Island Hopping by Mailboat: Authentic Bahamian Life on a Budget
Mailboats are the backbone of inter-island transport in the Bahamas, carrying everything from car parts to livestock — and passengers. A week of island hopping from Nassau to Eleuthera to Exuma and back can cost around $500 total, with mailboat fares making up a fraction of that. It’s not luxury travel. You’ll sleep on benches, share space with cargo, and arrive when the boat decides, not when a timetable says. But that tradeoff buys access to Out Islands that flights won’t touch for under $100 each way. A week of island hopping from Nassau to Eleuthera to Exuma and