St. Kitts is located in the eastern Caribbean. Renowned as an island resort, St. Kitts is easily accessible from New York, Miami, Puerto Rico, and other major airports. The major St. Kitts airport is Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw (RLB) International Airport (airport code SKB), which is located about three miles northeast of Basseterre. Basseterre is the capital of St. Kitts.

Flying to St. Kitts

Students may book airfare independently; however, UMHS recommends that students work with the UMHS designated travel agent.  Because Austin Travel negotiates volume discounts with American Airlines, it may be possible to get the best airfare by booking with them.

Designated Travel Agent
Tom Backer
Austin Travel
Phone:  631-465-1000
Toll Free:  800-714-7618

Accepted students are responsible for booking their airfare. It is important that UMHS know the student’s itinerary as soon as possible to ensure that a University representative meets each student at the airport.

When leaving St. Kitts via air, there is a $22.00 U.S. departure tax that must be paid at the airport prior to boarding the airplane.  If paying in E.C., the tax is approximately $60.00 E.C.

Round Trip or Open Ended Tickets 

All students arriving in St. Kitts must have a round-trip ticket in order to comply with the St. Kitts visa requirements. E-tickets and open-ended return tickets are acceptable.

International Student Travel

Students traveling from international countries other than the U.S. cannot transit via U.S. airports, since travel without visa restrictions are now in place.

Typically, UMHS international students can obtain transit visas with the German embassy from origin points in the African continent, and certain Pacific-Rim countries can usually transit through Singapore without need for direct airside transit visas.  Also, many students can travel via London to Antigua, or to other Caribbean islands, if they first obtain permission from the British High Commission, in conjunction with a LOI/Letter of Introduction, from the UMHS New York Administration office.

Students should work closely with their travel agent for specific country instructions and arrival/departure information.

What to Pack

Laptop/Tablet Computer

Students are required to bring a laptop/tablet computer to campus.  This is an important learning tool that students use to access the University's extensive collection of medical databases and images.

UMHS has followed the lead of U.S. medical schools in developing a digital library of histological and pathological images.   In the past, students were required to utilize microscopes to view these images. Today, both pathology and histology are taught in modern computer laboratories where students can manipulate the images and resolution to optimize the learning experience.

Students will also be able to access the digital image library from home with a cable modem.

Clothing

Clothing should be light weight, comfortable, and easy to wash.  It is recommended that students bring sneakers as well as sandals for shoes.  Rain gear, including light weight rain coats and umbrellas, is recommended.  Classrooms, the library, and some of the labs are air conditioned, so light sweaters or jackets should be packed.

Plan to bring two lab coats or two sets of scrubs for anatomy lab.  If you are buying a lab coat, it should be the long version.

You will need a white clinical coat or jacket for the White Coat Ceremony.

Clinical work and social occasions will require more formal clothing.  Women should wear skirts or dresses and men should wear slacks (no jeans), a dress shirt and tie.

 What to Bring

 The University recommends that students initially bring personal care items, medications, and must-have food items with them.  Do not bring expensive jewelry or personal items.

Other students have suggested the following:

What NOT to Bring:

For student safety and security, expensive items such as jewelry, stereo systems, etc. should not be brought to St. Kitts. It is not worth the risk of having these items lost or stolen.  Also, there could be customs impacts by bringing in luxury items.

Luggage

Many airlines have a 50 pound weight restriction for each checked suitcase.  Most airlines also may allow a maximum of two suitcases.  Students should check their airline web site to confirm this.

Most airlines permit two pieces of luggage and one carry-on.

Students should make sure that each piece of luggage has tags with the student's name and address.  It is recommended that an address tag be placed inside each piece of luggage as well.

Students are encouraged to pack a carry-on bag with extra clothing, documents, medications, and other essentials in the event luggage is lost or delayed.

Shipping

Items may be shipped to St. Kitts; however, it may be more convenient to purchase forgotten items after arrival.  Apartments are furnished, so there is no need to send furniture to St. Kitts.

To ship items to St. Kitts, students may use U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express, United Parcel Service (UPS), DHL, or Amerijet International which flied once a week from Miami. 

Tropical Shipping (800-367-6200) may be used for shipping bulk items.  Tropical Shipping requires that the items be shipped to their Miami location.  Items are then sent weekly to St. Kitts via cargo ship.

Customs

International laws apply on St. Kitts, as elsewhere, with regard to importation of luxury items. Cigarettes, alcohol, bicycles, TVs, etc. will be taxed.