French Polynesia Islands - Passports Overloaded

Noumea 2025, New Caledonia

March 21, 2025 – March 21, 2025

Trace New Caledonia’s history at two museums, one reflecting the island’s strong ties to the sea, the another revealing the island’s strategic role in World War II. Much of this seafaring past is displayed in the Museum of Maritime History, whose thousands of artifacts date to the early Melanesian and Polynesian settlers. Other historical marine highlights include two frigates that were sunk in the late 18th century but not found until 2005 when one of the ship’s sextants was discovered at the bottom of the sea. The second museum reflects Noumea serving as a headquarters for the United States military during World War II. From 1942 until the end of the war, more than one million U.S. and Australian soldiers were stationed on New Caledonia, and their presence left a lasting impact. Before the war, the island was known for little more than being a French penal colony.

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Lifou Island, New Caledonia

March 20, 2025 – March 20, 2025

Explore the northern coast of this paradise for intoxicating cliffs and limestone caves, and the southern side for turquoise water and white sand beaches. Snorkel the calm, clear waters of Baie de Jenik, where coral reefs are close enough to swim without flippers. Jokin Cliffs boast amazing caves with stalagmites and stalactites.

Gain an understanding of life on Lifou by visiting a prosperous vanilla plantation and the village of Jokin, which overlooks one of the island’s most gorgeous seascapes. Although Lifou’s terrain is rugged, especially along the coast, it is ideal for growing vanilla beans, as you will see firsthand on the plantation. The majority of the vanilla grown on the island is exported to flavor everything from ice cream to perfume, but a small quantity is always reserved for use by the islanders. After a tour of the wonderfully aromatic plantation, you will have the chance to sample a cup of vanilla-enhanced coffee. In the northernmost village of Jokin, you will enjoy free time to wander around and mingle with the residents, who will eagerly share the details of daily life in their small, rather remote village. Jokin perches high atop a fossilized coral cliff overlooking one of the island’s most magnificent bays, and the views are breathtaking.

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Port Vila (Efate) Mystery Island, Vanuatu

March 19, 2025 – March 19, 2025

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Lautoka, Fiji 2025

March 17, 2025 – March 17, 2025

Nicknamed “Sugar City,” it’s in the heart of the soft coral capital of the world. Snorkel, scuba, take a boat to a nearby deserted island; visit lush rainforests, local potters and orchid farms.

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Suva, Fiji 2025

March 16, 2025 – March 16, 2025

Indulge your eco-senses in the mountain pools of Colo-i-Suva Forest Park on a rainforest hike followed by a relaxing visit to Raintree Lodge. You’ll head out from cosmopolitan Suva for a scenic drive by island bus into the lush mountains behind the capital. Your primary destination is known as Forest Park, and the name definitely fits. This sprawling swath of primeval green Fijian rainforest is more verdant and peaceful than most other spots on Earth – and today, you’ll be hiking through a section of it.

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Apia, Samoa 2025

March 14, 2025 – March 14, 2025

Apia is located on the northern shore of Upolu, Samoa’s second largest island and home to spectacular rainforests, waterfalls, sand dunes, beaches and brilliant sunrises and sunsets. Writer Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life here and is buried on Mount Vaea, overlooking the village of Vailima and the home he built there, which is now a museum in his honor.

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Pago Pago, American Samoa

March 12, 2025 – March 12, 2025

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Huahine, French Polynesia

March 8, 2025 – March 8, 2025

Cruise through the gorgeous lagoon surrounding Huahine and stop along the way for a refreshing dip in translucent, turquoise waters. This picture-perfect setting captures the classic South Pacific of our dreams, a fabulously lush, unspoiled paradise where coconut palms are among the most substantial structures – all ringed by pale, clear waters. And one of the best ways to appreciate this idyllic landscape is from the shaded salon or open-air trampoline decks of a catamaran. This shallow-draft vessel is ideal for snuggling in for spectacular, up-close views of tiny coves that deeper-hulled boats can’t reach. As you circle the lagoon, you’ll see that Huahine is actually made up of two main islands, both of volcanic origin – with just the trace of a sandy land bridge connecting them at lowest tide. After a time spent admiring it all from the boat, your captain will find a perfect spot to stop so you can slip into the water and enjoy the delicious feel of the South Pacific itself on your skin.

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Raiatea, French Polynesia

March 6, 2025 – March 6, 2025

Discover great beauty above and below the water on this Taha’a island lagoon tour with a drift snorkel through its vibrant reef. While it shares a gorgeous lagoon shaped like a figure eight with its sister island, Raiatea, laid-back Taha’a is definitely the underdeveloped sibling. You’ll have a chance to savor this pristine character as you travel by covered motorboat for some 50 minutes along the island’s sparsely populated western shoreline. Over one shoulder, lush green hills descend to the waterline, while over the other, the magnificent turquoise waters of the fringe reef seem lit from within. In time, you’ll disembark on an uninhabited motu islet sitting just off the coast.

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