Why St. John Is Perfect for Solo Travelers
Solo travel continues to be a growing trend, due in part to social media influencers. Women represent the vast majority, which is good news for explorers headed to safer-than-your-hometown St. John.
Though small in size, our island is big on adventure. You can seek out a different beach or hike a new trail nearly every day for month. Throw in a bonus of year-round temps of 70 to 80 degrees and that makes St. John a wanderlust’s nirvana.
Here are some top tips for solo travelers:
Relax
This is an opportunity to set your own schedule, sleep in as late as you want, dine wherever you want. Go ahead, soak in your villa’s pool all day. There are no rules. Imagine having a villa all to yourself!
Meet new people
Your bartenders, servers and retailers are happy to offer recommendations and chat about island life. Most are expats and have great stories as to how they ended up on St. John. Make a dozen new best friends on any of our local diving or snorkeling boat charters. Find like-minded souls at one of our yoga studios, or with fellow kayak and paddle board renters.
Get off the grid
Put the electronic devices away as much as you can. If you’re fortunate enough to work remotely, wrap it up at a reasonable hour and enjoy your surroundings that don’t involve four walls.
Try new places
First stop, visit the National Park Visitor’s Center to get the lay of the land since two thirds of the island is National Park. Join park ranger’s guided tours and learn about the island’s indigenous Taino and Arawak Indians. Tour the Danish ruins of sugar plantations from centuries past. Take in the wonder of the infamous, eco-friendly “blue flag” beaches of Trunk and Cinnamon Bays.
Try new food
St. John is a foodie paradise with dozens of award-winning eateries spanning the gamut of ethnicities and no chain restaurants. Tempt your taste buds with shark bites at Woody’s, passionfruit ice cream at Scoops, piña colada pancakes at Miss Lucy’s, ginger turmeric iced tea at Little Olive Food Truck, blackened mahi at Shaibu’s or a frozen Painkiller at Longboard.
Ask anyone who has traveled solo and you’ll likely hear it was a major confidence booster. St. John is the perfect place to discover your newfound independence. Next time, you’ll want to bring your friends.
