Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Australian Citizens:
A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs
offices is
Know Before You Go.
For more information, call the
Australian Customs Service
at
&
1300/363-263,
or log on to
www.customs.gov.au
.
Canadian Citizens:
For a clear summary of Canadian rules, write for the booklet
I Declare,
issued by the
Canada Border Services Agency
(
&
800/461-9999
in Canada, or
204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).
New Zealand Citizens:
Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New
Zealand consulates and Customs offices:
New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers,
Notice no. 4.
For more information, contact
New Zealand Customs Service,
the Custom-
house, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (
&
04/473-6099
or 0800/428-786;
www.customs.govt.nz).
U.K. Citizens:
From the B.V.I., U.K. citizens can bring back (duty-free) 200 cigarettes
(250g of tobacco), 2 liters wine, 1 liter strong liquor, 60cc perfume, and £145 of goods
and souvenirs. Larger amounts are subject to tax. For further information, contact
HM
Revenue & Customs
at
&
0845/010-9000
(from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or
consult their website at
www.hmce.gov.uk
.
U.S. Citizens & Residents:
From the U.S.V.I., U.S. citizens can bring back 5 liters of liquor
duty-free, plus an extra liter of rum (including Cruzan rum) if one of the bottles is pro-
duced in the Virgin Islands. Goods made on the island are also duty-free, including per-
fume, jewelry, clothing, and original paintings; however, if the price of an item exceeds
$25, you must be able to show a certificate of origin.
Be sure to collect receipts for all purchases in the Virgin Islands, and beware of mer-
chants offering to give you a false receipt—he or she might be an informer to U.S. Cus-
toms. Also, keep in mind that any gifts received during your stay must be declared. For
the most up-to-date specifics on what you can bring back
from the B.V.I.
and the corre-
sponding fees, download the invaluable free pamphlet
Know Before You Go
online at
www.cbp.gov
. (Click on “Travel,” and then click on “Know Before You Go.”) Or contact
the
U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP),
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20229 (
&
877/287-8667
), and request the pamphlet.
Disabled Travelers
For the most part the accessibility of hotels and restaurants in
the U.S.V.I. remains far behind the progress made on the mainland, and you must take
this into account if you're planning a vacation here. Of the U.S. Virgins, St. Thomas and St.
John, because of their hilly terrain, remain the most unfriendly islands to those who are
wheelchair bound. Because it is flat, St. Croix is an easier place to get around.
Some resorts on
St. Thomas
and
St. Croix
have made inroads in catering to persons
with disabilities; St. John and all of the British Islands lag far behind in this regard. As of
this writing, about a third of the major resorts (and none of the cheaper guesthouses or
villas) in St. Thomas or St. Croix have the facilities to accommodate vacationers who have
disabilities. Of all the hotels in the U.S.V.I., the
Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas
(p. 65), is the
most hospitable to persons with disabilities. It maintains “accessible rooms”—rooms that
can be reached without navigating stairs—in every price category. The Ritz also offers
beach wheelchairs (resting on balloon tires). Most hotels in the Virgin Islands, however,
have a long way to go before they become a friend of a person with disabilities. If you're
planning a vacation in the Virgin Islands, you should contact a travel agent or call the
hotel of your choice to discuss your requirements.
Accessible Adventures
(
&
340/344-8302;
www.accessvi.com) is a tour operator in
St. Thomas that offers a land-based tour of St. Thomas in a wheelchair-accessible trolley.
Originating from Wico Dock at Havensight or Crown Bay at the Sub Base, tours stop
Magens Bay, Drakes Seat, Skyline Drive, and Mountain Top, and cost $34 per person.
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