My eventual goal is to the Bahamas.

Been there, loved it. Chicken to fly back SE since our child was
born. If you fly over 10k you can typically minimize the time
you're out of glide to a few minutes. We did the "out islands"
(Eleuthera, Harbor Island among others) and flew back from Marsh
Harbor (the busiest non-towered airport I ever encountered -- made
me want to kiss the next 10 ATCS I talked to). AOPA has a pretty
good package on it, and Pilot's Guide was pretty helpful.

Cheers,
Sydney

Sydney:

Well.... I guess I picked the "busiest non-towered" airport for my
first Bahamas experience. I'll be staying 5 days at Abaco Beach
Resort at Marsh Harbor in mid-July. Downloaded the AOPA package.
Bought the 2004 Pilot's Guide. Got my Customs sticker. Made plenty
of copies of all forms. I'm psyched! The Pilot's Guide even got me a
good pilot's discount! Paid for the book and more. Plan to fly
10-12K as you said. However, it sure takes a long time for a 172 to
get that high in July. ;^)

Stimbo
Medford, NJ