This Caribbean Island Is the Best for Families, According to Travelers — and Americans Don't Need a Passport to Enter

The more you travel the more you figure out what you like — and what you don’t like. Do you prefer visiting cities or remote areas? Sorting out the best travel destination is difficult at its best and impossible at its worst, as most recommendations — from those you find online to those from your friends — are colored by other peoples’ preferences and experiences.

In a world littered by subjective opinions, Reddit is a crowdsourcing haven. Its upvoting and downvoting system ensures that the most helpful advice rises to the top — and is backed by other users. This can provide the inquirer with a clear and reliable answer.

So when user u/Sad_Pop_6998 shared their struggle in figuring out which Caribbean island is best for their family of three — a family that likes snorkeling, hiking, and wildlife, and doesn’t care for nightlife or fancy restaurants — one recommendation rose to the top.

The island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands was not only the “best” option for the family according to Redditors (with over 340 upvotes and few downvotes) but also the “top” recommendation with the highest number of raw upvotes (over 570).

St. John, according to one user, “is not touristy at all" and "has some of the most beautiful beaches, great snorkeling, hiking, etc." The user added that the bulk of the island is a national park, which was a plus point for them.

Another user said, “St John USVI, it’s the only place in the Caribbean we go back to time and time again. It checks a good portion of your boxes. We live out west now and it takes us 3 flights to get there, but still worth it. We can’t go 2x per year like when we lived back east, but we still try to make it there every 2 - 3 years. It’s special!”

Most of St. John is protected as part of the Virgin Islands National Park, meaning the island has some of the Caribbean’s healthiest reefs and cleanest beaches. Hiking trails meander through tropical forests and sea turtles breed along the coastline. The clear, clean water surrounding St. John is ideal for snorkeling, particularly in Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay, and Francis Bay. The island is a ringer for the family regarding snorkeling, beach, and activities.

Plus, because St. John is a U.S. territory, Americans don't need a passport to visit.

Following St. John on the “best” or most upvoted destination suggestions was Roatan, an island in Honduras that sits on the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Other recommendations included St. Lucia, Dominica, Curaçao, and Guadeloupe.

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure