Well, My wife and I have been talking about moving to Bonaire for sometime now. I put my house on the market here KY with the listing starting On Dec 1st. We have lots of questions as to how to go about a move to bonaire the correct way. The move will not happen until sometime in the upcoming summer.

I'm self employed and have been since 2000. I'm a network admin turned photographer. (See my little page at ipicture.us) The few diving pictures I have on there were taken in Bonaire on a 2 week trip there in 2004. If people are interested I'll add more as I took about 400 Pictures.

My wife was a club promoter, and licensed (Ohio) bartender but, has not worked in the last 2 years. On the island, I see no need why she would need to work, as my income is more than enough to support us.

We have a 15 month old and another on the way, due in March. We want o make this move early, so both kids "grow up" on the island and learn the languages etc.

Both of us have been reading the forum and have found a wealth of information, but was wondering what the next step should be.

Can I come to the island and apply for residency, without bringing my wife and 1.5 kids yet?

Looking forward to talking with others on this forum who have been kind enough to provide all the help that read.

Hello Cory and a big welcome to BT. I don't know your situation, but have you ever lived on an island the size of Bonaire? Island living is really different then living within the lower 48.

At any rate, my advice (for what it's worth) is to proceed cautiously. Between you & me, I wouldn't sell the house in KY, but rent it out for a 6 month or year period & then rent on Bonaire for this amount of time. Get some first hand experience of at least a year living there & then decide if you want to jump in on a permanent basis. I'd leave my options open for maximum flexibility. There really is such a malady know as "island fever". Good luck to you in whatever way you chose to proceed!

Hi Vince.

Actually. I have lived everywhere from small towns in North Dakota to big cities Like Miami and Cincinnati. My wife grew up in Arizona. (You have not seen true isolations until you have lived on a farm 45 miles from anything in the middle of a North Dakota winter, and I suffered threw that for over 11 years)

Our reasons for wanting to move to Bonaire are multiple,

1. We both suffer from allergies that we would NOT suffer from there.

2. We both find the Bonaire's climate to be perfect for us, neither to hot nor to cold.

3. We don't want our kids growing up in an Urban environment.. at the same time small town USA tends to be two limiting. At least on Bonaire there can be a sense of safety, and the ability to show our kids a life that most can only dream of.

4. The People on Bonaire are wonderful. Friendly and Open.

5. The PACE of life is what we are looking for... slow.

I do plan on buying a Catamaran at some point. Plus there is easy travel off the island for "Mainland" getaways if need be. So that should cut down on the island fever. The housing market in KY is dead. Tons of homes on the market, Tons of places for rent. I'm actually in a place that should be able to sell if I get out of it now. When we do come to Bonaire we are looking to rent for awhile, until we have been there and can really pick where we want to buy. IF for some reason it turned out not to be for us in the long run... then moving again is always an option... but in all my travels (And I have been a lot of places all over the world) Bonaire just caught me as "right".

Welcome to Bonaire Talk !

Did your wife live in Ohio ? Wouldn't trade the Ohio autumn for anything, not even Bonaire. ;)

However, I would just like to say..

In regard to #2 -- have you been to Bon. in Sept/Oct??? No wind, it's H-O-T, and I'm pretty sure you are three feet from the sun.

That being said, I hope you are able to make your island dream come true ! Keep us posted on your progress?

You didn't mention this, but do you speak the language?

Cory,

Just an FYI, my allergies are far worse in Bonaire than they are in Cape Cod. Not sure what plagues me but I have not stopped sneezing for the entire month of Oct. I will say when it rains my allergies are gone for a few hours..

I think the advice of renting for a few months is wise...dont forget to read Dont Stop the Carnival...Bonaire is not anything like rural America...

Hi Michael

Oh, I totally agree that Bonaire is nothing like rural America... that's the point

I guess the grind here gets to you after awhile. I live in Cincinnati now, And I will tell you that this is NO place that I would raise a child. Drop out rates are now over 50% actually closer to 60%. Nightly news is just one string of murders/robberys after another. The place is really going to the dumps. You wouldn't DARE walk downtown anytime after dark. They even directly target the kids here, There have already been reports or Candy injected with bleach given to the little trick or treaters. Add that to a growing issue with infections (Staf) where they are actually starting to close schools over it and it gets to the point where you don't want to have anything to do with this area at all.

And hot? BRING it on I Both my wife and I love hot. After being in North Dakota for the better part of my growing up (didn't escape from there till about 25) the last thing I want to see is anything that has to do with Cold. My wife was born in Ohio, moved to Arizona as a kid and grew up there, finishing up HS in Kentucy and has been here since. My wifes idea of perfection? A cactus growing in your front yard LOL!

We are both at the point where it's time to make this happen. Neither want to wait and then look back on what "could" have been. We also want to do this in a time frame that will make it easier for our childern to adjust.

We will still fly to family once or so a year, or better yet, have them fly to us.

Oh, and no to the question of speaking the language. My wife can understand and speak some spanish, and I have already gotten the roseatta stone software to learn Dutch. We have even been looking into Dutch programing etc to start watching etc to help us adjust. The good thing about it is our kids will grow up learning the language as if it's second nature.

On a side note... What if we came in under the 90 days, Rented for that time and used it to get everything else established? Can that be done? We could bring all the required documents with us and start the process as soon as we get there for residentcy, then have our container shipped over once it's gotten. Seems to be the way to do it. The hard part for us is going to be the flying back and forth with a newborn and a 2 year old. Which is another reason I would like to know if it is possible to come over myself and get the stuff started, or if My wife has to come with the first trip also?

Cory..Check out the following at Sunbelt.
Again best of luck with your dreams

http://www.sunbeltbonaire.com/index.php?page=Real%20Estate%20basics

Cory, welcome to Bonaire Talk Do a search through Moving to Bonaire topic area, there are loads of information on the questions you are asking. I think with the new government changes coming, it seems that things are a bit different and maybe even a little more difficult. Just my observation by reading and listening to stories.

I do have to say one thing, and that is if the last time you were on Bonaire was 2004, a lot has changed since then. There are LOADS of new homes, construction, etc. I've been going once or twice a year since 2001, and last January was amazing (and it had only been six months prior that I had been) in regard to the new construction. It' still probably not like Cincinatti, but it is changing

Good luck, and keep us posted.

(Message edited by cyndelee on November 2, 2007)

(Message edited by cyndelee on November 2, 2007)

Cory, I say follow your heart! When I first set foot on Bonaire almost 20 yrs. ago, I turned to my dive buddy and said "I want to live here" and I had not seen ANYTHING of the island. About 10yrs ago, my brother and I purchased our house on Bonaire. Now I am just counting down the days until I can retire and spend the rest of my life on Bonaire! Go for it!
Shelley