route. When the river was rerouted to make commerce up and down river faster (or rerouted itself naturally), the new course of the river left several isolated lakes called "Oxbows" along it's length (see wikipedia for a better explanation than I can give here). What you end up with is a curved lake that used to be the river, with an area of land you can get to via land vehicle by driving around the lake that is still part of the state that used to be across the river from you, the state line never changed. Flooding will reconnect the river to various Oxbow lakes from time to time, so the land connection isn't uninterrupted. I grew up going to my families tiny cabin on a lake in northern Mississippi (Tunica), and we would take the jeep around Tunica Lake to Arkansas to hunt if the river wasn't too high making the land connection either too marshy or outright underwater (the cabin flooded many many times and was finally destroyed). Hope you found this interesting.
My first Caribbean island was St. Thomas for my dad’s wedding in late July/August. We did a day on St. John and I’m not really a beach person. I really want to see more of the history and Grenada does sound cool, but it’s really far down the chain.
I was surprised you didn't mention the black sand beaches in Dominica. That's what I remember most from my visit 27+ years ago. Black sand can indeed get hotter than white sand. Take sandals!
You totally missed Guadeloupe and Martinique! These are the biggest of the Lesser Antilles. I understand why you skipped Bonaire and the tiny islands (saw your earlier comment below). I’m afraid you are just going to have to create a follow up video to fix this. FYI: St Martin/Maarten has a north/south divide, not east/west divide. (Loving your videos btw!)
One of my best buds bought a sailboat and left the US about 30 years ago and ended up on St John. Not sure I could live there all the time but it's a favorite of mine. Hesitate to say this but it's only a 45 min ferry from St Thomas. The National Park takes up 60% of the island
Regret not going there. I spent all my time on St. Thomas. There was one tourist who really ridiculed me for not going to St.John, I just wanted to chill. It was my first time visiting the USVI and it’s beautiful. Fantastic nature, skies, food and beaches. Will visit St.John and Croix next time
@@JoeyDNetsfan If you are looking for a less hectic place St John is it. My daughter and I went to Mahoo Bay for a day when we were down visiting my friend. Beach is 150 yds long, maybe 10 people that day
Indeed some important islands are missing, as mentioned below, which is understandable considering the sheer number there are, but also an inportant set of activities being diving and snorkling. Having been to Curaçao, I found it one big feature there. I don't know about the others though.
Congrats on you blowing up, 3x subs in less than a month! Watching from Norway! Keep making quality content and you’ll Get sponsors and make lots of money! Keep it up :))))
Thank you for the breakdown. I've only been to the Dominican Republic (Hispanola, and technically Saona Island), and it was nice but more of a party vibe. I'd be looking for something more family friendly.
Me, a broke college student:
Hmmmm... interesting
Same here
Although all of these islands are expensive I can recommend that when you do have travel money avoid the Cayman Islands. Don't get me wrong, it is a great set of islands and some of the best diving in the world. Being a former resident and having family in Grand Cayman I can tell you they are going through "silent" gentrification. Not to improve slum neighborhoods but rather to keep those with limited funds away. Everything is very expensive. They desire wealthy sophisticated visitors versus the rest of us who won't spend too much money and want cheap booze. When you have the funds, go to Mexico and have a hell of a time for a lot less.
You can always go to South Padre Island, Texas.
I went to Cayman Islands in 2007 after economy tanked and loved liked it a lot. Not crowded clean beaches good experience. I went there in 2018 and didn’t like it at all. It got crowded Water got polluted(rum point) and new developments were everywhere. It was expensive both trips lol
I have to say, the TH-cam algorithm got this absolutely right! Super happy I stumbled onto this amazing channel. In the middle of binging my way through all your videos and I’ll be keeping my eye out for your uploads in the future!
Welcome to the channel!
Same happened to me brother!
Me too! Great channel!
these videos are the only thing keeping me going at this point, thank you so much for making quarantine 1000000x better
I'm glad you like the videos! I'm here to help!
Same here Man, huge fan!
H 5br
@@kathymarshall526 i agree
these are not videos, these are pictures. Just Call me, I am gonna make your day better =)
Love ur vids man. Looks like the TH-cam algorithm is picking them up hard. Keep up the uploads and you should expect to see rapid growth in the next few months.
Thanks!
I subbed this morning and I swear you have like a thousand more subs
Yeah it's been crazy. I had 3000 subscribers 4 days ago!
@@GeographyKing Yeah same, I subscribed today too, looks like the Algorithm God finally found you
He’s tripled since when I landed on the channel. Just commenting to help others get the chance to find the wonderful content!
Yeah I just joined a few days ago and the size of his channel like exploded. It's great.
At this point I think you've gained 9 thousand subs since I subcribed yesterday
I started watching your channel about a week ago, I think. Plus I recommended it to a friend. Good luck on your forthcoming growth!
The Caribbean island that I should visit is the cheapest one that is safe and that the US government doesn't ban travel to. If I didn't have to concern myself with the price... I would follow in your footsteps and head for Grenada for the perfect mix!
I'm glad you found the channel and thank you for the support! Grenada is very reasonable cost wise but the flight there can be expensive. Other than a couple of big cities on the bigger islands not mentioned in the video, there's nowhere in the region that's unsafe. Getting pickpocketed is your biggest concern and even that's not as common as in other tourist hotspots.
Hey guys, a Grenadian here, randomly came across this video. It's cool to know you came to my island for your first visit in the Caribbean! To those that plan to come to a Caribbean island, whichever it is; I hope you have a good time
My better half is Jamaican, and her uncle happens to be a large land owner in Antigua. I really look forward to visiting the small island. I grew up spending summer in the Caribbean as a kid, and loved it there. It truly is a special place, and specially for those who love to fish.
I’ve traveled all over the Caribbean and you are spot on with your assessments here.
Dude, I found your channel recently and I love it. I live in Tennessee too about 45 minutes above you on I75 or HWY 411 and when you talk about the south, you hit it dead on! Thank you for researching the USA and giving us the information. It’s fun to see the different parts of the country. Keep it up.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.
I have lived in the USVI for many years. There are no flights between St Thomas and St John. Ferries only. And you missed the largest of the VI. St Croix. I have visited and all Islands you mentioned. I have to agree with your comments. My favorite (other than STX) is Antigua.
Where have you lived in the USVI? I visited St. Thomas June of last year. Your opinions on living there?
Aruba actually is kind of both depending on what you are looking for. The area with all the hotels (palm beach area) is kind of like a little Vagas but less crazy at night. During the day everyone is on the beach and it is very relaxing. There are tons of families and people of all ages.
Just found your channel, probably watched 20 of your videos already. I really enjoy your style and the personality you add, the videos are the perfect length for watching while I eat lunch and they're packed with interesting information and cool places. I'm not from Sacramento myself, but I will always support a Sacramento king. We truly do love to see it.
Two things: I thought Dominica was pronounced DOH-MIN-ee-kaa... am I wrong?
And I wholeheartedly disagree with your assessment of St John, USVI. You can easily take a ferry boat (or just a boat) that goes from St Thomas to St John & St John’s beaches are AMAZING. The ecotourism resorts are amazing (though RIP Maho Bay Eco Lodge) & very affordable. Absolutely in love with this national park. There is a small shopping area near the ferry stop. But you can do a really nice day trip from St Thomas to St John and it is so so so worth it!
Love your channel I wanna be like you when I’m older as a Geography professor right now I am only a teen , but I have been to 25/50 states my life goal is to get 50/50 I love traveling and weird geography facts with a passion , so thank you so much for your wonderful content we all love it !
Thank you! We need more of you! One of the best things about geography is you can study almost anything you like and make it a geographical topic. Almost everything has a geographical component. I have friends who work in natural disaster preparedness, computer mapping, park ranger, land surveying, satellite imagery/remote sensing, sea turtle conservation, oil and natural gas exploration, international shipping- and they all have degrees in geography.
Great goal to have. I would challenge you to pick a country count you want to strive for and go for it too. My state count is 42 so only 8 to go. Country count 94 so only 6 to go. I won't stop traveling when I get there. Just revisit some of my favorites
I've been a sub since day 1 loyal to the soil!! Love to see this channel grow
Thank you very much! Without the support from the earliest subscribers there'd be no 20,000.
I stumbled across one of your videos yesterday and I'm hooked. Your intelligence is impressive. I just had to come to your page and just say Thank you for your commentary and amazing personality it shines so bright through the screen. Your relaxed and friendly demeanor is so necessary in these hard times so again thank you for sharing & may God bless you 😊
Thank you very much for the kind words. I'm glad you found the channel and like the videos!
I went to Anguilla in the summer of 2017, let me say it was the most relaxing vacation ever. Spent five days on the white sand and in the crystal clear warm blue water. Definitely would recommend for anyone going for a more relaxing trip. Heads up though it is a hassle to get to the island, usually most people will have to fly into Saint Martin and then take a boat (they also may offer flights) to get to Anguilla
Love your honest no holds barred commentary. Thanks👍🏽
As a veteran Caribbean tourist, who has visited many different islands, my favorite- by far - is St. John’s in the USVI. Unlike what he says, it’s not that difficult to get to. Once there, it has plenty of restaurants and other shops to visit. And the many, many pretty and super easily accessible beaches makes it a wonderful place to visit. It also has incredible snorkeling.
Came across your videos not too long ago, love the content! Really an underrated channel.
Thank you!
Glad I found your channel! Been to 16 islands in the Caribbean, and it’s fun to see what each has to offer. Thank you for your good work!
I'm glad you found it too!
Very informative "one stop shop" for Caribbean travel knowledge, thank you! I've been to Bahamas and Jamaica, I'm eyeing St Lucia for our next Caribbean trip, hopefully soon! I love all of your videos, thank you for them.
Saint Lucia is well worth it.
Interesting aside about Grenada, it’s got a large Veterinary and Medical school at SGU. Tons of US students and it’s programs are accredited in the US and the UK. Totally unique student experience, as my significant other went to St. George’s University. Extremely unique campus at the school, it’s beautiful.
I got one for you.
When I was a child in the second grade (1976) I remember watching a film on Australia. Towards the beginning of the film they showed an island just to the west of Australia and looked to be about a quarter of the size of. They briefly showed and explained that the island looked similar to Scotland with it's hilly grasslands.
A class mate asked the teacher a question about it and she answered, "I don't know, it's probably not going to be around for very much longer" and proceeded to talk about Australia. Very bizarre.
Incredibly, this island is now spoken about in a Mandela Effect TH-cam video. My head almost explodes anytime I think about how other people remember about it, too.
It gets a little weirder. The only place you can see this island on a map is in the movie "Dazed and Confused" when an actor is spinning a globe in a classroom somewhere towards the beginning. You got to pause the video at the right time to see it.
All of this I'm saying is confirmable on line but they don't make it easy.
Thank you for listening,
The Newmans 🍻
Man, I have been binge watching your videos. They are awesome! Keep them coming.
This is such a good channel! Keep it up man!
Cool video. I really like the recap at the end. Thorough work as always. Thanks
I hope you do the other Caribbean island too. I like how you explained the islands, it’s very helpful for someone who wants to go down there but doesn’t know what’s gonna be the best for them
Been to almost all those islands and your descriptions are spot on.
St John is our favorite island, and though you didn’t include it, Dominican Republic has everything you could ask for, and the locals are very welcoming. Not all islands love the tourist.
I lived and worked on St John for 3 years. Its a secret hidden gem. He didn't mention that there are ferries from Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook on St. Thomas but I'm not mad about it. 🤣
Use to live on St John. Worked at Caneel Bay and also managed Cafe Roma in Cruz Bay. I've lived on all three Virgin Islands and stayed on St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua, Dominica and Barbados. They were all awesome also the British Virgin Islands. Best Beach were in St John and the BVI. 🌴❤️
congrats on 15k
Thanks!
@@GeographyKing wow you have 19k now!
5 days later...39k growing by leaps and miles...
@@2realtruthbritton crazy!
Great rundown of all the different islands. I found this to be very helpful for planning my own Caribbean trip. Thank you.
I've been to almost every caribbean island and i have different favourites. For culture and just walking around it's Cuba. For scuba diving it's Bonaire and Curacao (though Roatan and Cozumel come in a good second), for hiking it's Dominica and St-Kitts & Nevis. For just being lazy on beaches Turks & Caicos is hard to beat. If you feel like being in France, Martinique is fun. Maho beach in Sint Maarten is something you have to experience once but it gets old fast, and the nice beaches are on the Saint-Martin side. Nicest beaches I've seen were in Haiti, but sadly it's not safe for tourists.
@WageSlaving2TheTop ! I've been to Cuba a few times... some visits to huge 5 star caribbean resorts on the north side, twice to Havana.
They do have decent social programs, but it remains a poor country. Honestly poverty wise it's no worse than other poor Caribbean nations like Jamaiica, Honduras or the DR and is a paradise compared to Haiti.
It gets demonised by the US, but the rest of the world keeps visiting Cuba so...
Love your videos, I’ve been watching for the past year or so, as someone who is from the Turks and Caicos but now lives in South Florida I can tell you most people just go to Providenciales aka Provo, most people call it Provo. Truth is the islands are relatively flat and not much to see on the interior, most tourist simply engage in water activities, snorkeling, diving, Water sports, jet skies that sort of thing. From the photos you can tell the beaches are pretty white and sandy very very beautiful. And Grand Turk the capital is the only island that has a Cruise port. But the main thing I wanted to correct is that Turks and Caicos is and Cayman Islands are a part of the greater Antilles, the greater and lesser has nothing to do with population but rather just location.
Another correction: Turks and Caicos isn't in the greater Antilles but rather the lucayan archipelago which is Turks and Caicos and Bahamas
Just stumbled on your videos... Kyle, thank you so much for what you do for all of us. I instantly subscribed and am now in binge-watch mode. Your delivery of info and topics come with a friendliness I'm happy to have in my home. Looking forward to getting aquatinted with your channel. Again, glad to be here.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you found and like the channel!
I love your videos they are so chill and I feel like I’m learning stuff even if I’m procrastinating! I found you off the state Capitol videos and I’m so glad your channel is growing!
Amazing review. Love that you use your own photography which gives a more authentic impression of what to expect rather than the stuff you find Instagram. Wish you could do this for all destinations!
Awesome video! The one-stop video to quickly figure out which island to go to 😄
These videos are amazing. I found this channel yesterday and really appreciate all the knowledge and work you put into them
Thanks!
I found your channel last week while temporarily living and working in USVI. Before returning to the states, ive been wondering what other islands to visit, and lo-and-behold... You have the answer! Also everyone do yourself a favour and skip the USVI. Its not what you want from your caribbean getaway
Great presentation as always. I have been fortunate to have been to all of these islands and the vid is right on. Been to St. Barts but I cannot imagine any value in going someplace to see celebrities.
Out of all the places here I've been to St. Lucia, the Cayman Islands, and Turks & Caicos.
St. Lucia was by far my favorite. It's a beautiful, exotic island that even has a volcano you can visit. The scuba diving there is pretty underrated as well.
The Caymans & Grand Turk are kind of bland in my opinion compared to St. Lucia.
Well I lived on St Thomas for awhile in the late 90's, people were very friendly and I meet a lot of different people from everywhere. The British V I are so beautiful, people were very polite their as well. So many great places to go and see on both US and BVI.
Came across your videos all the way from another island, Sri Lanka. We're pretty isolated from everywhere and too poor to travel all the way to your part of the globe. Plus we can't travel right now anyways and on curfew stuck in our homes. Your videos are an escape, I've recommended them to my friends.
Good job! Please keep safe and make more videos!
I've been "visiting" Sri Lanka on Google Street View lately. Very fascinating landscape and beautiful scenery
Love your channel...Excellent, non biased information...Liked and subscribed...
Thank you! Welcome to the channel!
Fell over your channel af few days ago and i have been binge watchinng your channel since. i see youve gained a ton of subs since then, relativle speaking from 4k. Keep up the work and nice quality, and i bet you will ride on the wave of the TH-cam algorithm and you will have 100k's of subs!
You can really tell that these videoes are about topics you are passionate about, and thats the quality that really draws in viewers, no matter if they share the same interesting.
Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate the recent activity. Definitely humbling.
I found your channel yesterday and you sir have earned my subscription
Very best comparison video I have seen. It would have been helpful if you mentioned what language was spoken on each island as that is so important when traveling. I will have to check into my favorite sounding ones St Lucia, Grenada, and the unknown to me St Kitts and Nevis. Was looking at Guadeloupe but French the French language is really off putting. Thank you.
Great information. Well organized and it gives me a wonderful idea of things to consider when I take my trip. Thank you very much.
Excellent. Thank you for your usual well-informed, balanced views on a place :)
I visited Aruba in my 20s, about 20 years ago and the one my memories of it was you could drive around it in one day stopping @ interesting areas like a hidden beach we had to hike to and fed some aggressive goats.
Best channel on TH-cam
My advice;
Buy a sail boat and visit them all! ;)
Getting to Barbados will be a death wish 🤣
My advice- charter the sailboat.
@@boatdetective By the time you pay for the 6-12 months of charter it would take to visit all the islands around the Caribbean, you could have bought a good boat on the used market.
@@operator0 I've worked in the marine business for 40 years. Most normal people don't want to check out completely for the expense and risk of dealing with a boat in the islands. This explains why the charter trade has grown so much in the BVI.
@@boatdetective What do you mean by "check-out"?
Good job man on the subscribers over 20k subscribers in a few days, keep up the good work.
So glad I found your channel a few days ago, really awesome vids! Only Caribbean island I've been to is Grand Cayman, and the first hotel shown was where I stayed!
Thank you. I'm also glad you found it!
I'm planning a trip in 2024 and this has been really helpful. Thank you!
Great vid Kyle! Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!
I loved Anguilla. Quite island with great beaches.
Lived in st maarten for a year before covid and can confirm, its a great party scene (lotus is the best club there and weekends can have lots of americans if they have time off school and lots of touristy beaches to party on too) but there's areas where they are still rebuilding (including the airport) from hurricane irma. Party scene is also a bit out of the way from the ports if youre on a cruise too
Im pretty sure I used one of those photos before as a screensaver
I just discovered your channel and I'm having a marathon
Exactly the guide I was searching for, thank you!
I just discovered your channel and I love it! I hope you do a video on the Greater Antilles. Keep up the good work!
Trinidad and Tobago more than half of the population of the lesser Antilles i think it would be worth at lease mentioning even if you haven't visited. Trinidad has incredibly vibrant and unique culture lots of geographic wonders including limestone caves, waterfalls, and bird sanctuaries. Trinidad's carnival is the biggest festival/party in the region. And Tobago is on pare with many of the islands you mentioned as far a a mix of beaches, relaxation and history.
Yesss, my father was born and raised for part of his childhood there it’s beautiful and amazing although depending where you go they don’t like foreigners too much. Also the water can get VERY dangerous. Other than that if you stay to the touristy area it’s beautiful
Tobago is great
Bahamas and the sand there is beyond amazing!
Sint Maarten (The Netherlands)/Saint Martin (France), at 23 square miles (59.6 square kilometers), is indeed the smallest landmass on earth shared by two nations. I believe that the Dutch side is larger at 14 square miles (36.3 square kilometers).
I subbed like a few days ago lol and you had 3000 subs, now you hitting 20k. Glad you’re blowing up
It's been crazy for sure!
Really great information. Thanks so much! Will definitely check out your other videos.
Solid video! I was a little bummed about the USVI part. You didn't mention St. Croix! That place is really neat in terms of jungle exploration, culture, and scuba diving. It's pretty impoverished but if you get a good guide it's a must!
Can you do a video of the big Antillas? I’d love to see one of it
The U.S. and British Virgin Islands have ferrys that run between them like a bus service. That is, often, convenient and cheep. When I went there I went on many day trips to different islands, so no, one doesn't need a boat to island hop. Furthermore, the different islands offer very different experiences so they are well worth day trips. One does need to be aware of when they run as some, the last ferry is relatively early, but the weather is such that it isn't usually a big deal sleeping on the beach in a worse case scenario.
Love your channel. I'm curious, what's your take on Guadeloupe and Martinique?
I'm not as familiar with them but I do know both are larger and have more people than most of the other islands. They both have great beaches and a beautiful mountainous rainforested interior. But for us personally the language barrier is probably a hassle that although not a big deal can be a little annoying for a relaxing vacation. But if you speak French I can recommend both. Of the two Guadaloupe looks a little more interesting to me for the mix of beaches, hiking, and capital city. I think Martinique's capital is supposedly kinda rough and not interesting for a tourist visit.
@@GeographyKing I spent a week in Basse Terre (the undeveloped part of Guadeloupe) a few years ago. Younger people spoke English, but for others (including our Airbnb hosts) it was touch and go. That part of the island is incredible, with waterfalls/jungle/volcano and also beaches.
I'm so happy I found your channel. This is gonna be hours of entertainment LOL. Great work tho Kyle
Thank you very much!
Love your vids but I think you forgot an island. Trinidad is the southernmost of the lesser Antilles and there are a lot of nice street food all over. I recommend you try doubles. Probably recommend visiting Port of Spain, the capital. Tobago is apart of the country too and Scarborough is a nice place. The beaches are moderate but the culture is excellent. If you want to party I recommend the crossing in San Fernando and both islands have interior rainforests and mountains.
Kyle, kudos on mentioning Dominica. I had a chance a couple of years ago to go anywhere in the world for 2-3 weeks by myself; my air miles allowed me to consider faraway places like Mauritius. But of the world, I picked Dominica, and I had a fabulous time!
My criteria: very low crime, English as the language (so that I could chit-chat in depth with the locals), overwhelming lush greenery, not overrun by Americans, not too expensive for a budget-oriented traveler, and a variety of land-based things to do that are accessible by road besides sitting on the beach or playing golf or tennis. I also wanted a place with hot springs. I eventually ruled out Mauritius simply because it was too far away from the USA.
One cool fact about Dominica: It's the closest country to the 50 states that you can't fly to directly. This will change of course if Puerto Rico becomes a state. Lonely Planet once called Dominica "Mother Nature's Picasso."
Keep up the great channel, Kyle. I'm about your age, and I love geography. When I was a little kid (below age 10), i would tell friends' parents in the car when they missed their turn, or would help them navigate their way out of a new city. I was like the navigation savant.
Thank you very much for your comment. It's been crazy trying to keep up with all of them! If travel gets back to normal I'll be in Dominica in December 2021 and hopefully will be doing a lot of hiking. It's definitely not easy to get to flight wise, so that keeps a lot of Americans away. And I know all about being the little kid navigator in the back seat barking out directions to my parents lol
@@GeographyKing , have a wonderful time when you do go. Perhaps you will encounter some Kalinago people, the last indigenous Carib people after whom the Caribbean was named. Only Dominica now has them. And you may know that the locals call Dominica "Waitukubuli," which means "tall is her body" since that resembles its terrain. Perhaps you will get to hike one of the Waitukubuli Trail segments.
Just subscribed, maybe the best geography/travel channel find on UTube for me, thanks. Liked the 2 “10 worst” videos a lot too, for example. A rare mix of boots on the ground/been-there knowledge combined w/ research and some exceptionally objective reporting. Just wanted to note a very minor thing re this video: With the U.S. Virgin Islands, it is a ferry ride to St. John, from Red Hook on St. Thomas, not a plane hop. The plane would be necessary to get to St. Croix. Reason I mention this is that St. John is so very beautiful. Camped there once in the Cinnamon Bay/Maho Bay Area. Still though, what a great, all-around Lesser Antilles tour!
I visited St. Croix in 2016, I stayed at a private site. It was wonderful
Thanks for your videos. Could you add some text somewhere where islands are listed by category? party, beach, adventure/mountains etc. It would help to process all this. Thanks!
Wow great channel, I just found you this week. You should make a top 10 places to travel during the pandemic
I never stopped working through quarantine being that I'm an essential worker. I finally took a two weeks off in August and went to Jamaica. No regrets..wish I was there now.
One thing you don't mention in the video is food options. I've been to the Turks and Caicos twice (Providenciales) and most of the restaurants are amazing and not overwhelmingly expensive. Also, I think it's one of the few islands where you can rent a car and safely drive around the whole island and discover the different beaches (they're pretty much all beautiful) and the different restaurants. So you're not just confined to your resort and one beach here. Only drawback is you have to drive on the left side of the road. There are also houses and villas you can rent instead of staying at a resort if you want more privacy.
Not sure where to suggest this, I don't see a way to get to you directly so I'll just comment here. Apologies if I'm missing something obvious.
Enjoying your channel, and just finished the video about 16 quirks of US geography. If you're interested in another quirk, it's possible to drive from Mississippi to Arkansas without crossing a bridge or getting your tires wet.
The Mississippi river was the original border for many US states along its route. When the river was rerouted to make commerce up and down river faster (or rerouted itself naturally), the new course of the river left several isolated lakes called "Oxbows" along it's length (see wikipedia for a better explanation than I can give here). What you end up with is a curved lake that used to be the river, with an area of land you can get to via land vehicle by driving around the lake that is still part of the state that used to be across the river from you, the state line never changed. Flooding will reconnect the river to various Oxbow lakes from time to time, so the land connection isn't uninterrupted.
I grew up going to my families tiny cabin on a lake in northern Mississippi (Tunica), and we would take the jeep around Tunica Lake to Arkansas to hunt if the river wasn't too high making the land connection either too marshy or outright underwater (the cabin flooded many many times and was finally destroyed).
Hope you found this interesting.
Yeah there's a lot of interesting stuff involving the meandering of the Mississippi. The Mighty Mississip don't care about your stupid state lines!
My first Caribbean island was St. Thomas for my dad’s wedding in late July/August. We did a day on St. John and I’m not really a beach person. I really want to see more of the history and Grenada does sound cool, but it’s really far down the chain.
Just discovered you a couple of days ago. I love geography and I find your videos very interesting! Subscribed!
The ending summary was chef's kiss
I was surprised you didn't mention the black sand beaches in Dominica. That's what I remember most from my visit 27+ years ago. Black sand can indeed get hotter than white sand. Take sandals!
I love your videos man. I’m a tennessee native, love this state
You totally missed Guadeloupe and Martinique! These are the biggest of the Lesser Antilles. I understand why you skipped Bonaire and the tiny islands (saw your earlier comment below). I’m afraid you are just going to have to create a follow up video to fix this.
FYI: St Martin/Maarten has a north/south divide, not east/west divide.
(Loving your videos btw!)
Not entirely sure why TH-cam recommended me this channel, but I'm glad it did! Never question the TH-cam overlords.
@ yes
Just found you brother as a fellow Tennesseean (and geography lover) I look forward to watching your channel grow...
One of my best buds bought a sailboat and left the US about 30 years ago and ended up on St John. Not sure I could live there all the time but it's a favorite of mine. Hesitate to say this but it's only a 45 min ferry from St Thomas. The National Park takes up 60% of the island
Regret not going there. I spent all my time on St. Thomas. There was one tourist who really ridiculed me for not going to St.John, I just wanted to chill. It was my first time visiting the USVI and it’s beautiful. Fantastic nature, skies, food and beaches. Will visit St.John and Croix next time
@@JoeyDNetsfan If you are looking for a less hectic place St John is it. My daughter and I went to Mahoo Bay for a day when we were down visiting my friend. Beach is 150 yds long, maybe 10 people that day
I found you a couple weeks ago and you deserve a lot more sub. i really love your videos
You are the only one that I have ever heard to pronounce the island names correctly!!!!!!
Indeed some important islands are missing, as mentioned below, which is understandable considering the sheer number there are,
but also an inportant set of activities being diving and snorkling.
Having been to Curaçao, I found it one big feature there. I don't know about the others though.
Congrats on you blowing up, 3x subs in less than a month! Watching from Norway! Keep making quality content and you’ll Get sponsors and make lots of money! Keep it up :))))
Tusen takk! I appreciate the support!
Tusen takk to you my friend for great knowledge and entertainment. Meant less than a week btw🤑😄
Thank you for the breakdown. I've only been to the Dominican Republic (Hispanola, and technically Saona Island), and it was nice but more of a party vibe. I'd be looking for something more family friendly.
Concise, helpful information. Thanks.
Very informative video. Can you also do a video on US territories as well
That is one of my next videos!
Great information and EXACTLY what I'm looking for!
Glad I could help!
the algorithim gods finally blessed u! found ur channel at ~10k subs like yesterday, crazy
Thank you. Yeah it's been crazy.