Living in Vanuatu - Pros and Cons

Hello everybody,

I am German and seriously thinking about emigration. I would like to live a simple life with subsistence farming and/or animals (bees, horses, donkeys) in the future. One of the places on my potential list (which is still quite long) of emigration destinations is Vanuatu. Unfortunately I havent had the opportunity of visiting the country yet.
That is why I would appreciate any comments of visitors to Vanuatu, native Vanuatans or expatriates who could simply tell me about their experience while being/living in this country. Good points as well as not so good points, just your honest opinion/impression.
Thank you very much in advance for any message!

Klaus

PS. If you know about life in Tonga please check the Tonga thread on this forum as I have posted the same message in there, too.

Perhaps you should visit a country before thinking you might live there? Have you ever lived in or experienced a tropical climate?

I know that it is of course necessary to visit a country before deciding to live there. Just some countries are so remote that I was thinking it would be nice just to get some opinions from others (pros and cons) about living there. And, yes, I experienced tropical climate (not cyclones or taifuns though) and I think I like it.

Have you investigated the requirements of the Vanuatu government for living there? This is the first thing I would check, as many Pacific countries have very limited opportunities for immigration.

Thanks for the advice! Just checked the immigration requirements online. They didnt say anything about leasing land but rented accommodation is obviously quite expensive. There is a chance of getting a long-term residency permit but only if you have the status of an "investor". Hm, it would be great to find expatriates who currently live or have lived in Vanuatu.

Having lived in several remote island nations it is not always easy and simple. In fact it can be political and complex. Not trying to discourage you- just suggesting that your expectations might not be realistic. Many of the expats are there in fairly technical positions- consulting for example, or teaching. But island dreams are strong.

Are you a farmer? Have you any experience with bees, horses or donkeys or are you sitting in a cubicle somewhere wanting to getting out?

I've found a property for you. It took about a minute of search. http://www.professionals.vu/properties/151125

2 hectares (I have no idea how big that it, I measure things in city blocks) for AU$116,000. They say the land is fertile and suitable for horses and cattle.

Vanuatu, through my very casual reading, is a pretty easy country to move to/set up business in. Here's the info: http://www.investinvanuatu.com/vanuatu/imigrat.html

Thanks for the nice advice! I am not a farmer but I have farming experience (with animals)...in the meantime I studied the immigration laws of Vanuatu and it seems that there are of course chances of residing there permanently. My question, however, was meant a bit differently: as I did not have the chance yet to visit Vanuatu, I am interested in any experience (good or not so good) from people who live/lived there for quite a while about things that affect the daily life of residents: bureaucracy, culture, climate, infrastructure, malaria risk and so on.
I asked this question on this forum mainly because I still have quite a long list of potential countries. But as Vanuatu and Tonga are so remote compared to, let us say, Canada or Scandinavia I was thinking of maybe getting some first impressions who might influence my opinion in one way or another before visiting there. I know though that this forum is not the most suitable place to ask such questions as it caters to travellers and not to emigrants.

You will need to remember that Vanuatu is one of the UN's 49 least developed countries in the world. You will not have the access to medical treatment, etc that you enjoy in Germany or Japan, for example. I would really advise you to visit first before considering migration.

You are very naive. You must stop dreaming and start paying attention to what the people here are telling you.

Are you used to a place where it rains 4 - 6 hours every day in summer ? Are you used to 95% humidity 24/7 ? Are you used to a night temperature of 25c ? Are you used to yourself and your food being under constant attack from mosquitoes, flies, bugs and other crawly things ? Are you used to the neighbours jumping your fence at night to steal your fruit ? Are you used to all your clothes turning green with mould ?

Beware of Vanuatu land contracts. They mean nothing. Paying money means nothing. Moving into an empty house means nothing. Greedy vipers abound.

Spend a month at the absolute minimum in Vanuatu before you even think about moving there. If you decide to stay, residency is easy to get.

Gosh Unclesav- after reading your reply I wonder that I ever managed to live in the tropics for 4 years- although everything you say is true. And ozzie- you are correct too. I guess you really need to love it to put up with the downside of these remote places.

Klaus- seems like you want to be anyplace but where you are- don't know what it is about where you are that has you displeased but maybe you need to think about this before you throw everything aside and take off for parts unknown. When I hear someone wanting to move perhaps to Canada, Japan, or a remote Pacific Island- remember that the central piece of this is that you bring yourself with you where ever you move. Have you traveled much? Maybe you should begin by doing that as opposed to taking off and moving someplace. Best of luck.

Some call it shock treatment.

Uncle Sav:
Why am I naive? Because I am thinking about emigration? So millions of other people each year are naive, too? If you read my post correctly, then you would have noticed that I was simply asking about the pros and cons of living in Vanuatu. Nothing else. I havent made any decision yet. I simply said that I am interested to know about Vanuatu. That is all.
5 Waldos:
Again! What is wrong about emigration? Do you know anything about me and my reasons for thinking about migration? Even if you knew this is not the topic here. As I said, out of interest, I was only asking about the pros and cons of living in Vanuatu. Why do you think I want to move to Japan?! I lived in Japan for 8 years though. And, yes, I travelled a lot in my life. Quite extensively on all continents except South America (unfortunately). Thanks for your comment though!
Ozziegiraffe:
I am neither naive nor stupid. If I ever start thinking seriously about moving to Vanuatu, I would of course visit there first. Only a fool would not do so. Thanks for your comment, too!

Uncle Sav:
Forgot to say "thank you" for your comment, sorry! I am just curious. Are you living or did you live on Vanuatu?

I was in Vanuatu for 6-weeks for a volunteer project so I was in a very remote village for the majority of my time. I loved every second of it, mosquitoes and all. But with what I want out of life and the things I really enjoy are what I found in Vanuatu. I went without shoes and lived as the natives did.

The people are amazing and very helpful. Vanuatu is not ruined by the tourism industry yet so it's very raw and unrefined. It's part of the charm though. It's very undeveloped and you will not find good medical care. Vanuatu is the one place that I've visited out of all my travels that I yearn to go back to almost every day. I love that effin' place and I hope to start a school for the deaf there later in life.

KlausB, I did not refer to you as either naive or stupid. I was merely pointing out the facts about Vanuatu. For your informaton, many of the regulars on this branch have lived for extended periods in the Pacific. I, for instance, lived in Solomon Islands, the neighbouring country to Vanuatu, for 5 years, and I have many ni-Vanuatu friends.

Please listen to what the others are saying and visit Vanuatu first, for an extended period, before making a decision. Like Ozziegiraffe, my home away from home is Solomon Islands, however living there permanently is not an ideal option for me (health-wise), apart from the fact that it would be difficult obtaining an immigration visa in the first place. Vanuatu certainly is lovely but there are always downsides to jumping into another cultural environment, no matter where. I've met ex-pats living permanently in Solomons who absolutely love the place as I do, and others who packed up and left without even giving it a good try because they just couldn't adapt. The latter are the ones who hadn't checked it out properly before making the move.

The same holds true for Tonga; I met several expats in Tonga, married to Tongans, who were finding life there becoming more and more difficult the longer they stayed (culture clashes), and a few who owned businesses there who were packing it in and leaving due to frustration with local laws, etc.

But good luck on wherever it is you choose to settle. As well, if you are planning on doing any business out there you have to deal with a completely different head set ... things do not work as we expect them to.

Yes, KlausB you are naive. On top of that you are a time waster and a dreamer. You show that you do not want to make your own life decisions and so impose upon the kindness and generosity of total strangers in order to assist yourself and waste their time. Pathetic !

Vanuatu is more different from Germany than you can comprehend. Outside Port Vila it is an extremely poor country with almost zero of the facilities that you are used to. If you buy a farm far from Vila you will have NO electricity (and so no fan when it is hot), bitumen road, doctor, dentist, gas, supermarket, stove, lights, landline telephone, radio (on some islands), newspaper, chemist, internet (unless you pay for satellite), television, refrigeration. You might have to walk 15 minutes through ankle deep mud just to get to the bus stop. What will you do if a gang of boys armed with machetes appears in your yard at midnight stealing your washing off the line ? This is not my imagination run wild, for there is a reason that all those white people's fences in Vanuatu are topped with razor wire. What will you do if a strange pus filled sore appears on you leg and won't go away ? What will you do if a native family sets up camp on your land and claims traditional title ?

If you want a country that is cheap and where you might enjoy a little simpatico go check out Montenegro.

Otherwise select a country - any country - and go live there for 3 months. After that, make up your own mind. Advice on personal life choices is not what this forum is all about.

I didn't think you wanted to move to Japan- just that you want to leave Germany as opposed to go to a particular place. that is the difference- you want to be someplace else. but whatever- hope you find someplace that will give you whatever you are looking for. I have nothing against emmigration- just that most of the successes I have seen have been to someplace, not from someplace.

5Waldos:
I understand what you want to say and I agree...yes, I wanted to move to Japan and I enjoyed my time there, learnt and remembered a lot of useful lessons for my personal life...but now I felt that my time there is over and it is time for the next move...so, I am never running away from somewhere, I am always consciously choosing what I would like to do next.
Uncle Sav:
Thank you for your detailed comment on what might expect an expatriate in Vanuatu! I was asking about the pros and cons of living in Tonga. This is a travellers forum and that is why I can imagine that a lot of us here ARE interested in the living conditions of countries where they havent been before. And not everybody can visit every country they are interested in so easily. So, if anybody wants my impressions about visiting North Korea, feel free to ask :)

Klaus, with respect, you started 2 threads. This is the Vanuatu one, so it is the appropriate place for Uncle Sav to comment on Vanuatu.

Ozziegiraffe:
Yes, it was my mistake. I wanted to write "Vanuatu" instead of "Tonga", just a typing mistake. So, sorry, I didnt want to offend Uncle Sav.

I have nothing to contribute to this present discussion except the knowledge of Vanuatu being the Happiest Country in the World as was announced in 2007. The big question is Happiest Country in the eyes of whom ?
For those people who live there or for those who judge it according to international objective indices ?
It is not very easy to answer this question, KlausB. Nor do we have any background of your life.
What are your means? Are you capable of establishing a sustainable business of your own ? What about standards of life in an under-developed country?
Anyway, I am going to Vanuatu for 3 weeks. Hope that I can shed some light .
Sometimes I also dream of getting away from my place too. Life is pressed and success in business is the center of all. I do not like this very much. But reality always knocks my head . It seems that all I can do is just continue dreaming. That is in my case though.
And let's not eduacte KluasB ! He wastes no time for anyone !

MadManascar,
thanks for the comment! Let me know whether or not you liked Vanuatu!
Hope you have a good time there!!

I only spent a few months in Vanuatu about 6 years ago so the state of things might have changed dramatically. It certainly must have done if the previous posts are anything to go by...But for what its worth, here are my impressions of the place:
Pros: Vanuatu is astoundingly beautiful, everything that you might visualise from the South Pacific. I have very fond memories of watching the sun set over the Pacific with dolphins in the bay and flying foxes erupting from the jungle.
It's a massively varied country; each island has its own feel.
The people are warm and friendly and have managed to preserve their culture. It was the people I met, more than anything, that made my trip to Vanuatu so memorable. It sounds like a horrible cliché but in this case it really is true.
Most people speak English or French but Bislama is so easy to learn, so its easy to integrate into a community.
Kava bars. Simply the best way of socialising I've ever come across.

Cons: When I was there problems with crime were on the rise, especially in Port Vila. I never felt threatened or had anything stolen but it felt like something that could become a real problem in the near future. Especially when alcohol is involved.
Travel is hard, beyond the main islands. Flights are expensive, ships are irregular and most island have very few roads and even fewer trucks. Malakula had a really good road system with trucks running a sort of bus service. Santo and Efate also have buses but on most other islands you have to depend on hitching or walking.
Life is hard, there is no doubt about that. Most of the villagers on the outer islands live a subsistence farming lifestyle. As people have said previously there are none of the amenities we have in the west. There's no electricity so you get used to using kerosene lamps, no fridge so you eat what little meat you get straight away, no running water so you have a long drop toilet and you wash in the river, you drink rain water, you learn how to protect your food from rats and ants and cockroaches. It can get wearing and disheartening and exhausting. (Having said that, you just get on with it, its part of tropical living)
I said in the pros that the people are friendly. That can also be a con. You will always stand out as an outsider and that can get highly frustrating. While the intentions are friendly, having people call out your name in the street on a day when you feel like hiding can get irritating. Kids looking through your window at night, even more so.
Medical help is always a worry and you need to have a fully stocked first aid kit.
All supplies to the outer islands come by ship. If, for some reason, a ship runs late or doesn't turn up then basic supplies like toilet paper, soap, sugar, tinned food all start to run out.
I didn't have to deal much with local Kastom, tribal law, but I've heard that it can be highly frustrating to deal with, particularly for westerners who expect things done quickly.
Vanuatu feels very, very remote. I guess that is a pro and a con!

Wow, it seems like I've written far more cons than pros. It really is worth being aware that Vanuatu is not paradise. It is frustrating and there were times when I wanted to leave my placement early. But those feeling passed very quickly and none of the long list of cons ever outweighed the list of pros.

(p.s In my opinion, fear breeds fear - maybe if expats weren't so desperate to paint the locals as thieving vandals and to tell each other they need razor wire as protection there wouldn't be so much of it around...)

Hi, just wondered if you ended up going, and how is it all working out? My family is considering a move too.

I just stumbled upon this thread and was very surprised (and yes I know my comments are a few years to late). Although I understand that some of you are trying to bring to light (what does not seem lit) some very real issues, is it really constructive to attack anyone? He (Klaus B) was just asking for information and yes over time some (negative) was given (which he did ask for as well) but as a human race living on the planet that we all share why did it have to be attack on him to receive that information? Don't forget we as people are all different and in that respect all learn in different ways as well even if it is from the school of hard knocks!

He (KlausB) will in time make (or not) a decision that "HE" along will have to live and or deal with, so just let him live it as he sees it with out the hostility.

Dreams happen because you follow them (good and or bad) not because you don't!

It takes a while to get a feel for how it might be to live anywhere. Especially on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. I'd recommend at least 120 days or more before you commit.

Hi KlausB,

What happend? Did you move to Vanuatu?

Returned Mormon Missionaries are an often-overlooked source of authentic information for out-of-the-way and remote places. To find one, just ask an LDS member or call your local Mormon chapel. They serve 2-year missions all over the world, some in very remote and primitive places. They live and experience life as the locals do. I personally know returned missionaries from Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, all over South America, Africa, Russia and Asia. I have a nephew serving in a remote island in Vanuatu right now.