We recently returned from a walkabout in the U.S. Virgin Islands. As you might have guessed, we didn’t take our Airstream. (I’m still trying to figure out how to cross oceans with the thing.) Although we weren’t exactly camping, we did visit a beautiful national park – the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park on the island of St. John.

We flew to the Caribbean to appear in an upcoming TV show (code named “Vacation Hunters“) for the Travel Channel. We love watching the Travel Channel, and we’d never visited the Virgin Islands, so this seemed like a fun and memorable way to experience a new destination. We arrived in the island of St. Thomas, and ventured out from there. Over the course of the week, we experienced several different types of vacation.

The premise of the show: participants “hunt” for a unique vacation experience that suits their own wish list. So we got to “test drive” three different ways to vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We’ve watched a zillion episodes of shows like House Hunters and House Hunters International – this is a similar show.

I won’t reveal too much just yet (since all will eventually be revealed on TV) but we were pleased by the variety of offerings cooked up by the TV production company. There were a few surprises, and no bad choices. In the end, we were able to dovetail our love of Airstream camping with our time in the Islands.

The location didn’t hurt. The Caribbean is gorgeous in springtime. The weather was warm but not hot. The ocean waters were a perfect temperature for swimming. Rum is cheaper than water! Overall we had a blast in the Caribbean. I’m sure we’ll go back someday.

We’d previously been to Jamaica. The U.S. Virgin Islands reminded me of Jamaica in many ways, but it nevertheless has its own unique identity. As a United States Territory, the Virgin Islands are not bound by all of the usual American legal excesses. Life in the Islands is a just a little different. For example, I stopped and chatted with a man who had set up a sidewalk “rum & coke stand” that was like a lemonade stand for adults. In the States you’d need a permit, one the bureaucrats would never agree to issue anyway.

Here are a few photos from the trip, presented in pretty much random order. I shot some video also, and will eventually edit it for your consideration. Note that clicking the individual photos will open up the view to full size.