I’m back! I went to Fiji not really knowing what to expect, besides plenty of beaches and palm trees. I’d never read much about Fiji, or seen a lot of pictures, I had no idea what made it different from anywhere else in the South Pacific. Well, this country surprised …

Before I left for Fiji I heard plenty about kava: that fijians were obsessed with drinking it, that I would make you hallucinate, that it tasted terrible. Some of this was true, some of it was a flat out lie. So I thought I would set the record straight. Also …

Village visits are a tricky thing, aren’t they? On the one hand, it’s so interesting to see traditional life up close and there’s always the chance of making a real connection with the people you meet. On the other, tours that promise to take you to a “traditional” village often …

Tourism is a major and essential industry in Fiji. It makes up 25% of the country’s economy and that number is rising quickly (in comparison tourism is only 6.7% of Thailand’s economy). It’s a number that is quickly rising. Tourists bring in money and jobs but they can also mean …

My first move when I plan to visit a new country? Find out about the food. Even before Eat the World, both Mike and I have been major international foodies. Visiting a new country and learning all about their unique cuisines is like unwrapping a present for us. Unfortunately, there …

The kind of awesome, and sometimes insane, thing about press trips is that sometimes you get to do things would never otherwise get the chance to do. Like zip-lining or shark diving or, in this case, staying in really, really nice hotels. In Fiji we stayed in some pretty spectacular places. …

Total Days: 11 Total Days it Didn’t Rain: 3 (It wasn’t even rainy season, I just really need to work on this.) Amount Spent: Since we were guests of Fiji Tourism I won’t do a budget breakdown on this one. From what I’ve found it’s possible to travel Fiji as …

When people hear the word “safari,” destinations like South Africa and Kenya usually come to mind; however, Australia is home to its own opportunities for unique wildlife spotting, most notably on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island. Because of its isolation from the mainland, the fact it hasn’t been affected by introduced …

**THIS CONTEST ENDED JULY 19, 2013** People keep asking me where Mike and I are going on our honeymoon. To be honest, up until recently I hadn’t given it much thought. As sappy as it sounds, our whole lives are a honeymoon. For example, last year in Fiji we relaxed …

Whew. After more than 7 months of blog posts I am finally concluding my coverage of South America. Next week I’ll have lots of Fiji stories to share with you. But first, a look back: Colombia Colombia was the first country we visited and it remained my favorite of the …