Travelling to the South Pasific..

Hi there

I am a woman aged 20 who want to travel to the South Pasific some time between January and May next year. I'm travelling solo, on a budget, I would really like to go some place that is not overcrowded with turists, and it would be wonderful to experience some great culture on the other side of the planet:)
What places would you recommend? Is there anything that I should be aware of travelling around the South Pasific as a woman and is it safe to travel alone in these areas of the world?

May.

Very few islands in the South Pacific are "overcrowded with tourists".
Even in the most visited countries like French Polynesia and Fiji, most tourists are concentrated on a few of the most accessible/developed islands, leaving the rest unspoilt. Possibly more unspoilt than you really want - you may not meet any other tourists on most outer islands!

Anyway, I'd say that the 2 most culturally diverse/fascinating/traditional, and also the most hospitable countries in the region are Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
Of these two, PNG is more expensive to get to/around, and has some security issues which make it a better choice for more experienced travellers.
So basically my vote goes for Vanuatu.

Other than PNG (and a few spots in Micronesia, maybe), the entire South Pacific must rank among the safest regions in the World, for women and men alike. The usual precautions about not going to lonely beaches alone at night, avoiding drunks, etc. should suffice.
Oh well, perhaps you should also note that away from touristy islands, the South Pacific can be quite conservative dress-wise.

Laszlo says it all. Enjoy the South Pacific and Vanuatu is a great choice.

Thank you very much:) I've watched some pictures and read some articles about Vanuatu and it looks perfect. Is there any particular island you would recommend, or is it easy to travel between the islands? Have you been in this area yourselves? How do you get to these islands? From Austraila? Other places?

I spent a month and a half in Vanuatu.

There are many, many islands to choose from out there - this website would be a great resource to start pondering over the possiblities. It has more and better info than the LP guide!

Getting around is easy if you can afford to fly between the islands, but quite a bit more "adventurous" if you choose to take the mostly VERY basic local boats instead. The latter are a great way to meet the locals though, and I ended up making local friends and getting invited to stay in their villages even before reaching my destination a number of times!
That's Vanuatu.

As you are European, the easiest way of reaching Vanuatu would be via Australia, with the cheapest flights offered by Pacific Blue.

I agree with the above. Haven't been to PNg or Vanuatu, but Fiji, tonga and the Cooks are all pretty safe. I guess I'd avoid late night areas near the nightclubs in Suva, after midnight, and avoid walking alone on the beach late at night, drunks can abound in lots of the places. But in general, it's pretty safe.

Raro's post has just reminded me to add another great thing about Vanuatu: Locals drink kava instead of alcohol!
Kava makes them (even more) docile instead of aggressive (like alcohol), which makes the country even more safe.
Still, lonely walks late at night are best avoided, just to be on the safer side.

I am a woman, and have been travelling to off-the-beaten-track parts of Solomon Islands for the last 17 years. It is very safe if you connect with reliable locals, and respect local custom as regards dress. It is probably the least touristy part of the Pacific, and is a regular daily 3 hour flight from Brisbane.
It has numbers of diverse cultures and its citizens belong to each of the 3 major ethnic groups of the Pacific, Melanesian, Polynesian and Micronesian.
Exploring Solomons will give you lots of ideas of things you can do.

Thank you so much everybody for great tips. I can't wait to start preparing my trip:) When is the best time to travel there? Is it very unsafe weather in January-April? I'm going to travel for some monhts, so I might be able to move it to May, June if thats better. I'm a bit unsure how I'll handle heat though, because now I live in a place where it's normally 15 to 20 degree in summer and down to around minus 20 degree in winter..

Well, whichever country in the South Pacific you visit and in whichever season, it's bound to be hotter than back home! ;-)
But southern Vanuatu, further from the Equator, is not that hot at all.

I believe that statistically the weather should be better in May-June, but I had a great time in Vanuatu in December.
However next month in Samoa I experienced horrible rains and floods.

You do need a bit of luck with weather in the tropics!

LP's 2 cents on Vanuatu climate

In general it's rainier and muchmore humid in the SP from about Dec to end of April. Temps aren't what gets you, it's the humidity. If you are not used to very humid places, and think it might bother you, then either get a place with air-con (which is not going to happen as you are on a budget), or go in May to October.

If you do travel in the humid months, the east sides of the islands usually get more of a breeze in most of the South Pacific.