Years ago, I found myself planning a solo trip to Australia where I had planned to attend university for a year. There were many travel preparations to make before arriving in Queensland. This is the story of my adventurous 52-hour flight to Fiji while travelling internationally for the first time. I was traveling solo and a bit scared.
The year was 1986 and I was 22 years old. I was a university student part way through my second year studying Geography and I had a passion for travel. I wanted to travel the world. But how was I going to do that? I was not particularly wealthy, and I didn’t have a lot of money saved up from summer jobs.
Gap Years
“Gap years” were not a thing in the ‘80’s. So, I decided to do a little research. I discovered that there were many ways to travel and study abroad. I knew that I wanted to go to Australia, so I funneled my research into that niche. For a reference, I approached one of my professors about the possibility of overseas study and the response was more than I had hoped for!! The University had an exchange agreement with an Australian University. They were looking for students to be part of the first exchange. I could not have been happier!
I will not go into any more details about the scholastic side of the trip as that may be featured in another post.
So, over the next few months, I started working out the details of the year-long solo trip and what I need to accomplish before I travelled. I needed: flights, accommodations, visas, police check, tuition, credit card, travel insurance, and a budget so I would have enough money for food and travel once I got there. The flights, accommodation, tuition, and credit card were the easy part. Getting the police check and visa were a little more challenging.
Since it was the 1980’s, there was no internet or online applications; everything had to be done my mail or a phone call. There were many challenges and after several trips to Toronto, I eventually had the proper visa in hand with 3 days to spare! That was cutting it close! I was now ready for my solo travel journey.
Frozen at the Airport
So, my travel day had finally arrived. It was a Thursday, I believe, in February. I was on my way to Australia with a pre-arranged 5 day stop-over in Fiji to give myself a bit of a vacation. It was going to be great! We had a scheduled change of planes in Honolulu and then on to Nadi, Fiji for the week. Did I mention it was February…in Toronto?? Can we say snow? Yup!!
As luck would have it, one of the worst snowstorms had descended on the Toronto airport. The planes were all delayed or grounded for deicing! So here I am, as a solo traveler taking a trip internationally for the first time and stuck at the airport in a snowstorm. This was just the beginning of a 52-hour journey on the way to Fiji! I thought to myself, this will make some travel story one day.
You Never Know Who You Will Meet
So, as I am waiting in the transit area hoping for the announcement that our flight will leave soon, I look around and I notice that one of the people sitting across from me is none other than the famous Canadian author, Farley Mowat and his wife Claire! I recognized them right away as I had met them before while attending a theatrical performance. (They lived in the next town over from me). We chatted for a few minutes and lamented how these travel delays were putting a damper on our vacation excitement. Farley and Claire were also on their way to Fiji.
Finally, the announcement came, and we were boarding our plane to Honolulu. I was starting my first solo travel journey.
My Flight Left Without Me
The flight from Toronto to Honolulu was mostly without incident. I do remember however, that there was some substantial turbulence once we started flying over the Pacific Ocean. It was also a long flight at around 9 hours. As a solo traveler, I was sandwiched in the middle seat between two large gentlemen, so sleep was hard to come by. Eventually, exhaustion kicked in and I woke up to the Captain announcing the final descent into Honolulu. I was very excited as I was ready to get off this lane and start the next leg of the solo journey.
So, we arrived in Honolulu but after having a four-hour flight delay leaving Toronto, our connecting flight to Fiji left without me! Now what am I going to do? There were 11 of us in the same position including Farley and his wife Claire. The airline apologized and then gave us two choices – stay in Honolulu (at our expense) for 3 days until the airlines’ next flight to Fiji or, they could fly us to New Zealand where we should be able to obtain a faster flight to Fiji. Most of us chose New Zealand and joined that flight in a couple of hours.
Stranded Without Status
The flight from Honolulu to Auckland was without incident or at least, I do not recall anything about it. Perhaps I slept the whole time.
Arriving in Auckland was a bit of a different story! It seems that our flight alternatives did not make it through to Customs and Immigration. We had arrived in New Zealand without proper documentation or visas. There were no flight documents stating where we came from, no tickets showing a departure date and no visa allowing us to be present in the country. We were stranded without status at the airport! I was a little scared at this point, being a solo traveler.
Luckily, we found some helpful and sympathetic customs officers and airline staff who were able to issue flight tickets to Fiji and a 12-hour temporary visa for New Zealand. I parted ways with Farley and Claire and became better acquainted with another couple in the same predicament.
12 Hours in Auckland
The other couple and I decided that if we have an unscheduled 12 hours in Auckland, we should take advantage of it. The three of us hailed a taxi, negotiated a fare, and had a locally guided tour of the city for a few hours. One of the stops we requested was a small hotel where we would be able to take a nap, go for a swim and have a bite to eat.
It was a lovely stop and I think all of us were able to take a short nap in our respective dayrooms. The cab driver returned for us at the scheduled time and took us back to the airport. We met up with the other travelers and waited for our flight connection to Fiji. It was lovely to have an unscheduled trip to Auckland but boy were we tired!
Rough Landing
The flight from Auckland was uneventful and it somehow brought the excitement back into the journey. The flight attendants were dressed in colourful uniforms and had warm smiles on their faces. This was the final leg of the journey and I could not wait to get to Fiji!
Until this point in the journey I just had to go with the flow. Travel delays happen all the time. Most of the time, everything works out fine. So here we are in the final flight and I am looking forward to landing in Fiji and going to my resort for the vacation I have been expecting. The Captain comes on the PA system and announces that we will be experiencing some bad weather and we are in for a rough landing.
Tropical Storm
Rough Landing was an understatement! It seems that we headed straight into the edge of a tropical storm and as Fiji is in the middle of the South Pacific, we HAD to land. We circled the airport three times to get the winds in the right direction to be able to land! It was a very harrowing experience, and everyone cheered when we finally got onto the ground. I was very grateful to locate my shuttle van and get ready to head out to the resort where I was staying! I wondered what would be next on my solo travel journey.
The trip to the resort was rather interesting as well. When all the passengers were loaded into the minivan to be taken to the resort, the driver tries to start the van. Nothing. It seems that the van had experienced some rough roads and local flooding, and it required to be pushed to start.
At this point, I am completely exhausted and am now wondering what else will happen. I guess I should not have had those thoughts as what should have taken about 45 minutes to drive to the resort, it took 3 hours. We had to make detours due to washed out roads caused by the storm!
Coconut Rain
As this was my first time travelling in the Tropics, I did not know what to expect. All I knew was that I was grateful to be off a plane and headed to a resort for a much-needed vacation. It was about 9 o’clock in the evening when we arrived at Seashell Cove Resort. I grabbed my luggage and headed inside to check in. I had planned on staying at the International Youth Hostel part of the resort which gave me a bed for $6 USD per night.
When I entered the reception area, I was completely surprised to see small lizard-like creatures crawling all over the walls. My first impression was that there were vermin at the resort, and I must have picked a low-quality resort. Oh well, I am here for 5 days and then I can leave. So, the whole time I am at the entrance registering, the wind, rain and thunder were pounding at the walls and windows. The noise was something fierce. After registering, I was directed to the accommodation and shown where my bed was located. Being a solo traveler, I hoped the accommodation would be appropriate.
Windows Clattered
I stepped into the room which held four beds, none of which were otherwise occupied. The first thing I noticed was that the windows of the room were made of glass and were of a louvered style. With the wind howling the way it was, these windows just clattered in the wind. Being that it was raining, there was water splashing on the floor below the window. I chose a bed away from the window.
Further into the night, there were loud bangs occurring from elsewhere in the dormitory. I got up to investigate and discovered that the loud bangs were actually coconuts being driven by the wind onto the roof of the building. I called this “Coconut Rain!” Just as I was returning to my room, one of these coconuts crashed through the roof and landed on the floor. I was so scared that I slept under my bed the rest of the night!!
What A Mess!
I woke up the next morning after what seemed like the shortest sleep. Have you had an interesting solo travel experience? After such a storm, I was not sure what to expect outside. I got up and looked out the window. What I saw was an absolute mess! There were broken and uprooted trees everywhere! All the thatching that had been on the roofs of the buildings was in a state of disrepair or completing missing. The common areas of the ocean facing hotel were covered in about 2-3” of mud and water. Oh, and there was a small fishing boat in the pool!
So here I am, solo, in a foreign country, supposedly on vacation, and now everything is a mess and ruined. I did not know what would happen next. I felt scared again and a slight feeling of dread. Five days, I kept telling myself.
For the remainder of the day, we were told to relax, spend the day on the beach and let the staff take care cleaning up the damage and mess.
Bula – welcome to Fiji
For the next 24 to 36 hours, the resort was abuzz with busloads of local tradesmen, volunteers, and nearby villagers. They were charged with cutting broken vegetation, sweeping mud off tile floors and re-thatching the roofs. They worked quickly and efficiently, and I hardly knew they were there.
On the second morning, I looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly, and the winds were calm. The roofs on the buildings had become green, the floors were clean, and blue water had been returned to the pool. There was no sign of the boat. It was as if the storm had never happened!!
In the open-air breakfast restaurant under the shade of a coconut-less palm trees, small group of brightly dressed women, greeted us with a traditional song and dance and said “Bula – Welcome to Fiji”
Now, my vacation could begin, and I was no longer solo and scared on my adventure on the other side of the world!
Since returning, I always looked forward to sharing my solo travel adventure with anyone who would listen.
Have you had an interesting solo travel experience?
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