Seeking locations to free-camp near a beach, far from tourism with fruit foraging possibilities!

Hello,

[I will be posting similarly in the Carribean and Central America forums as well. If there are threads online with similar information, please link me. I did my best to search before posting!]

First off I'm most excited about the Pacific Islands region as I've read books ranging from "A beachcomber's handbook" to "And Island to Oneself" and have been captivated by the geography and the lifestyles described within.

I would like to learn about places matching the following criteria:
- Warm climate - likely tropical
- Humble and inexpensive local food options
- Foraging possibilities are a huge bonus
- Very few tourists. Local / indigenous cultures are preferred.
- Opportunities to camp for free or nearly free.
- Beach and / or large water bodies nearby
- Safe enough to sleep in a tent without worries

These will be a places where I am thinking to take fairly extended trips. At least three weeks. It need not be convenient to get there, so long as the travel is not prohibitively expensive. While I do like to travel frugally, really I prefer to see places without much modern development or construction.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated! Many thanks for your thoughts and support.

_S

Yes I too was very influenced by An Island to oneself, when I read it in the 70s. I first visited the Pacific in mid 1980's and even then things were different from Tom Neales book. I visit every year and watch many changes but still love the Pacific. One thing you do have to realise ( and respect) is that in most of the Pacific all land is sacred and will belong to somebody - normally an extended family or tribe. Do not expect to camp anywhere but rather look for places where you can ask to stay - in many cases you will then be part of the family. I find Samoa in particular the Island of Savaii a nice mixture of old fashioned villages and tourism. There are family / village owned 'Fales ' in most areas where you can stay ( open thatched hut with woven blinds and a mattress on the floor and in most cases a mosquito net) these are often on the beach ( which will be owned by the people who own the FALES)
The cost is very low and includes breakfast and lunch ( normally grown in their own plantation in land, or caught in the sea) in more traditional places they will allow you to accompany them on fishing and plantation visits. Have a look at Reginas beach fales at Manase and Sunset fales on Manono Island (. You will see them on the STA Samoa info website) there are some more basic fales than those and some more developed. The prices range from about 20$ without meals to 30$-60$ with two meals. Often in the less touristic ones you can arrange to go fishing in a native canoe, pig hunting, learn weaving and cooking an Umu in the traditional way.
Also have a look at some photos on budgetaccommodationsamoa.com or fb page Budget Accommodation Samoa. Savaii Island, Manono Island and Namua Island are places you will find the more authentic fales. I spend a few months staying in different places every year and every visit I learn about making food and weaving houses, food baskets, the different types of food and how it can be cooked . It is a very simple life where natural resources are utilised in daily living - the uses for coconuts is amazing . Of course there are parts of Samoa that are quite modern and many people embrace modern life but you can find the way of life you are talking about - just remember you are a guest of the owners of the land and you will have to reimburse them for their hospitality, do not abuse that hospitality please.

Budgetkiwi,

Thank you so much for your detailed response.

In re-reading my posts, I feel like I might have been insensitive with my writing. I really do love the idea you shared of being more of a family member to the places to which I travel. These are the most rich experiences, anyhow. I am not looking to just lounge and take from the places where people have lived for so long and called their home. The dream is to be a humble, eager, curious and sharing guest.

In the less touristic areas, are there similar accommodations of simple huts? What do you estimate one would spend in one of these places? The sound of working on crafts and hunting and fishing is extremely appealing. Do you have any tips on how to find villages or families who would have opportunities like these?

I'll absolutely check out these websites you've noted.

Thank you so much for sharing - I can't wait to get out and explore!

Best,

_S

I have also been recommended Santo on Vanuatu as a place where you can live in similar basic huts on beautiful beaches but haven't been there yet. Vanuatu is definitely less developed than Samoa and I find that it is the less developed places where people are most likely to allow you to become part of their life and welcome you to join in their day to day activities .
It can sometimes be difficult to find the balance between becoming friendly with a family and becoming overwhelmed by them. You do have to be careful that you aren't mistaken for a 'cash cow' with unlimited access to the almighty dollar. Cultural differences can be hard to get used to at times. Most Pacific cultures don't understand the need for privacy , private time or private space - or private ownership for that matter! So never flaunt your belongings and insist on keeping things on a business level - insist on paying for everything that is provided even when people will press things on you, but don't get talked into giving money for anything you don't want to - and always negotiate the terms of the transaction before you accept it - eg if you want to eat or go snorkelling or pig hunting ask if it's possible, how much it costs and insist on paying. Otherwise you may be given everything for free but then they will expect something in return you may not actually want to give - pay for a festival, pay for their phone top ups for the foreseeable future, pay for a family member to travel to Apia for some occasion, hand over your phone or camera.....things can get quite complicated when you become too involved so it's important to keep things on a business level. For this reason I tend to start off with Fales that are being run on a commercial level to some extent already and then talk to them and explore what options they suggest, if you want to get more remote they may recommend a family member and you can negotiate the conditions before you go. - never take anything with you to family village stays that you wouldn't be happy to ' gift' to people - I travel with just an old phone if I am doing this and I take my own mosquito net, but nothing else of value ( I leave my main bag stored somewhere with a better phone. / camera - and I can always buy another mozzie net cheaply if I decide to donate mine)
If you went to Manase on Savaii and stayed at the commercial fales ( owned by village elders and families) you could ask about joining in with family activities and I am fairly confident things would evolve. I met one guy who was just travelling but stayed two months and went to the plantation and pig hunting with the owners family, two guys who went spear fishing with a couple of locals every evening....you just need to ask - but also protect yourself a little depending how happy you will feel to be totally involved with a family, - I met one guy who has been returning and staying with a family now for many years and he loves it but he was very involved - helping them build a house with a small shop attached and stocking the shop, renting a vehicle to get the stocks....you will find many of the people living the simple eco friendly life you envy actually aspire to live more like how they think you live,....

budgetkiwi,

This has been one of the most informative posts I've ever read. Very practical! So helpful. This could be a real time and pain saver. Poignant.

What general sorts of budgeting should be assumed for any of this type of adventure? Is the visa an issue? It seems like I can go for 60 days at a time as a US citizen.

Many thanks again!

_S

Each country has different visa regulations and these vary depending what country you are from.
Samoa is 60 days ( but can generally be extended once) Fiji is 60 days and can be extended once. I think the Cook Islands and Tonga are 30 days.
The reason I return often to Samoa is there are just two main Islands ( not including American Samoa which is very westernised due to the American influence) and the boat transport is about $6 for the one hour trip.
You will find many little fales and home stay situations with rustic abodes throughout Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands but they are on remote islands and because the distance is huge the airfares are very expensive ( often $300-600 each way to each island...the boat options are often erratic and take up to a week of travel.
So I spend a lot of my time on main Islands ( which are often more developed, less authentic and more money orientated) or I head over to Savaii the larger less developed island in Samoa.
I will spend approx $25-45 a night on accommodation including 1-2 meals a day, I travel by local bus - which is a little confusing, can be fun, takes a long time and is very cheap eg about $15 to cover the whole island but it would take two to three days, at least three different bus journeys and a total of over 20 hours to cover 250kms. If I drink it is just the local beer ( and only a few ) and I eat local produce ..so my daily budget could be as low as $40-50 a day but over a period of a month I normally spend about $2000 because after about 4-5 days in a fale I will stay in a mid range hotel with a pool, eat in a restaurant...shake out the sand and salt etc and catch up on Internet ( quite expensive) . So your budget is dictated by what comforts you want - also when staying at the cheaper places you often never see other travellers and it's actually nice to go to a more popular ( more expensive ) place just to have a chat and maybe team up with other travellers for some of you journey.

@budgetkiwi,

Thanks again for the write-up. In my experience I also enjoy the more simple accommodations, punctuated by some less rustic periods, from time to time. It can be nice to see other expats as well, periodically.

These figures and descriptions are very helpful. Many thanks! Perhaps it seems like a 1-month trip would be a great way to taste the region, this coming fall or winter. I can't wait!

If you have any other books that you think I might enjoy, or anything like Tom Neale's, please share.

Best,

_S

In the South Pacific ( below the equator ) the nicest time to travel weather wise is over the southern winter ( northern summer) there is less heat and less tropical rain. The cyclone season tends to be from Christmas till about March. From about May till Sept is a nice time to travel. The busier times are the NZ & Australian school holidays in July and Sept.
I like early winter when the tourist season hasn't quite started and operators are really happy to see you, I find August is quite settled with a lot of blue skies and calm days. But anytime between April - Oct would be better than November - March. Christmas can be a family time, some operators are closed others are booked out with families visiting from over seas. I met a girl who had visited Oct- Dec and she said she was mainly the only person around and it was quite lonely.
There are not enough books about the South Pacific, I imagine you have read the one by Paul Theroux , and the one by James Michener ( set in Melanesia during the war). Recently I enjoyed one called ' under the wide and starry sky' by an American (Canadian?) women , following the life of Robert Louis Stevensons wife Fanny - only the last few years around the Pacific but very enjoyable, also Pamela Stephensons book of her travels following RLS footsteps in the pacific, I vaguely remember reading a couple of lighthearted ones 1 called something about cannibals and the other something like 'where the hell is Tuvalu' ( if I remember correctly written by peace Corp worker(s) and of course Mr Pip,- rather sad but parts are very real.
I recently reread 'an island to oneself' - and some information about Tom Neal, I think I enjoyed the book more now 30 years after I first read it because I have spent so much time in the Pacific.

@budgetkiwi,

Thank you again. So helpful to also gauge when to head to these parts. I've saved all of our correspondence to help me in future trip planning.

I couldn't find the specific book you mentioned by Paul Theroux, although I've found information on all of the others. None of them have I read yet! I'm excited to add these to the reading list.

One I really have enjoyed about Hawaii was "The Beachcomber's Handbook" by Euell Gibbons. Really fun and empowering!

So many thanks, as always.

_S

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