LashWorldTour on Koh Ngai - Trang - Thailand

in my favorite setting: tropical island paradise!

I’m Going to Fiji! I’m Going to Fiji!

OMG! OMG! OMG! I’m going to Fiji!

Ah, hem… does this by any chance sound somehow strangely familiar to you? Ummm, that might be due to another recent post of mine: OMG! OMG! OMG! I’m going to New Zealand!

But if you thought I was excited about going to New Zealand, hang on to your hats! While I waited for over 2 decades to finally get myself to New Zealand, after planning the trip in my 20s, the Pacific Islands have been my number one ultimate dream destination for my whole entire life.

Coconut Tree

Tropical islands with white sand beaches, clear turquoise seas and swaying coconut palms are my quintessential notion of paradise. And I wanna be there! Now. And forever. That’s one major reason I spent so dag long tromping around SE Asia.

Although I certainly loved my extensive travels in SE Asia, I was always simultaneously dreaming of the magical Pacific Islands. I became a PADI Dive Instructor back in 2004 partly to finally have a means to visit those far-flung and expensive paradise islands.

I thought that surely, with an instructor’s license under my belt, I could earn my way around the Pacific?

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that it’s no longer so easy to just show up in a new destination and find diving work. The dive market has been in steady decline since the turn of this century. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, when diving was THE adventure activity of the planet, then it probably was easy to find diving work.

Alas, those days seem long gone. At least that was my experience in SE Asia, where most dive customers are European.

teaching diving in Bali

Too scared to dash off on an expensive flight to Vanuatu or Tahiti then get stranded with no diving work, I gave up on that dream, too. My seemingly close journey to Pacific paradise was put on the back shelf once more. Sigh.

But this year when I finally put my foot down about visiting New Zealand no matter what, I put the same thought behind venturing over to the Pacific Islands as well. Considering how close many Pacific islands are to NZ, it seemed like my big chance at long last.

So while I’ve been traveling around NZ these past three months, I’ve also been investigating several Pacific Islands. I’ve checked out flights from NZ to Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tahiti and a few other islands.

I checked out HelpX gigs on any & all Pacific islands. And I researched costs, transportation, attractions and accommodation on a few of those islands as well.

In terms of flights, I discovered that the cheapest destinations from NZ are Fiji and Samoa. For all-over expenses, Fiji seems to be the cheapest. There’s a reason: They actively cater to budget travelers. In addition, they have a huge Indian population (think cheap goods and delicious foods) and cheap local bus services.

paradise – tropical beach with powdery white sand and calm seas

Before I even decided on my first island destination, however, I had already made up my mind. I had put my foot down again. “Screw it, I’m going!” Even if I can only afford to stay 1 week, I’ve got to go. Even if I can only visit one island, I’m going. I’d be crazy to pass up the chance to finally get to even one Pacific Island at long last, especially with the cheapest flights on the planet to the islands.

Then things got even better. Much to my surprise and delight, I actually discovered some HelpX hosts on Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and the Solomons! I promptly wrote to the promising ones.

And…ta da… I was invited to an amazing HelpX host in Fiji! I can stay a month. Or more. They even jokingly said they want me to stay a whole year!

tropical beach paradise lined with coconut palms

That settled it. Fiji is one of the cheapest islands to reach. It has budget accommodation, local buses and a plethora of local food shops.

happy dance!

I fly to Fiji on Monday, June 9th!

First I will spend one week on my own exploring the main island, Viti Levu. I’ll make it a much-needed relaxing vacation.

This might sound mildly strange, knowing that I’ve been traveling around New Zealand for 3 months. Certainly I’ve been having a grand time in New Zealand. But it’s hardly a vacation. In fact, I’m getting worn down.

Not only am I spending several hours a day with my blogging work, I’m also giving 4 hours per day to my HelpX assignments, usually gardening but sometimes house cleaning or painting work. It’s like having two jobs.

And I’m exploring the places I visit. Recently in Wellington, on my own for 5 days, I completely exhausted myself dashing around trying to see absolutely everything.

It’s COLD here in New Zealand!

On top of that, it’s getting colder and colder here as we gradually slip into winter. I’ve done remarkably well dealing with cold, considering my body’s natural preferences, but I’ve just about had it dealing with cold weather day after day, non-stop. And it’s going to get even colder before I leave next week. Eek!

So I need a break! Tropical Fiji beaches, here I come!

I’ll spend my week-long vacation lounging on powdery white sands, re-gaining my tan, and exploring the island’s parks, forests and coastlines.

Then my even bigger adventures will begin…

I’ll take an overnight ferry to a small Fiji island, where I’ll be picked up by my HelpX hosts and swept over to their paradise in progress. I’ll help build their deck, landscape their property and help look after goats.

scuba diving on beautiful coral reef – photo by Viki Kleyer

In our spare time, we’ll be exploring nearby coral reefs! My hosts have dive equipment and a compressor! They can fill tanks! They’re excited to have a dive instructor joining them to explore Fiji’s stunning underwater world. Seems like my big, lucky break in Fiji.

a toast to Fiji! Here I come!

So next week-ish – June 9-18 – I’ll be mostly off-line on vacation, relaxing on beaches and exploring Fiji. I’ll get back to you with all my Fiji adventures once I’ve settled in with my hosts in my temporary home in Pacific Island paradise!

In the meantime, you might also enjoy:

Photo Gallery: Beautiful Sunsets of Southern Thailand

Photo Gallery: Gorgeous Lombok Island, Indonesia

Photo Gallery: Stunning Langkawi Island, Malaysia

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