Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip
service staff
and
bartenders
15% to 20% of
the check, tip
checkroom attendants
$1 per garment, and tip
valet-parking attendants
$1 per vehicle.
As for other service personnel, tip
cabdrivers
15% of the fare; tip
skycaps
at airports at
least $1 per bag ($2-$3 if you have a lot of luggage); and tip
hairdressers
and barbers
15% to 20%.
Toilets
You won't find public toilets or restrooms on the streets, but they can be found
in hotel lobbies, bars, restaurants, museums, department stores, bus stations, and service
stations. Large hotels and fast-food restaurants are often the best bet for clean facilities.
Restaurants and bars in resorts or heavily visited areas may reserve their restrooms for
patrons.
Visas
Non-U.S. visitors to the
U.S. Virgin Islands
should have a U.S. visa; those visitors
may also be asked to produce an onward ticket. In the
British Virgin Islands,
visitors who
stay for less than 6 months don't need a visa if they possess a return or onward ticket.
For information about U.S. visas, go to
http://travel.state.gov
and click on “Visas.” Or
go to one of the following websites:
Australian
citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information from the
U.S. Embassy
Canberra,
Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (
&
02/6214-5600
), or by checking the
U.S. Diplomatic Mission's website at
http://canberra.usembassy.gov/visas.html
.
British
subjects can obtain up-to-date visa information by calling the
U.S. Embassy
Visa Information Line
(
&
09042-450-100
from within the U.K. at £1.20 per min.) or by
visiting the “Visas to the U.S.” section of the American Embassy London's website at
http://london.usembassy.gov/visas.html
.
Irish
citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information through the
U.S. Embassy Dublin,
42 Elgin Rd., Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (
&
1580-47-VISA
[8472] from within the Republic of
Ireland at €2.40 per minute; http://dublin.usembassy.gov).
Citizens of
New Zealand
can obtain up-to-date visa information by contacting the
U.S.
Embassy New Zealand,
29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington (
&
644/462-
6000;
http://newzealand.usembassy.gov).
Visitor Information
You can surf the
U.S.V.I. Division of Tourism
's website at
www.visitusvi.com. The
British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
can be found at www.bvi
tourism.com.
In the U.S.:
Before you take off for the U.S. Virgin Islands, you can get information
from the
U.S. Virgin Islands Division of Tourism,
1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York,
NY (
&
800/372-8784
or 212-332-2222); 225 Peachtree St., N.E., No. 760, Atlanta, GA
(
&
404/688-0906
); 122 S. Michigan Ave., No. 1270, Chicago, Il., (
&
312-670-8784
); 900
17th St., Ste. 500, Washington, DC 20006 (
&
202/293-3707
); 2655 Le Jeune Rd., Ste.
907, Coral Gables, FL 33134 (
&
305/442-7200
); and 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1202, Los
Angeles, CA 90010 (
&
213/739-8931
). For details on the British Virgin Islands, get in
touch with the
British Virgin Islands Tourist Board
at 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1202,
Los Angeles, CA 90010 (
&
213/736-8931
).
In the U.K.:
Information for the British Virgin Islands is available at the
B.V.I. Informa-
tion Office,
15 Upper Grosvenor St., London W1K 7PS (
&
020/7355-9585
).
Water
Many visitors to both the U.S. and British Virgins drink the local tap water
with no harmful effects. To be prudent, especially if you have a delicate stomach, stick
to bottled water.
Wi-Fi
See “Internet & Wi-Fi,” earlier in this section.
Women Travelers
St. John and the British Virgin Islands have a low crime rate, while
St. Thomas and St. Croix have the highest crime rate against women in the archipelago.
However, you are far safer in the Virgin Islands than you would be walking the streets of
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