Travelling Vanuatu on a budget

In Augustus 2016 we visited Efate, Santo and Tanna in Vanuatu. We had trouble finding up to date information about backpacking in these places so we've put our information in this blog:
https://vanuatuonabudget.wordpress.com/

Congratulations. A BLOG that actually has some useful information!

Budget travel is as much a lifestyle as it is a pile of numbers. This is what is useful, when you mention how to go about doing things, such as finding a bus. People trained in a bureaucratically organized western country do not always realize that the concept of a timetable doesn't necessarily exist in some countries. As often as not I go to a hypothetical pick-up point as early in the day as possible (usually a half hour before the earliest departure time that a local tells me) and then wait until something comes by.

What you say about bargaining, or lack thereof, is something I also recognize. I've spent weeks or months in similar countries and what you notice is that people are ALWAYS exchanging information about what they pay for what they buy. Even the sellers exchange information about the prices they get. It all happens in the background, and in that way a price becomes fixed (for an indeterminate period of time!).

I am still thinking about a trip to Vanuatu. What you describe about Tanna is one reason why it is not on my list. There is always a trade-off between the hassle and bother to visit a place (whether associated with tourism or not) and the presumed value of the place. My impression has been that the 'worth' of Tanna can be found with less problems on other islands. I think I'd prefer homestays on Santo and one or two other nearby islands.

Thank you for taking the time to put together this information I'm considering a trip to Vanuatu next year and this looks like the most useful resource I've found so far.

Thank you Bthdth and Lynda. Super glad it comes in useful for travellers looking for the same info as we were a few weeks ago.
If you have any questions about something that we didn't mention or not enough in detail, let us know!

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