September is here, school is starting and for most of you this year’s main holiday is already over. But for us this is just the beginning! Our kids have been in kindergarten all summer, we have also been very busy working the last few months, and we haven’t actually gone on a family trip or trip outside of Slovenia since last autumn. So we are now really (deservedly) going all in. We picked one interesting and far-flung destination. And no, this time we are not going with the Defender for a change. So where are we off to, for how long, how will we travel, why this part of the world and why right now? Find out below.
After a long time, we’re going somewhere really far by plane. Since the pandemic in 2020, we’ve kind of gotten used to road trips, (wild) camping, and the occasional shorter plane trips, and I have to admit this way of travel really suited us. Well, it still does! And to be honest, I am sure we will all miss a good old road this year. So we are definitely not selling our Defender and we are going to catch up on road trips next year. And yet, we can’t hide our excitement about this year’s destination.
Why now?
Mila enters school for the first time next year. And from the moment we found out I was pregnant we’ve had a lot of travel plans and ideas where we wanted to before she goes into the first grade. But you know, life happened and many of these plans remained unfulfilled. So, even though we hope to somehow pull them off during schooling we now have this one year left to fully take advantage of this freedom. We do get quite long summer school holidays in Slovenia though, but at the same time summer months are the busiest for us work-wise, so it will be tricky to go away for such a long time in the future. That’s why we are now doing one last long carefree autumn trip. We will be away for 48 days to be exact.
So, where are we going?
I swear, I almost choked on that spaghetti. First, I silently wondered if he even knew where it was. I mean, he probably does, he’s French and French Polynesia is part of France.
I successfully chew and swallow that bite. And the next moment, “Omg yessss, let’s do it!” comes out of me. Do I have to mention that about 15 minutes later, I was furiously Googling and found at least 5 connections from different European airports to Pepeete, checked the approximate prices of accommodations, looked at Home Exchange to see if they offered anything, and set up about 15 tabs on my laptop with blogs and YouTube videos, or is that obvious? After this short research, I triumphantly declared, okay, we can actually make it happen!
Why French Polynesia?
Tropical climate, sun, sea, dream beaches. We haven’t even thrown ourselves into the sea this year. Maybe we’ll manage to go to “our” Piran for a few days this September, but you get what I mean. We really miss it. And we want to treat the kids to a looooong beach vacation after they’ve been going to kindergarten every morning all summer long and asking us when are we finally going to the seaside. I can’t lie, we can’t wait for it, too.
French language. We are trilingual at home. We speak Slovenian, English and French. And in the last two years, due to business obligations and finishing the house renovation, we have been in France less often, compared to previous years. So the kids will be in daily contact with their second mother tongue there, which we think is really important.
118 islands and atolls. Of course, it is impossible to visit them all, but we love the fact that you can move around and stay at a few different ones because we like to be active and not stay very long at the same spot. So we will visit 7 islands, so we should not be too bored. Well, it must also be a little bit boring here and there, because we also go there to rest our mind and body.
Great house rental options via the Home Exchange platform. I’ll be realistic. If we didn’t have the option to book most of our accommodations via the Home Exchange platform, it would be much harder to afford 6 weeks in French Polynesia. I’ll write more about how Home Exchange works soon in a separate article. But in general, there are great house rental options on almost all the islands we’ll visit, as many French people have secondary residences here. Unfortunately, we bought our plane tickets relatively late (3 months before departure) and the choice was already a bit limited, but we still got a couple of great accommodation.
Bora Bora. Who hasn’t heard of this “luxury” island? Well, when you dig a little deeper, you quickly realize that it’s actually not that terribly luxurious and that you can easily find cute, more simple accommodations in a good location for a relatively normal price. And yes, although I have a suspicion that other islands might impress us more than Bora Bora, it’s still one of those once in a lifetime / must-see / before I die destinations that you just can’t get to that easily.
South Pacific experience. I have already spent two weeks in Vanuatu (the islands of Tanna, Efate, Espiritu Santo). I have also visited Fiji (the islands of Viti Levu, Kuata, Drawaqa and Matacawalevu). I have also been to the Cook Islands (Rarotonga and Aitutaki) twice. And although all the aforementioned islands are culturally and geographically different, they have something in common – a relaxed atmosphere.Island time.So I know roughly what awaits us there and I think that is exactly what we really need right now.
Whale season. Between July and November is prime season for spotting humpback whales, which migrate to the warm waters of the South Pacific to mate and give birth so we just might be so lucky and spot a whale or two.
How are we flying to Papeete?
When buying airline tickets, it was especially important to us that there was a good connection in terms of time without any ultra-long stops, that it was of course affordable, that we were flying from a nearby airport and had connected flights all the way through, and that we were not flying with a Boeing 737 Max (iykyk). So we booked with Air France / Delta Air Lines from Venice to NYC, where we have a 2-hour layover, then on to LA, where we have another 2-hour layover and then the last flight to Papeete on the island of Tahiti. A total of 28 hours without driving from home to Venice and waiting for the first plane to take off.
On the way back, we are flying Papeete – LA – Paris (23 hours including a 2-hour technical stop for fuel – wish us luck haha), a 4-hour layover in Paris and then the last flight to Venice. A total of 27 hours plus the trip home from the airport. Yes, it won’t be the most fun with a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old, but if you’re going to the other side of the world, this is the price usually.
We could have taken a flight with a longer stopover (overnight) in one of the US cities where we are connecting, but since we will be traveling with hand luggage only (yes, really), we don’t feel like carrying warmer clothes with us. The plus of such a layover is that you can stretch your legs a bit during the flight, sleep in a normal bed, and maybe see a new city (I’ve been to NYC and LA myself and I don’t necessarily feel like going there with kids). The minus is of course the additional cost of the hotel / transportation from the airport, as well as the fact that you might be too tired for sightseeing anyway.
Which islands will we visit?
As I said, there are a lot of islands in French Polynesia and this time we decided to visit the most famous ones, in the group called SOCIETY ISLANDS. Mainly because they are somehow the easiest and consequently the cheapest to visit.
So we start on the main island of French Polynesia, the island of TAHITI. Because Tahiti is actually just one island, although some like to use the name for the entire island region. Most tourists visit it quite quickly, but well, we’re not in a hurry, so we’ll take 10 days for it. We sleep in three different locations, once in a hotel, twice in HE houses. Then we’re heading to the island of HUAHINE, where there are no resorts because the locals don’t want them. I can already see that we’ll like it. Staying for a week in an Airbnb house 200m from the beach. Next up is BORA BORA. We booked a simple traditional bungalow right on the beach of the main island where we will stay for a week too. Because those overwater bungalows are over 1000 euros per night for the four of us and we’re simply not that rich. Onward to MAUPITI, which is the smallest of all. Here we sleep in a tent on the beach for a few nights. Exactly to our taste 🙂 Maupiti is also the westernmost island of this group. From here we head back east and spend a few days exploring the wild “vanilla island”, the island of TAHAA, where we sleep in a traditional bungalow again. From here we jump to the neighboring island of RAIATEA, where we spend a week in a beautiful HE house with direct access to the sea. The last one left is MOOREA. This one is the closest to the main island of Tahiti and we will stay here for 14 days, staying in two different HE houses. For the last night we took a hotel on the island of Tahiti, because we have a morning flight back to Europe.
What will we do there?
Nothing! I’m kidding, but I’m also a little serious. We need a break. At the same time, we hope we won’t be bored? We’re not used to this type of vacation anymore. Anyway, we’re not going to any resorts (maybe we’ll get a day pass for one) and we plan to rent a car on all the islands except Maupiti, at least for a few days. So we plan to explore the islands thoroughly. Some of them also offer interesting hikes. I’ve also found some really unique activities that we can do with the kids. Of course, the main, everyday activities will be swimming, snorkeling, discovering the underwater world and lying on the beaches. And I hope we’ll also eat something delicious. The plan is to travel more slowly and sustainably, get to know the local culture and chat with the locals. And to find our favorite bakery and market, favorite “roulotte” (food truck) and favorite beach on each island.
How much will it cost?
I know, I know, that’s what you’re usually most interested in. I’ll write down everything clearly when we get back. Because I don’t really know at the moment. For now, I can only estimate that these almost 7 weeks of French Polynesia will cost us less than almost 7 weeks of New Zealand, including a one-week vacation in, say, Samoa.
Now, some of you are extra happy for us. Some of you may also be (a little) jealous. Some will not understand why we are not going to any resorts, others will miss the overland content, some will say that we are irresponsible for dragging such small kids to the other side of the world again. The fact is that it can never be right for everyone. And that is okay. Everyone lives their own life and does what they think is right. Those of you who feel like you could be inspired by our upcoming adventure are invited to follow our INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK blog profile, where I will be posting live more regularly. Otherwise, of course, as always, blog posts with useful information about the trip will follow here when we return home.
