Cruising in the Caribbean – VB and notes

a tip – a piece of advice
first-hand – adj or adv – from personal experience or from the original source
something like – approximately
to catch on – informal phrasal verb – to become popular, especially of a fashion or a practice; also to understand what is meant or how sth works
head off to / for – go in the direction of
back-to-back – adj and adv – consecutive
by far – by a long way, to a considerable extent
Grammar mistake:
less is the singular of fewer – less bread, fewer biscuits. You’ll notice that many English people get this point wrong, unfortunately, as here
to happen to – phrasal verb – to occur, take place, or happen by chance, unplanned
on the back of – through the hard work / efforts of laid-back – informal adj – relaxed and easy-going
to squabble – to dispute or argue about sth trivial, or noisily
Grammar: they shipped in = they imported by boat or ship
would perish = used to die. Would is not always conditional – it can convey a repeated action. Eg When I was young I would go to my grandfather’s shop = I used to go ….
a plantation – a large estate on which crops such as tea, sugar and coffee are grown
pretty much ( also pretty well, pretty nearly) – very nearly, virtually
Grammar mistake: the popularity for (= of) – because he is speaking rapidly the author has mixed up demand for with popularity of
cost-effective – effective or productive in relation to its cost
to shortchange – cheat by withholding something of value (including cash); treat unfairly