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I learned a lot about myself when I lived in the Caribbean. For one, life on an island isn’t all about the beach. When packing your bag for your vacation — or new life — there are a few essentials you’ll need besides your bathing suit, a pair of flip-flops and some SPF.

1. Patience – Being away on an island, one should be filled with feelings of peace and zen. Then something happens to your vehicle and you need your car fixed or you’re hungry and you just want a pizza delivered. Yes, Virginia, there is indeed such a thing as “Island Time,” when the locals are going to get whatever you need when they have time. Life in the Caribbean is not about instant gratification, so power down and learn to enjoy things as they unfold. It’s all about the adventure!
2. eReader – This will come in handy during moments when your newfound patience is being tested. Load up before you leave, because sometimes the islands will have power outages and loss of internet is common, especially during hurricane season, so downloading could be a problem.  Personally, I recommend making sure you have All Fruits Ripe on your Kindle, Nook or iPad, and get Rum Punch Regrets when it’s out on May 25th.
3. A Good Liver – Being on the islands it’s just natural to imbibe in local rum and beer or enjoy many, many cocktails. For me, it was all about the Rum Punch on St. Kitts or the Killer Bee’s on Nevis – nothing in the world compares! If you’re heading that way and need to know which spots have the best of these, email me at annekemp@annekemp.com and I’ll be glad to point you in the right direction!
4. Sense of Humor – If you’re on vacation or relocating, being on an island is nothing like living on the mainland, especially if you are in the Caribbean. Pack your sense of humor and remember that you can’t take yourself seriously down there, not when there are sunsets to be seen and bonfires to be lit. Say good-bye to Target and hello to “I hope someone can mail that to me.”
5. Don’t forget your heart – San Francisco isn’t the only place to leave your heart anymore. Once on St. Kitts, you could fall in love with the life, the freedom, the people… or maybe you’ll just fall in love. It’s been known to happen and when it does, just go with it!