USVI-On-Line

My husband and I have traveled to St. John and the BVI many times. Most recently we did a sailing trip. We are starting to think about our next trip and possibly taking our almost 2 year old so I have a few questions...

1) Do children under 2 fly for free to St. Thomas? And if so, what happens if he turns 2 while we are there? Do we have to have documentation of his DOB?

2) Is it difficult to obtain a passport for a toddler?

3) Is is difficult to find a villa that will rent to families with young children?

Thanks in advance!

we have taken our kids to st . john since they were babies.....lets see...I would always buy a seat for the kid...just much easier on everyone. I plopped them in their carseats on the plane and they stayed put much easier.

passports....not hard....got to get their picture taken...and all that jazz

There are many villas that won't rent to families with small kids...for safety reasons and all that. But there are a bunch that will too! You will want one with inside bedroom access....and to make sure the pool isn't RIGHT outside the living room door! Or you'll be a nervous wreck the whole trip!

By fly free, I assume you are talking about your child flying as a lap-child?

I know someone who works in the airline industry, she says there is a good chance you will be asked for proof of age and if the child is over 2 yo, you will need to purchase a seat. Now, my knowledge may be airline-specific but it could be an expensive risk to take if you are indeed questioned.

The only difference in obtaining a child's passport is that both parents need to appear in person, with child, at a passport acceptance office OR have the non-appearing parent sign a notarized form stating permission for the passport. (this is to prevent one parent fleeing the country with children)

We didn't have any trouble finding a villa. Even if the website says no kids, ask the rental agent about it. We found a great house with a no kids policy and were told, sure, no problem when we told them we had a 3 yo.

CHM wrote:My husband and I have traveled to St. John and the BVI many times. Most recently we did a sailing trip. We are starting to think about our next trip and possibly taking our almost 2 year old so I have a few questions...

1) Do children under 2 fly for free to St. Thomas? And if so, what happens if he turns 2 while we are there? Do we have to have documentation of his DOB?

2) Is it difficult to obtain a passport for a toddler?

3) Is is difficult to find a villa that will rent to families with young children?

Thanks in advance!

if you were flying domestically, you could get away with saying the child is under 2 and treat them as a lap child as you do not need to carry ID for the child. But being that you will have to have either a birth certificate or a passport with you, you may be asked to show one of them and they stop you from bordering.

There have been lots of threads on traveling with toddlers. Everything from what to bring, how to get over on the ferry, which houses work best, which restaurants are good, which beaches are good etc. Maybe try searching under "toddlers" "kids" "villas for kids" etc. By the way, some companies do not charge for kids (Destination St. John), other do, so you have to ask lots of questions when you book.