Paradise On The Cheap

By Kathleen Ganster

Want to go to paradise cheap? Try the 4-Hour Work Program at Maho Bay Camps, Inc., located on St. John Island, the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. While it isn't exactly free, the 4-hour work program provides free housing at the Maho Bay Camps, Inc. in exchange for four hours of work a day (28 hours per week). Workers need to provide their own round-trip transportation to and from the island, pay for meals and any personal costs for recreation.

The 4-Hour Worker Exchange Program requires a 30-day commitment to work at Maho Bay Camps, Inc. Workers are assigned various tasks in housekeeping, maintenance, food service, the store or guest registration. The camps put people in areas where they may have experience or just where they are needed. Workers can work longer days and accumulate time off to explore the islands.

Approximately 50 workers participate in the program every month. Maggi Day, General Manager of Maho Bay Camps, said, "We get over a thousand applications a year for the program."

Workers vary greatly in age and backgrounds. The summer months attract more college students and recent grads, while the fall months attract older workers, many retirees.

Make no mistake about it; the 4-Hour Worker Exchange Program is no vacation. The heat and sunshine can be intense. Average summer temperatures range in the 90s. Humidity is also quite high. The work isn't exotic -- you may be scraping paint off the boardwalks, as one volunteer did. "It isn't hard work, but it is tedious," she said.

During the course of a day, you may need to walk up literally hundreds of steps. And the bugs, especially the no-see-ums, tiny sand fleas, can be bothersome. The lodging is a step up from regular tent camping, but the bottom line is that they are still tent-cottages with no running water, no toilets and no air conditioning.

Although the exchange program may be situated in paradise, it isn't totally problem-free. Because of the nature of the program, it may sometimes attract someone without any focus. The camps have tried to put a few safeguards in place to prevent this situation: Workers must tell administrators arriving and return flights back to their hometowns. They must also participate in the meal program, with meal payment is due upon arrival. The Maho Pavilion Restaurant serves breakfast and dinner every day and is where the workers receive their meals. They are treated just like the paying guests at the restaurant.

They also get a 40 percent discount in the general store. Although the food prices in the store are about double what they are in the United States, with the discount it is more affordable.

Workers are required to have proof of citizenship and have either a current passport or an original birth certificate and picture ID or original Social Security card and picture ID. You need those anyway to get back into the United States from the Virgin Islands. Those who are not U.S. citizens will have to provide appropriate work papers. Applicants must be at least 18, and children under age 18 are not allowed.

Transportation costs vary according to locations and season. You must fly into St. Thomas, as there is no landing strip in St. John. Once you arrive in St. Thomas, you need to take a taxi to one of the ferries, then take either the ferry from Red Hook Landing or the downtown area of St. Thomas to Cruz Bay. Once in Cruz Bay, another taxi ride will take you the 25-minute ride to the camp.

So while the 4-Hour Work Exchange Program may not quite be free, for those looking for exciting travel opportunities, it can save you some money.

Those interested in the program or the camps may contact Maho Bay Camps, Inc., Box 310, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands 00831, 340-776-6226. You may also apply through their Web site www.maho.org.

U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI)