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Flight Reviews / Cessna / Cape Air / St Croix Travel / SJU / San Juan Travel / Airplanes / Island Travel / USVI Travel / → All Tags

The Worst Part of Flying on a Cape Air Cessna is Admitting Your True Weight

Last week, Jaunted contributor Christine headed down to the US Virgin Islands in a plane smaller than any she had ever been in before. This is her story.

Those who travel around the Caribbean often think nothing of boarding an island-hopping flight on a Cessna 402, but as a first timer I would be lying if I didn't admit the experience was a little daunting.

As I waited at the Cape Air counter in San Juan International Airport, my initial fear of flying from here to St. Croix in the tiny plane was quickly replaced by the pulse-quickening realization that passengers were required to provide their weight. This must be said aloud in front of a line of fellow travelers. Of course, I shaved 7 pounds off of my real weight, which earned me a double-take and an eye roll from the Cape Air attendant checking me in. I silently wondered if she had once worked summers guessing weights at an amusement park kiosk.

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Shopping Travel / St Croix Travel / Caribbean Travel / Souvenirs / USVI Travel / Island Travel / What Everyone's Buying / → All Tags

What Everyone's Buying in St. Croix: Hook Bracelets

Welcome to "What Everyone's Buying," a new series on souvenirs, wherein we investigate what tourist trinkets are the hottest selling in hotspots around the world.

If you've recently spent time on St. Croix, chances are you left the island a "hooker."

Where to buy: Most locals will say you can't visit STX without picking up Hook Bracelets, which can only be found at Sonya Ltd in Christiansted. The bracelets have been made by hand for more than 40 years so each one is completely unique. There are several imitators throughout the Caribbean but any Crucian will tell you Sonya's is the only place to get the real thing.

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Volunteer Travel / St Croix Travel / Eco Travel / USVI Travel / Island Travel / Voluntourism / → All Tags

How to Volunteer at the Only Organic Farm in the US Virgin Islands

If you really want to get back to basics, spend a few days at the Ridge to Reef Farm in St. Croix for the reason that one of the farm's ultimate goals is to grow and distribute enough food to feed 1% of the local population. If that can be accomplished, then they'll be that much closer to making the islands less dependent on overpriced, imported produce.

It is a tall order but if anyone can make it happen, it's Ridge to Reef's owner Nate Olive. Nate is passionate about fostering an organic and sustainable life on the farm and his enthusiasm is contagious. Most visitors become intoxicated by the smells, sounds, and tastes of the farm, which feature vegetable gardens, bamboo groves, fruit trees, chickens, goats, and a donkey.

As the only certified organic farm in the USVI, Ridge to Reef is busy harvesting food three times a week for their food share program and maintaining a 200-acre campus, so they do depend on help from volunteers throughout the year.

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Four Souvenirs of Bermuda That Aren't Bermuda Shorts

Bermuda's Clocktower Mall

The island of Bermuda may be a British protectorate, but trust that it has a culture all its own. You could be obvious and come back from your trip to the island with a pair of Bermuda shorts and a massive rum cake, but you’re better off investing in one of these goodies:

Gosling's Rum
Bermuda’s most famous non-shorts export is Gosling's Rum, which has been on the island – and in the family – for eight generations. If you take a tour of the brand’s distillery/store in downtown Hamilton, you can taste some of the different blends. Our favorite is the Bermuda Gold Liqueur, made from a local fruit called loquats that have a plummy taste. They also sell pre-mixed rum swizzles, the drink of choice for Bermudians. Choose wisely, though: the duty-free limit is one bottle of booze per person. Many Gosling's products are not sold off-island, so be sure to ask if you're having trouble deciding.

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St Croix Travel / Adventure Travel / Island Travel / → All Tags

How to Get Off the Beaten Path (Quite Literally) in St. Croix

If you're as skeptical as we are when you see a bunch of too-good-to-be-true reviews of a hotel, restaurant, or tour, here's one that actually lives up to the testimonials. Gecko Island Adventures, located in Frederiksted, St. Croix, really are "a blast" and "worth every penny!"

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Heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands? Leave Your Verizon Phone at Home

For the most part traveling from the US. to the U.S. Virgin Islands is just like traveling from New York to California with a few exceptions including, in some cases, cell phone coverage.

According to the USVI's official website, "Sprint and AT&T are cellular phone providers in the Virgin Islands. Some other cellular services work in the Virgin Islands however roaming charges are likely as they operate off the networks of the locally established cellular phone providers."

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Travel Contests / Island Travel / Social Media / Facebook / Viking River Cruises / → All Tags

Three Huge Travel Contests Ending This Week (So Enter Now)

If getting back into the workweek is a little hard this morning—no problem—as we’ve got some daydream destinations to get you through the day. Sure the odds aren’t exactly in your favor when it comes to winning a contest, but you can’t win if you don’t play. So here’s a couple contests ending this week, so take a few minutes and throw your name into the hat for a chance to win.

Viking River Cruises

Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself a "cruise person," we’ve got to say that we certainly would have no problem boarding one of the ships in the Viking River Cruises fleet. The smaller ships wind their way through the rivers of the world, and provide an up-close and personal look at smaller ports and cities—especially over in Europe.

Hop onto Facebook, "like" Viking River Cruises, and then enter for your chance to win a free cruise for two in 2014. The Rhine Getaway itinerary also includes coach airfare, guided tours, plenty of onboard meals, and a whole bunch of other things—good luck.

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Travel Contests / Fiji Travel / Island Travel / Social Media / Facebook / → All Tags

Turn Your Frown Upside-Down with a Contest to Win a Two Week Vacation in Fiji

There's no hiding that we love Fiji. That grouping of 333 islands holds a special place in our heart and every single person should get to experience those blue waters, killer sunsets and the friendliest locals we have ever encountered. It seems like perfect timing then, that the folks over at Tourism Fiji want to send a contest winner to Fiji for 2 weeks!

The contest can't get any simpler; all you have to do is head on over to the Tourism Fiji Facebook page, give it a big thumbs up (like it) and then head on to the Happiness Test. After 6 questions about how you deal with everyday life and what you would look forward to most if you made it to Fiji, you're issued a "Happiness Type."

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Foreign Grocery Friday / Food Travel / Fiji Travel / Fiji Field Trip / Island Travel / → All Tags

Foreign Grocery Friday: the Tymo Cookies of Fiji

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

By now, you may have realized we were in Fiji and had a blast. Bopping around an open air market got us thinking about the treasures which await in a local grocery store and, luckily, there was one pretty close by. After a finding a few shelves of Fiji Water (naturally), we stumbled upon the snack foods and eyeballed the Tymo cookies, particularly the coconut-flavored variety.

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Fiji Field Trip / Fiji Travel / NAN / Air Pacific / Fiji Airways / Island Travel / Markets / Food Travel / → All Tags

Enjoying the 333 Islands of Fiji: Wandering the Nadi Town Market

Last week, we dished on Air Pacific's brand new airplane, new look as Fiji Airways, and even mentioned how to test out the fresh bird. Just the thought of Fiji seems exotic, pretty far away, and difficult to get to. Exotic, yes. Far away, sure. Hard to get to, not at all. This week, we'll be looking at what there is to do once you do make it to the way out to the middle of paradise.

Wandering around a foreign market is one of the best ways to get into the true flow by seeing how the locals eat, socialize and shop. A trip to the central market of the Western Fiji town of Nadi is no different and in fact, is one of our highest recommendations for your trip to Fiji.

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This is the Actual Island on Which Tom Hanks Filmed 'Cast Away'

Last week, we dished on Air Pacific's brand new airplane, new look as Fiji Airways, and even mentioned how to test out the fresh bird. Just the thought of Fiji seems exotic, pretty far away, and difficult to get to. Exotic, yes. Far away, sure. Hard to get to, not at all. This week, we'll be looking at what there is to do once you do make it to the way out to the middle of paradise.

This photo is not your typical shot of a tropical South Pacific island. Nope—it was taken from onboard a zippy catamaran trip going from Nadi to Tokoriki, and that island in the distance may be a tropical South Pacific deserted island, but for a time it was the center of Hollywood's universe. It's practically a movie star.

Yep, you heard it right, that island is just as much a celebrity as, say, Tom Hanks. If you think it looks a little familiar that's because it's the actual island from the 2000 box office blockbuster movie, Cast Away.

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Fiji Field Trip / Fiji Travel / NAN / Air Pacific / Fiji Airways / Island Travel / Tours / → All Tags

Enjoying the 333 Islands of Fiji: Going Native and Getting Sweaty

Last week, we dished on Air Pacific's brand new airplane, new look as Fiji Airways, and even mentioned how to test out the fresh bird. Just the thought of Fiji seems exotic, pretty far away, and difficult to get to. Exotic, yes. Far away, sure. Hard to get to, not at all. This week, we'll be looking at what there is to do once you do make it to the way out to the middle of paradise.

After spending some time in one of the most far away exotic locales on Earth, Fiji has made it to the top of our personal list of favorite destinations. Maybe it's the loud welcomes of "Bula!," or maybe it's the smiles and the shell lei. It was only when we ventured outside the resorts and into a local village that figured out what makes the magic: Fiji's people and their heritage.

From Nadi, we headed on a river cruise to Vitu Levu and the Coral Coast city of Sigatoka, where our guides, Sigatoka River Safari, prepped us for a four-hour round trip up the namesake river to a small village named Tuvu.

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