SOUTH PACIFIC - TRAVEL GUIDES

"Adrift in the daydreamy South Pacific – deliciously remote and surprisingly diverse – you can de-stress or ramp up the action, with some super-fresh seafood awaiting at day's end."
​- Lonely Planet's website

TRAVELING TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Most people envision the South Pacific as a paradise of blue waters and white beaches, but it actually is a very expansive and diverse region.  Tahiti and French Polynesia are very different culturally than Fiji, Samoa, and the Tongan islands.  Some locations are better for diving, some like Bora Bora have more luxury hotels, and some have better beaches.  Here is a list of our top recommendations for travel books to help plan the perfect trip to the South Pacific. 

A5 RECOMMENDATIONS

Lonely Planet: South Pacific

Our favorite travel guide series for someone traveling through the South Pacific is Lonely Planet.  They provide opinionated and relevant advice on where to go and what to skip, based on local knowledge and detailed research.  The book covers Fiji, Tahiti, the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Raratonga, French Polynesia, and more.  Lonely Planet also publishes individual guides for Fiji and Tahiti.

The Happy Isles of Oceania, by Paul Theroux

One of the best travel books on the South Pacific comes from legendary travel writer Paul Theroux.  The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific is his account of a long journey of self-discovery he took to help recover from his wrecked first marriage.  He mainly traveled by kayak, literally paddling from island to island.  Click here for our review of The Happy Isles of Oceania.

Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanatu

Getting Stoned with Savages is the story of J. Maarten Troost’s relocation with his wife from California to the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.  Troost finds that “paradise” brings its own set of challenges, from gigantic bugs to massive storms, and that the best way to integrate with the natives is through drinking kava, the powerful local intoxicant.  He then is faced with a whole new journey, becoming a father.   it is a sarcastic and funny book by a strong new travel writer.  Click here for our review of Getting Stoned with Savages.

Tales of the South Pacific, by James Michener

Tales of the South Pacific (1947) is a series of sequentially related fictional short stories by James Michener about the south Pacific during World War II.  His descriptions of the lives of soldiers and nurses are based on his own experience in the US Navy at that time.  The book won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  Those who like this book and Michener's brilliant approach to historical fiction should also read Hawaii.