The advantages of not renting a car on St. John

After some investigation based on advice from friends who had visited St. John before and from our hosts at Stonegarden Cottage, we decided not to rent a car during our visit even though we were staying in the less urban part of the island. It turned out to be a great decision for many reasons: We didn't have to brave the very windy, bumpy, steep, right-sided driving; and we saved ourselves quite a bit of cash. We got plenty of exercise going up and down Bordeoux Mountain, and found creative ways to get around the island that involved hiking through the National Park to the North and South Coast Beaches where we were always able to find someone willing to give us a ride back to Coral Bay. Pretty much anywhere we stopped, we were able to hitch a ride within a few minutes. Locals and tourists alike were incredibly friendly, and by hitching we got to know a lot about the island, and were even invited to play at a pickup frisbee game held Tuesday evenings in Coral Bay."
-- 1/10, Katie & Casey, Greenfield, MA (contact them at katiecampbellnelson@gmail.com)