As a citizen by descent, I want to move to Barbados with my family, none of whom currently have citizenship. What do I need to know?

Here’s our response:

Get citizenship for everyone ASAP; it takes up to a year, but everything works so much easier with it. No-one needs to give up UK citizenship. You don’t even need a Barbados passport, though it can come in handy in some parts of the region.

Currently citizens by descent can pass on citizenship to spouses and children. Without it, your wife won’t be able to work and will need a visitor’s visa, which are harder to get with recession and unemployment affecting the island.

DP asked: “We plan to rent accomodation (6 months upfront to give us a head start). Are there any criteria from landlords/letting agency, references etc;?”

BCT’s reply: “Renting is sensible, but as first time buyers have become unable to find a deposit, rents have gone up. Rent inland and away from the west coast to halve your costs. Not everyone needs a swimming pool although that always looks a great idea. The beaches are free and everywhere. You can always move there later when your business is a success.

Landlords will require references, but hard cash talks. I wouldn’t hand over more month’s rent than you have to; have it sit in a bank account earning you some interest. Landlords will be pleased to rent to someone, just to fill their property. Some deal via email and some still require paperwork.

Jason McFarlane at Seaside Realty has access to almost all rental and sales properties on the island, even if they’re not on his list. He’s a great contact who will be able to let you know the criteria for each individual landlord.”

By the beginning of the school year in September 2014, all 22 secondary schools, which would normally issue around two dozen textbooks to each child, will issue an e-reader with all of the necessary textbooks on the unit. Presuming that each of the textbooks can be purchased less expensively than buying the printed variety, the ongoing saving should be significant, especially in a country that provides all of its education for free.

E-readers cost a lot less than they used to, so by purchasing this many at once, they should be able to acquire them at a good price.

There will be a worry that e-readers might get stolen from the students, but if every student is loaned an e-reader from their school, there isn’t any point in trying to steal a unit from one person to sell to another. There will, however, become a question of responsibility and if a student loses their e-reader, will they be expected to replace it, especially at times of recession? Schools may need to pay for insurance to cover the e-readers.

Some people will argue that a tablet computer would be much more useful for all of the children as they would be able to surf the Internet as part of their educational needs and the technology can be arranged in such a way that certain websites can be blocked so they don’t venture into the wrong areas while surfing. The current cost may be prohibitive.

The 100+ primary schools will be watching the situation very closely, because they will demand a similar situation for their students, as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Education should be applauded for this initiative, making Barbados’ schools rank high in its technological exploits, which helps students plan for a computer literate future.

The entrance to our street as it looked for a long two months.

Last week, there was a flurry of activity and it’s all been repaired – at least that’s one tangible benefit of all the political posturing.

And here’s the new improved version

Anything like that happening in your neighbourhood?

Unfortunately, fares like that seem to be a thing of the past – and that's not just to do with inflation, which would have sent prices up anyway. These days you count yourself lucky to get away with a fare under £500 – and you're getting a lot less for your money.

When I say less, I mean:

• fewer or smaller meals
• less on-board service
• a smaller luggage allowance

The only thing you get more of is hassle, along with more rules and more security. All these measures have to be paid for and sometimes it seems that it's the passengers who are doing the paying. Add to that new long-haul flight surcharges and the yo-yoing price of fuel and you have the recipe for a very costly trip indeed.

I miss the days when you could search for a fare and see exactly what you were going to pay. Instead, we're in a time when the price quoted can be doubled or trebled by the time you add all the various taxes.

But there's still one advantage for those flying into Barbados – your ticket is much cheaper than tickets for trips originating from the island. I can't understand why it should cost more to depart from an airport that undoubtedly has cheaper landing fees than Heathrow and a shorter flight time back to the UK – can anyone explain that? I didn't think so. I keep living in hope that one day we'll be able to get a cheap flight to Barbados again – but I'm not holding my breath!

Image credit: Lisa Hurley