Living In Anguilla

 
 

By Dad

More than a year after moving into our brand new home and living in Anguilla, I was reflecting on the experience of building our own Anguilla home. The thoughts were extended by several inquiries that Nori had received about moving to Anguilla.

I thought about those questions and our own journey, one that had now become our first anniversary of living in Anguilla. The first steps of any sizable journey are the hardest ones, of course. It's amazing how soon you find yourself finished and "living your dream."

It was then that I realized that Anguilla has a terrific opportunity knocking on its door, should it choose to answer and open that door (before other countries do). The opportunity?...

The number of digital entrepreneurs, self-employed service providers (ex., writers, programmers, etc.) and corporate employees/consultants who work-from-home is growing rapidly. Their only commute is to the workspace at home. "Meetings" occur via phone and over the Web. In short...

They share one tool, the laptop, as their common bond. That, plus their specialized knowledge, enables them to live anywhere.

And these "mobile knowledge workers" (AKA "laptop workers") are beginning to understand and capitalize upon their geographic freedom.

A Fantasy No Longer

We have all fantasized about the warm and relaxed lifestyle of a tropical island such as Anguilla. Some forward-thinking "laptop workers" are already starting to relocate, choosing to live in the Caribbean, Central and South America, coastal India and Asia, instead of the cold, overtaxed climates of their home countries.

The need to physically be "at work" has disappeared for many, and will disappear for millions more. Locations such as Anguilla are no longer "just for vacations."

This change is happening fast. As we fell in love with Anguilla, we realized that we did not need to live in a country that we called "home." In reality, it was just an option that was too cold and too taxed. Why not live in Anguilla instead of just vacation in it?

I believe that we will see both young boomers and sharp 20-40+ year olds retrace these same steps once they realize that they can work from anywhere and that nothing ties them down. Many will search the Web and find at least one place that they consider to be superior to their "accidental country of birth."

The Benefits Go Both Ways

Many countries have increasingly looked upon "their" citizens as assets to be taxed. Bank bailouts come at the expense of all except the centi-millionaires. There is an increasing discontent among the productive.

Meanwhile, small, tropical, less regulated and more freedom-loving countries see their chance. They can rejuvenate their economies by attracting this group and by making it easier for "laptop workers" with reasonably high levels of income to "work at home" in nice, friendly always-warm climes.

A few countries are already beginning to market themselves to this educated, productive group. Those nations that shift into "high-marketing-gear" first will benefit greatly. These marketing costs are minimal because...

• exotic locales have compellingly attractive stories to tell, the types of stories that spread virally with little marketing effort/expense
• laptop workers virtually live online, so are easy and cheap to reach through the Web.

Please recognize that it is written as a high-level concept. Until buy-in can be obtained for the concept, there is little point in trying to flesh out the regulations or exactly how it would work. It is at that level that I request your feedback.

WIN-WIN

Low-risk and high-reward for both the country and the "laptop worker" spells WIN-WIN. Of course, some due diligence by each is to be expected, even desired...

• Countries will want bank references, proof of income, police reports, etc., to identify and cater to those who would "add" most to the country's economy and future.
• Individuals who choose a country after doing their research will want a simple process and should be made to "feel wanted" (a sentiment not to be underestimated).

The individual's "WIN" is outlined in the next section. The country's WIN?...

Governments of these countries and their populations would increase income and well-being significantly through the cost of work permits, the renting of apartments and villas from the local population, the purchase of a wide variety of goods and services, and so forth.

They don't take jobs of local workers since they come with their own, specialized "work-at-home jobs." Their presences will "rub off" on the local population both socially and professionally (and vice-versa).

If encouraged, they will join with with local partner to start online businesses that have a global reach. Through the simple act of socializing, they will raise the bar by sheer osmosis.

Our "Living In A New Country" Checklist... What's Yours?

If you've been to this Web site a few times, you know that we can't recommend Anguilla as a vacation destination highly enough. That goes, too, for living in Anguilla. It has all the positive factors on our checklist...

1. warm weather (but not too hot, especially if you know where to locate on the island), the temperature rarely drops into the high 60s and the 50s are unknown;
2. one of the sunniest countries in the world, it's a desert island that gets much less rain than the misty mountainous islands
3. no income tax and near-zero property tax, what a difference to your "take home" pay (most nationalities pay income tax on the basis of where you live, not on the basis of citizenship)
4. truly friendly people, low crime, stable politically as a British territory
5. long-term Anguilla apartment rentals are amazingly low-priced
6. the price of food drops dramatically when you are not on vacation and buy groceries instead of eating out all the time, and of course you can still enjoy eating out at...
7. excellent, cheap local restaurants such as E's Oven
8. whatever products you can't buy locally are easy to obtain through the Web, expedited via Miami through a special service of the Anguilla Post Office
9. on your time off, you're already on vacation... windsurfing, boating & sailing, snorkeling & diving ("resident discounts" for activities like golf (50%!) and spas)
10. 30 minutes to the "French Riviera" in the Caribbean (St. Martin) and less than an hour flight to many other Caribbean islands such as Saba and St. Barths
11. find yourself missing a large city? -- non-stop jets to New York, Miami, San Juan in 4 hours or less, non-stop to Paris in 5-6 hours.

You do need to have a high work-at-home income and you'll have to cut through some red tape (I'm not sure how difficult it is nowadays). But it just may be that this is the life you were meant to live.

If this lifestyle interests you, contact our attorney, Eustella Fontaine, for more information on this possibility (her rates are not cheap, but her advice will prove invaluable).

Wondering How You'll Adjust?

People have asked us many times, "So, how have you adjusted to living in Anguilla?"

I don't understand that question. Adjust to what? I just repeat the list of reasons above that we chose to move to Anguilla.

We are living in Anguilla. We are home.