I am heading down to T and T from the US to hide from the cold for a month or two and explore the islands. I have numerous questions and would appreciate any advice- sorry if I'm asking any beat to death questions. FYI while I will be there during carnivale I am going for the nature / culture, not to party in port of Spain.
1- I want to go without a set date of return- is there a better option price-wise than booking a one way flight there and again when I'm ready to return (the latter sounds very expensive). I'm trying to fly as cheap as possible and I'm willing to put up with airport / airline hassle to make that happen.
2- If I had the option I would spend most / all of the trip sleeping in hostels for budget reasons- I don't need creature comforts. However searching the internet I found very few hostels especially on Trinidad island. Will there be private rooms for rent or cheap hotels available in the towns once I'm there? I did find a few options on air bnb.
3- How do I take a substantial amount of money to cover my expenses while I am there. I understand that credit cards are widely accepted but if I am renting a room I may need access to a fair amount of cash. Is it possible to open a bank account there with a couple of thousand dollars? Is that asking for IRS trouble?
4- Due to the ACA I no longer have any health insurance. I am 37 and healthy but if something happened to me there I don't want to be at the mercy of strangers in a foreign country (I am pretty adventurous and can't ignore the possibility of a fall while hiking or a serious food or insect-borne disease illness). Should I purchase some kind of temporary insurance that could cover any expense I had there or a trip back to the US if necessary?
Any advice to these or anything else pertaining to T and T travel would be greatly appreciated.