Tag Archives: Pacific

Tracking Down The Famed Fishing Pigs of Tonga

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fishing pigs

During our 5 week summer trip around the Pacific, our first stop was the Kingdom of Tonga. Sundays are a very quiet day on Tonga. Most things are closed so we spent a day on Pangaimotu Island.

There aren’t a lot of must- do activities on Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu. Regardless, we had a really fun time, renting a car and driving all over the island to various sites.

We love animal- related experiences, so when we read about Tonga’s “famed fishing pigs” in Lonely Planet, we wanted to see these porkers in action. Continue reading Tracking Down The Famed Fishing Pigs of Tonga →

Virgin America Has A Heart, American Airlines & Fiji Air, Not So Much

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Virgin America
image: Virgin America

While planning our 5 week summer trip to the Pacific I needed to find a way to and from California.

I used American Airlines miles to fly to Tonga and home from Vanuatu. Those flights started and ended in California. Since we live in NYC and AA didn’t have saver awards from NY-LA and SF-NY, I had to look at other options or I would’ve had to pay around 30,000 miles per person each way.

Considering our international flight cost 80,000 round trip, how could I pay 60,000 to go from NYC – Cali?

In the end, I found flights with Virgin America totaling a little over 63,000 to get us to and from California. Continue reading Virgin America Has A Heart, American Airlines & Fiji Air, Not So Much →

What Did We Try At McDonald’s Samoa?

Food, Trip Reports, ,

mcdonalds samoa

Over the summer the Michael W Travels family spent 5 weeks in the Pacific. During our trip I visited six new countries while Kim, Lucas and Theo visited  five.

When visiting a new country we always try to visit McDonald’s to see what interesting local menu items might be available. Lucas also loves getting a toy and having some time to play in the playground.

Earlier in the trip we made a stop at McDonald’s Fiji. There weren’t many other countries which had McD’s in the region so we knew that we had to try out McDonalds Samoa during our time on the island. Continue reading What Did We Try At McDonald’s Samoa? →

Find Out How Kim Had Two Birthdays This Summer Thanks To Travel

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international date line

Over the summer the Michael W Travels family went on a five week trip to the Pacific.

During our trip we celebrated a bunch of different things. There were country visit milestones- I surpassed visiting 80 countries, Lucas went over 40 and little Theo got into double digits.

There were also a couple of birthdays to celebrate. Theo turned one a couple of days before the end of our trip and Kim celebrated her birthday a couple of weeks in. Continue reading Find Out How Kim Had Two Birthdays This Summer Thanks To Travel →

What Did We Try At McDonald’s Fiji?

Food, Trip Reports, ,

McDonalds Fiji

During our trip to the Pacific, Fiji has been a very important country for the Michael W Travels family. Flights to most of the countries that we’re visiting tend to go through the country.

On our way from the airport to our first hotel, we drove past a Burger King so I figured that there had to be a McDonald’s close by.

Since I had to see what special items might be on the McDonalds Fiji menu, we took a 5 minute taxi ride there for dinner. Continue reading What Did We Try At McDonald’s Fiji? →

Sleepy Sundays in Tonga, A Visit To Pangaimotu Island

Family Travel, Trip Reports, ,

a man holding a baby on a dock on a beach

The Michael W Travels family is currently on a 5 Week Trip Around the Pacific.

The first stop of on our journey was to the Kingdom on Tonga. Our first full day on the island was a Sunday when there isn’t much to do since just about everything is closed!

Rather than waste the day, we headed on a short day-trip. Continue reading Sleepy Sundays in Tonga, A Visit To Pangaimotu Island →

733,844 Miles & Points + $4,000= 5 Weeks in the Pacific for Family of 4

Trip Reports, , , , , ,
pacific
Polynesian Air DHC-6 300 Twin Otter

The Michael W Travels family is currently on a 5 week trip around the Pacific.

I usually like to write up a detailed trip report to show all of the costs involved but for this trip it’s just too much info.  To simplify things, I’ll just share all of the miles and points used to help book our epic trip as well as an approximate amount of cash spent. Continue reading 733,844 Miles & Points + $4,000= 5 Weeks in the Pacific for Family of 4 →

The Most Expensive Luggage Storage Ever

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a boy jumping in front of a sign

For our Summer 2017 trip, the Michael W Travels family will be spending 5 weeks traveling around the Pacific. (Find out How A Call to Fiji Air Saved Me $645.94.)

We used American Airlines miles to book the international flights to and from the U.S. but they were in/ out of California.

Our first international flight was at 11:30 PM from LAX so Kim and I figured we could catch an early flight and spend part of a day wandering around Los Angeles. Continue reading The Most Expensive Luggage Storage Ever →

How A Call To Fiji Airways Saved Me $645.94

Family Travel, ,
Fiji Airways
image: wikicommons

I’ve been really busy planning our 2017 Summer Trip. We’ll be heading to the Pacific for around 5 weeks!

The first order of business was getting a flight from the U.S. to the region. American Airlines miles came in handy for that, costing 80,000 miles per person + tax ($71.66). When I asked about adding Theo to the itinerary as a lap baby, I was beyond surprised by the price I was told. Continue reading How A Call To Fiji Airways Saved Me $645.94 →