best for a month on a budget

alanrbrown06:23 UTC24 Feb 2011

i am looking at taking a trip from sydney to either vanuatu, tonga or samoa, leaving mid march. i would like to spend roughly a month exploring one of these countries and was wondering which was the cheapest to travel in? i would have a budget of around $1500 including flights and would like to just generally explore and have some time on the beach/snorkeling using public transport. food and accommodation wise i'm not fussy but would like to spend some time staying in some sort of beach fales and have a beer or two in the evening. any advice would be much appreciated

thanks

tch701:41 UTC25 Feb 2011

Samoa is cheap by South Pacific standards, but $1500 isn't nearly enough for a month. Fales start at about $50-60 at the cheapest places, so that alone would eat up your entire budget. Never mind paying for flights ($500ish IIRC), lunches, drinks, ground transportation, and doing any sort of activity (Samoans make you pay for absolutely everything).

Double the budget or halve the duration and then it might be possible...

calumet03:42 UTC25 Feb 2011

Here on Tutuila and the Manua Islands in American Samoa we have home stays with families that will feed and house you for much less than that.

Activities here are free (check the blog posts) and buses generally cost $1.00 dollar a ride.

We do have hotels that rent by the month such as Scanlan's hotel in town. That's another option to cover your budget.

So you could do just fine and have a great education, adventure experience

http://busycornermagazine.blogspot.com/

If you decide elsewhere, the information on the blog and podcasts will serve you very well throughout Polynesia. Enjoy your adventure!!

From Pago, JW

best for a month on a budget Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
alanrbrown06:23 UTC24 Feb 2011	hi i am looking at taking a trip from sydney to either vanuatu, tonga or samoa, leaving mid march. i would like to spend roughly a month exploring one of these countries and was wondering which was the cheapest to travel in? i would have a budget of around $1500 including flights and would like to just generally explore and have some time on the beach/snorkeling using public transport. food and accommodation wise i'm not fussy but would like to spend some time staying in some sort of beach fales and have a beer or two in the evening. any advice would be much appreciated thanks
tch701:41 UTC25 Feb 2011	Samoa is cheap by South Pacific standards, but $1500 isn't nearly enough for a month. Fales start at about $50-60 at the cheapest places, so that alone would eat up your entire budget. Never mind paying for flights ($500ish IIRC), lunches, drinks, ground transportation, and doing any sort of activity (Samoans make you pay for absolutely everything). Double the budget or halve the duration and then it might be possible...	1
calumet03:42 UTC25 Feb 2011	Here on Tutuila and the Manua Islands in American Samoa we have home stays with families that will feed and house you for much less than that. Activities here are free (check the blog posts) and buses generally cost $1.00 dollar a ride. We do have hotels that rent by the month such as Scanlan's hotel in town. That's another option to cover your budget. So you could do just fine and have a great education, adventure experience http://busycornermagazine.blogspot.com/ If you decide elsewhere, the information on the blog and podcasts will serve you very well throughout Polynesia. Enjoy your adventure!! From Pago, JW	2