Month: February 2024

Fiji

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CITY: Matangi Private Island Resort

HOW LONG: 5 NIGHTS

Let me preface this post by saying this trip (Fiji + New Zealand) was a once in a lifetime trip that my parents gave me & my sister as our 2022 AND 2023 Christmas gift. It’s incredibly generous and Ellie & I are so grateful for the unbelievable memories we got to make as a family. However, as such, this is not a normal backpacker trip or a normal backpacker budget. I still thought I’d share all the details though 🙂

To get here you fly to Nadi (we spent a night on Nadi before & after our time at Matangi, but nothing worth reporting on). Then you must take a tiny hopper flight to Taveuni Island. From there, the resort picks you up in a jeep that takes you to a dock. Finally you get on a speed boat that takes to the beautiful oasis that is Matangi Resort!

ACCOMMODATION:

OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY. Matangi Private Island Resort is a literal dream. This place isn’t cheap, but is worth every penny (although technically can I say that when I didn’t have to pay??). Regardless, if you ever find yourself planning a trip to Fiji (that isn’t budget constrained), I can’t recommend this place enough. My sister & I shared a bure, while my parents had one next door. The level of service was unreal. Everyone was so kind & helpful. Even when my dad got caught on a chaise lounge next to the pool under a big shade/umbrella in a rain storm, the staff walked over and brought him an umbrella so he could come back to the main lounge area. There are only 12 bures so it really feels like you have the island to yourself. The most amount of people that were there while we were at the resort were 4 others. By the end of our stay, there was only one other guest. We all wished we’d stayed two more nights to really soak up all that we could from the island.

Where to eat:

As you are on a private island, there aren’t a lot of dining options 😉 However, you won’t be disappointed in a single meal you have on the island. The resort is all inclusive so eat up & drink up. For every meal, you are offered 3-4 options for your starter & main course (both for lunch & dinner) and a few options for dessert. I swear, each meal was better than the last. Truly spectacular, interesting, crowd-pleasing recipe options that had each of us excited. Ellie and I would often strategize to pick different options so we could try a few of the offerings. Win-Win.

What to Do:

Matangi offers so many fun things to do (and the following is all included!):

  • Snorkeling
  • Hiking
  • Sailing
  • Stand up paddleboarding
  • Reading by the pool
  • Reading in a hammock
  • Reading on a swinging bed next the ocean waves
  • Local village tour (on another island)
  • Local Fijian dance performance

For an extra charge, you have a few other options but that standouts are:

Scuba diving– This is what got me the most excited! Within a 20-mile radius of Matangi Island are countless dive sites including the world famous Great White Wall and Noel’s Wall. I got to do one day of diving (3 dives) and they were all fantastic. My favorite was the Cabbage Patch dive (see here for some photos of the spot)

Horseshoe Bay Picnic – this is more for a honeymoon, but Horseshoe Bay was listed as one of the “1000 places to see before you die”

Spa– I had a great 90 min Matangi Bush Herb massage + a coconut hair & scalp treatment.

Reading by the ocean 🙂
Scuba!
Pool time

Overall Thoughts:

I have only overwhelmingly positive things to say about Matangi & Fiji. It’s as beautiful as they say. The waters were so blue & clear. The days were hot. Even the powerful afternoon 5 min rain was lovely & mesmerizing to watch. Everyone in my family hopes to return to Matangi in the future!

BUDGET FOR 5 DAYS IN Fiji:

Flight to Fiji – $900 (one way)

Accommodation: $1944 ($486 per night) – This represents what my share would’ve been. I want to reiterate this was an insanely abnormal trip for our family, but it truly was the most special trip 🙂

Food: $0 (all included)

Groceries: $0

Activities: $600 (scuba + massage)

Local Transportation: $450 (flights, van, boat to Matangi)

Total: $3894 (Daily average: $973)

Transportation to next destination: $390 (flight to Christchurch, New Zealand)

Packing List: 3.5 months in NZ & Southeast Asia (2024)

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Once again, I am about to head out on the road! This time I am going to Fiji (1 week) & New Zealand (2.5 weeks) for a true vacation with my family, and then I will split off to travel to Southeast Asia solo for 3 months. The beauty of traveling to these locations from Jan to April is I can keep my clothes light & airy, and I don’t need tons of layers & jackets. In general, it’s much easier to pack for hot temperature locations!

Of course I am using my 35L Tortuga Setout backpack 🙂 They don’t sell the exact backpack I have anymore, but here is their latest & greatest! Can’t recommend their bags more. I have used a Tortuga backpack on each of my longterm trips!

Overall tips:

  • Use packing cubes!
  • Think through how the clothes will feel in heat. Linen & lightweight materials will be best. 
  • Make sure that every top works with every bottom and works with every shoes. Use a capsule wardrobe as inspiration.
  • Less is more!

PACKING LIST FOR Southeast Asia:

Clothes

  • 2 pairs of Lululemon Fast & Free Crop’s – I’m trying to make it easy to workout while on the road this time around.
  • 1 pair of Lululemon Align pants – can be used for working out/walking around town or I can dress it up.
  • 1 pair of jean shorts
  • 1 pair of athletic shorts
  • 1 dress
  • 1 Romper
  • 1 Jumpsuit (Madewell) – I’m obsessed with this jumpsuit. Hopefully it holds up well through the backpacker lifestyle.
  • 5 Cute shirts
  • 2 sports bras
  • 2 athletic shirts (for running + sleeping in). One is from Vuori & one is from Lululemon
  • Booty shorts (to sleep in)
  • 5 pairs of underwear
  • 5 pairs of socks
  • 1 black bralette
  • Running shoes
  • Waterproof sandals (will act as my water shoe as well as my cute shoes- I never said the backpacker lifestyle was glamorous haha)
  • Light Patagonia puffer – good for chilly planes/busses & for when I visit countries that are a little cooler, even in the summer. It also smushes down fairly small so it’s a great backpacker jacket. I’ve also used it as a pillow in a pinch.
  • 1 Swimsuit (feel free to bring 2-3 if that’s your thing)
  • Sunglasses (Warby Parker)
  • Rain coat (Patagonia; you can pack it up into it’s pocket so I can easily attach it to the outside of my bag via a carabiner)
  • Tortuga Daypack (they don’t sell it anymore sadly). This acts as my personal item for flights and I can use it for adventures during the day. 
  • Sling crossbody bag (I put it into my daypack on travel days). I use this out and about on a daily basis. Tortuga just released their version and I can’t wait to check it out!
  • Running band

Electronics

  • Computer + Charger
  • iPad
  • iPhone + Charger (I get a 6 ft cord so I can always reach the plug from my hostel dorm bed!)
  • AirPod Pro’s
  • Headphones (Bose; noise-cancelling for travel days)
  • Plug adapter (I use this one)
  • Portable charger (like this one)
  • AirTag (This is a no brainer these days; provides peace of mind incase I am forced to check my bag or when it’s below me in a bus. Always nice to confirm it’s still with me!)

Toiletries (I use a bunch of little toiletry bags to keep these all organized)

  • Toothbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Flosser
  • Any medication you take
  • Retainer
  • Deodorant
  • Makeup
  • Makeup Remover (I’ve become obsessed with cleansing balm for this because it isn’t a liquid, & it’s highly effective at getting makeup off at the end of the day! 
  • Razor
  • Conditioner + Shampoo (Get containers to put your products into & refill on the road!!)
  • Face wash
  • Brush
  • Pocket Hand Sanitizer– I keep one in my backpack and one in my sling/purse. Great in general, but also for when inevitably there is no soap at a random bus stop bathroom 🙂
  • Sunscreen (I love Sun Bum)
  • Chapstick (Don’t forget to get one with SPF)
  • Ibuprofen
  • Hair ties and bobby pins
  • Moleskin
  • Bandaids
  • Cough drops
  • Topical steroid cream for bed bug bites or regular bug bites to help with itchiness

Miscellaneous

  • Passport – no explanation necessary 🙂
  • ID
  • Travel Credit Card (no foreign transaction fee; I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve (hello lounge access!)+ Capital One Venture Card)
  • Debit Card (Charles Schwab has the best one because it reimburses ATM fees from any ATM in the world 🙂 )
  • Record of your plans (I make folders within my email inbox to keep track of everything or you could print out a copy of your itinerary)
  • Extra Passport photos
  • Thumb drive with all documentation if desired
  • Travel Towel (this one has a cool carrier that you can attach to the outside of your backpack with a carabiner)
  • Sarong/beach blanket- My roommate got this for me! Perfect for any countries where I need to cover up more as well as the beach or to dry off from a swim. It may be redundant with the travel towel but I brought both so time will tell 🙂
  • Water Bottle
  • Ear Plug
  • Eye Mask (you can either go the classic eye mask route or get one like this that almost acts like your eye mask + ear plug since you can play white noise through the built in bluetooth speaker- pretty cool!)
  • Inflatable Neck Pillow (I use a carabiner to hang this on the side of my backpack)
  • Lock (for staying in hostels or locking my bag.) Get the combo lock so you don’t have to worry about tiny keys. I take two to be able to lock two different compartments in my bag AND so I can keep my computer/passport/iPad compartment still locked when I use the other one to lock a locker within a hostel.
  • 3 carabiners – I just attach them to my backpack and over the course of the trip they will hold everything from my water bottle, shoes, rain jacket and more. You will not regret having a few on hand.
  • Pack of playing cards
  • Portable neck fan (like this one from Amazon)

Here is everything spread out on a table!

Here is what is packed in each packing cube:

One sports bra, one bralette, underwear, socks, & booty shorts
Five shirts
One jumpsuit, one romper, one dress, one pair of jean shorts, one swimsuit, two pairs of leggings

All packed up and ready to go on another adventure!

Portugal

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CITY: Lisbon

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Good Morning Solo Traveller Hostel. Overall it was in a great location, it was super easy to meet people and the breakfast spread was fabulous. Given all that, I would definitely stay here again. However, I would advise against doing the all inclusive rate (which I had signed up for after all the reviews encouraged it). It was fairly expensive and as soon as you get to Lisbon, you realize there are just too many fabulous restaurants to try to want to eat at the hostel every meal of the day. You can always sign up for a one off meal if you find that you do want to participate in a dinner here or there. Also, I wouldn’t recommend the Basic 10 bed dorm. I booked it because there were no bunk beds, but there was a weird room within the room (this is all located in the attic) where all the volunteers were sleeping so it was really like 14 people in the room and it had a very weird vibe. It was also hot (and I was there in Dec) so I can’t imagine what summer would’ve been like in that room.

WHERE TO EAT:

Dear Breakfast – Two friends had recommended this spot and it did not disappoint! Cutely decorated and delicious breakfast/brunch food.

Lupita Pizzeria – again it came highly recommended, and I’ll support this recommendation.

Nunes Real Marisqueira – Went here with Emily! On the nicer/fancier side and had great seafood.

Time Out Market – very cool food hall! I went with a group from the hostel & it was fabulous to all get the food we each wanted. Great vibe & lots of options for food.

Nannarella – This literally might’ve been my favorite ice cream place in all of Europe… don’t question it, just make sure to visit here while in Lisbon. Pro tip: get the dollop of cream on top (my fav flavor was Oreo, but all flavors looked good). Also, it’s been featured on Somebody feed Phil!

Santini Ice cream – another great ice cream spot.

What to do:

Lisbon is a fabulous city to just meander, and as the second oldest capital in Europe, there is much to discover. Despite the many hills, none were so dramatic that it prevented a nice stroll, and they often provided beautiful views of the city. Go to one of the many viewpoints, like these ones. I also took a walking tour (there were many times to choose from).

Don’t forget to try a Pastel de Nata. Pasteis de Belem invented them, but the pastries are going to be delicious at many other cafes around the city if you don’t make it out to Belem. But Belem is worth a visit for it’s Tower and seafood restaurants.

My favorite thing to do was my day trip to Sintra! There are so many places to visit in Sintra and easy to go for the day via a 5 Euro train ride. See here for a comprehensive list 🙂 I visited Pena Palace & it’s gardens, Quinta de Regaleira, & The Castle of the Moors. I ran into some folks from the hostel while there so we ended up exploring all together! Pro tip: try Travesserios or Quejadas from Casa Piriquita, which was founded in 1862 and is the most famous pastry shop in Sintra. Fun to try local pastries and it was incredibly affordable. We also had delicious bacon + cheese pastries as a mid day snack from Fábrica da Nata.

Overall Thoughts:

I honestly loved Lisbon. I am not sure if it’s because it was the last stop on my European adventure & I was extremely homesick, but because Lisbon reminded me so much of San Francisco (cable cars, hill, “Golden Gate” bridge, earthquakes, weather, etc), Lisbon totally hit the spot. I just loved the overall vibe and it was extremely easy to explore.

BUDGET FOR 3 days in Lisbon:

Accommodation: $193 ($64 per night) – This includes Full Board, but I never ate lunch/dinner here annoyingly so this was not a good deal. Should’ve been closer to 30 euros a night.

Food: $96

Groceries: $0

Activities: $36

Local Transportation: $5

Total: $343 (Daily average: $115)

Transportation to next destination: $373 (Flight to California for Christmas holidays!)