The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
America 250 & A Fiji Paradise
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Our friends in the US have been busy celebrating America 250 this year and the website Roamright.com has come out with a guide on planning a trip to the US around America 250 so on this week's show travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what you should know. Then we'll head across the Pacific and visit Vomo Island in Fiji. It's a beautiful private island which is home the best luxury resort for families in Fiji and the 5th best beach in the world.
Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast, where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. And I'm your host, Randy Charman. Our friends in the U.S. have been busy celebrating America 250 this year, and the website Romerite.com has come up with a guide on planning a trip to the U.S. around America 250. So in a few seconds, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what you should be aware of. And then we'll head across the Pacific and visit Vomo Island in Fiji. It's a beautiful private island, which is home to the best luxury resort for families in Fiji and the fifth best beach in the world. It is quite the place. I'm excited to learn more.
America 250
SPEAKER_00But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to talk about the latest travel news, trends, and travel tips in general. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Hello, Onanta.
SPEAKER_04Hello, Randy.
SPEAKER_00Our American friends are uh busy celebrating America 250. Um uh and Romerite.com has uh come out with a guide to help you plan a visit to the U.S. I think if you're going to the US, even if you're not intentionally going to uh anything around America 250, it's pretty hard to avoid.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it they they embrace um, you know, they're very um traditional, they're very um about their patriotism. So it's uh it it can be a fun event. Um, and it's it's all over the country, it's coast to coast, so there's lots of things that you can do. Like it will feature historic reenactments, parades, festivals, museum exhibitions, so like concerts, it's lots of special events from coast to coast. Um there's gonna be tons of visitors, so make sure you plan accordingly. You can visit historic cities, national landmarks, and local communities are gonna take part in this once in a generation celebration. So um if you want to visit, and you know, there's a lot, like I say, um many places to visit. Some of the destinations that are expected to be especially popular during the anniversary year is Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Um, one of the centerpieces of the celebration, it's the birthplace of American independence. Visitors can explore Independence Hall, see Liberty Bell, and take park in special anniversary events. Then there's Washington, D.C. Um, it's also going to welcome large numbers of visitors eager to experience the nation's um monuments, memorials. There's Boston, famous for um the Tea Party, like you know, the opportunity to follow uh Freedom Trail, as well as many sites connected to the American Revolutions. And then the history lovers will also like to visit uh Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, and that's where um costume interpreters and restored buildings create life during the um colonial era. So lots and lots of places to go and see, as well as what we you know, what are popular, but what are, you know, just locals as well, like like communities just getting involved.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's uh it's a year-long celebration. Uh and uh as I mentioned, even if you were weren't thinking about going anywhere to uh take play take part in any of the 250 celebrations, you can't help but uh run into some, I'm I'm pretty sure. Have you ever been to the uh in the United States when uh during Independence Day?
SPEAKER_04I have not.
SPEAKER_00No. I've been there twice, and it's it's really an amazing sight to see. I was in Washington, DC, and of course they have all the pomp and ceremony and the fireworks, and I was also in Skagway, Alaska, which was more of a small town atmosphere. They had a small parade and and families are out there, and it it was it was a really fun atmosphere. So I I would encourage anybody to to go and and just see how Americans celebrate their independence day because they they are very patriotic and it is a lot of fun and a lot of celebrations that they put together.
SPEAKER_04Right. And I think it's uh, you know, for Canadians, depending on where you live, it can be a short flight or easy road trip, and it's a chance to explore shared history between Canada and the US. So events like the American Revolution and the War of 1812 help shape both nations, and it's an extra layer of uh interest for Canadian visitors. So, because the celebration is expected to attract millions of visitors, planning ahead is really important. And so you're gonna see, or it's anticipated, that there's gonna be an increased demand for hotels, transportation, guided tours, and attraction tickets. And now that um summer is technically out for like or is here and school is out, um, you you some of the destinations could sell out months in advance, particularly around for the 4th of July and other major celebration days. So book your accommodation as early as possible. And reserving flights, rental cars, train tickets, and guided tours well ahead of time can help you secure better availability and pricing. And it's also um important to allow for extra time for transportation. Um, large public events often bring, as we're seeing with World Cup, um, traffic congestion, crowded airports, and longer security lines, and increase wait times at popular attractions, especially if um, you know, depending on the the level of celebrity that the person is, um, like we saw that when the president of the US went to a basketball game during the finals, right? Didn't they tell you to go like three to four hours ahead? So be careful of that, and sort of build build in extra time in your schedule, and it'll talk it'll help you reduce your stress and give you more flexibility if plans change. And another useful tip is to monitor official event um schedules regularly. So organizers may announce new events, adjust their schedules, or release additional ticket information, and then consider to travel on flexible dates. So visiting before or after busy holiday periods may result in smaller crowds or lower prices or just a relaxed travel experience. So lots of things to do, um, lots of things to consider, and always um, you know, as a travel professional, you we always make sure, like for peace of mind, uh choose to explore travel insurance or travel protection options when you're paying for large prepaid travel purchases, you know, understanding cancellation policies and such. Because it it is, you know, you're not go you might not be going far, but you might be putting out some financial investment that you want to protect.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Well, this is true. We always uh want to remind people about travel insurance. And uh again, this uh the uh write-up they have on Romerite uh.com uh talks about heritage travel, and this kind of goes hand in hand of what's going on with America 250, and and really here in Canada as well, there's there's all coin all kinds of and we talked about um the Canada Strong Pass, which involves museum entry and and those types of things, but there seems to be a rise in heritage travel where people are interested in h historic walking tours and museums and battlefield visits and and those types of things, right?
SPEAKER_04Oh, absolutely, and I think summer brings that um urge to go and explore, and it's uh the opportunity for a family travel or multi-generation travel, and I think it it um it brings a sense I I know for me, um our family immigrated from Jamaica, so it's like you know, we're very grateful for the opportunity that we had to come to Canada and to live here and uh bless that uh you know for us, you know, Canada is our home. Um, and so and and it both Canada and the US have a lot of people that have come from different countries and have made these this their new home and and appreciate the opportunity.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. So and if people want uh to check out the America 250 travel guide that is on the Rome Wright website, it's Romerite.com, America 250 travel guide. Lots of uh helpful tips. Good stuff, Onanta. Onanda Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and X at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Thanks, Onanta.
SPEAKER_04Thank you.
SPEAKER_00This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions you might have or show segment ideas. My email address is randy at theinformedraveler.org. You can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at informed Traveler. That's where you'll find more videos and photos from our past shows and other interviews and stories. Plus, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our July issue is now available. Just go to our website, the informedtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each
A Fiji Paradise
SPEAKER_00month. So let's head across the Pacific now to Fiji and learn about Vomo Island Fiji. It's home to the best luxury resort for families in Fiji and the fifth best beach in the world. Sounds amazing. So to tell us more about it is Leon Pink. He is the general manager of the Vomo Island Fiji Resort. VomoFiji.com is the website. Hello, Leon. It's very nice to be chatting with you halfway around the world.
SPEAKER_02Great to chat with you too, Randy. Bula Banaka. We say Bula from Fiji, which is hello from Fiji and Vomo Island.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. Well, hello from you know Alberta, where we say hello. Um, I am looking at your website. It just looks amazing. And uh the thought of vacationing on a private island might be a little intimidating. Uh people might say, well, I can't possibly do that. But uh your your your model of how to do this uh makes it uh for everyone. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Yeah, it's it's it's uh a perfect location. It's only you know 35 minutes from the mainland, so it's very accessible, but it is a private island with um two of the most incredible beaches on both sides of the resort. It's it's uh it's an incredible location, right in between the Azawa Islands and the Mammon Isle Mamanuta Island groups, which are just uh uh two of the most divine groups of islands um very close to Nandi and Pidgey.
SPEAKER_00So the question that you you probably get to a million times, how do you get there, especially from North America?
SPEAKER_02We've got great access um in the last couple of years. It's really evolved from the particularly the west coast of um the US. Um firstly from Vancouver, I think we're we're three flights a week moving up to yeah, three flights a week and moving to the newer aircraft from October this year. So uh Fiji Airways are operating the new A350s out of um Vancouver direct to Nandy. So um great access from uh Vancouver. Um Fiji Airways also fly from San Francisco and Los Angeles, uh Los Angeles daily, and I believe four times from San Francisco.
SPEAKER_00So then now you're flying into the main area of Fiji, and then from there, how do you get there?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it's 20 minutes in a vehicle from Nandy Airport, and then it's 35 minutes from Wundarina to the island. Um, so you can have dinner in Vancouver, have an overnight flight, and wake up and be sunrise cruising to the island. Um, it's actually when we see guests from Vancouver and Canada and the US come across that morning boat ride when the sun's coming up over the Pacific as you're going out to the island, everyone's just mesmerized by it.
SPEAKER_01You're you're leaving a cold gray Vancouver and the next morning you're waking up and the sun's coming up over the Pacific, and it's like, oh, I'm on holidays.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, it must be, yeah. It's it again. I'm I'm just going by the images that I'm seeing on your website, which is uh homofigi.com. It's like paradise. Is that how some people describe it?
SPEAKER_02Very much paradise. Yeah, I think you know, there's not many resort islands. Uh firstly, it's a private island, it's just the one resort on the island. Um, there's only 41 villas, and there's so many great accommodation options. Um, the two beaches that surround the resort um are both spectacular, whereas they're you're able to work from a sandy beach onto a beautiful fringing reef uh and straight onto beautiful fringing coral. Um so much so the beach, the Mamanutha Beach on one side of the island was named number five in the world of the top 50 best beaches of the world. So that's on the island, and um yeah, it's uh they're uh just incredible.
SPEAKER_00Uh so when you say private island, I'm I mean, you know, some people might have a different idea of what it means. What do you mean? Like and you and you mentioned that the the resort there, uh so it's other people, it's not like you're just there by yourself. So there is other people and and that sort of thing. But in a sense, uh it's private that there's nothing else there, right?
SPEAKER_02Correct. Nothing else there. It's 225 um acres, uh, the island, but uh nothing else there, just the resort, um, our guests uh and and the team uh that are working here. So um yeah, it's um there's and and because it's so large, you you've you've you've all you feel that you've got the island to yourself. That's a very common feedback we get from our guests.
SPEAKER_00So, what are some of the activities that people enjoy doing there?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think for for us there's a lot of firstly just hiking around the island. There's a lot of beautiful trails that surround the island, so that that's always people love exploring the the hills and the trails around the islands and going to just remote beaches around the island. Um people love all the snorkeling activities we have. We have complementary snorkeling activities that take guests just to fringing reef around the island. So we still uh whilst you can go off both the beaches, we like to get to guests just to those a little bit hard to get to uh reefs that are just surrounding the island. So we have complementary daily snorkeling to those locations. Guests love those, and they enter into other tours as well. So we have tours to surrounding uh locations, um, White Rock, which is a really famous shark snorkeling and dive location. We've got um the manters uh here at the moment for six months of the year that uh just uh guests get to swim with the manters, that's a very popular one as well. So we've got diving and we've got plenty of amazing fishing options as well. Um, and so uh surfing options from touring, uh village trips. There's a huge wide range of marine-based touring. Uh, on island, we've got a fabulous spa based on island, so there's a lot of um spa options uh and wellness options that uh come out of the spa facility, uh, yoga, sunrise yoga each morning and other um wellness related activities. Um lot of guests just really enjoy quiet time on our beaches. Um there's a lot of we've got Vomo Lili, which is the sort of the small sister island to Vomo. So a lot of guests just like having a private picnic on that beach and just the absolute quiet to have that island to yourself is quite a spectacular um experience. Um got a couple other adventure items. We've got the vapor jets that you can go, like a motorized underwater um scooters that um scoot around the reefs around the island. Um, we've got the flight boards that are a bit more adventurous as well. So plenty of activities. Um uh but guests also love just having long lunches and long uh early dinners and sunset experiences. So um we've got two amazing dining locations um that guests enjoy spending lots of time at those locations.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Uh it again, it sounds amazing. Uh, talk about the road resort itself. You mentioned you got two uh dining locations, but some of the some of the rooms that are available and uh you're also voted best luxury island resort in Fiji as well for families. So it's not just couples we're talking about here, families are welcome as well.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, yeah. It's a it's a fabulous island for families. I think this uh the way it's laid out, we've got 41 villas all up. Um, seven of those villas are uh residences, so those residences vary from five to three bedrooms, uh, and then we've got six two bedrooms, uh two-bedroom villas in that 41 as well. So all really ideal for families. We've got an amazing kids club. Um, we've just been accredited with Worldwide Kids, um, which is a UK-based um luxury childcare association, uh, really focused on five-star resort um kids clubs. So whilst we've got beautiful hospitality and culture of the PG and style of hospitality and the way PGs look after children is just amazing. Um, but we've also got the accreditation there with worldwide kids. So uh all the team, uh the uh childcare team and all our nannies are all fully trained, which is uh it's a great achievement for the kids club. So and there's lots of uh we've got three tiers of activities from uh from infants to teenagers, um, and there's schedules over seven days for all of those um all of those uh children. So hugely popular destination for kids. Um we've also got a doctor here 24-7 as well, so that's always just reassuring for our international guests too.
SPEAKER_00And this is an all-inclusive resort, so you know it it's like once you're there, it's not like you're pulling out your credit card uh every time you eat or anything like that, right?
SPEAKER_02Exactly, exactly. Yeah, absolutely frictionless, and we love that too, and our guests love that. They love to be able to just uh enjoy all the dining offerings and enjoy the resort without constantly signing checks and things like that. And um yeah, and we uh pride ourselves on that, and um, and the guests love that about the experience.
SPEAKER_00What's the average length of stay? Do people come there to stay? That's their Fiji experience, or do they use it as a part of a larger sort of um touring around other islands?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so uh most guests stay between five and seven nights. Um so we're looking at generally about five five nights is the average interest stay. Um a lot of our guests from Australia and New Zealand do stay a bit longer, and this is their main Fijian holiday. Um we do have many travelers uh say from the US and Canada, they will mix it up for whether it's a five-night stay incorporated in a stopover to New Zealand or Australia, which is a really good option to do. I think you'll you'll certainly return uh to the States or to Canada. I think extra recharge if you've got some quality time in Fiji in the middle there. Um so uh it's just how much you can spare. I think uh some guests do choose to, you know, a mainland experience and an island experience. Um obviously a bit biased, I think you get a true Fijian experience on the islands, but uh so how big is the island that you're talking about?
SPEAKER_00I I'm getting the idea that if I went for a hike uh you know, I I wouldn't have to worry about getting lost, that eventually I'd run into a beach and know where I was. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's about five kilometres to walk around the island on a low tide. So I think it's uh it gives everyone a good idea. Um so you never get lost. Um there's good we got good hiking and running trails each morning. So we've got a circuit that does a five kilometer circuit or a three-kilometer circuit. So um incredible views on those trails as well. Um, but it's a yeah, it's a great run or a great kayak as well. You could do the kayak around the room.
SPEAKER_00Oh, that'd be fun.
SPEAKER_02Um, just pull it into a beach and have a bit of a snorkel. Um, yeah, it's it's a uh great way to get orientated and enjoy the uh the spectacular views of the Yazawas and the Mamanufas, especially at sunrise. Um it's it's a great way to start the day.
SPEAKER_00Well, you get both sunrise and sunset, wouldn't you?
SPEAKER_02We do, we do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. One of the great things about not being a big island.
SPEAKER_01Exactly, exactly. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00If you miss the sunrise, you can catch the sunset. When is the best time to come to Fiji? I would I'm you know, I'm guessing that there's no bad days.
SPEAKER_02No bad days, no bad days, yeah. You know, and we don't have a Really sustained wet season. Yes, we we still do have hurricanes from December through to March. Um but you know you don't get set in um long uh sustained rain and and grey weather, um, particularly on the islands, uh not as much as the mainland. I think the mainlands do get a little bit more rain because it's more mountainous and things like that. But um best times are uh um for me. Um yeah, I now is a I we're peak season now because I think it's the Australian winter months and the New Zealand winter months. I think VG is is hugely popular from June through to the end of October. But um I love May, uh September, um May and November, they're really beautiful months as well. Uh and and really hot from December through to March, um, but it's more changeable weather at that time, so you'll get a big heavy monsoon in the afternoon from time to time, um, but super hot in the morning, uh, but still spectacular.
SPEAKER_00Um, it's not like you have to worry about crowds, right?
SPEAKER_02No, definitely not have to worry about the crowds. There's no hustle and bustle, it's very chilled, everyone's very much uh in island mode, and it's interesting. I love seeing how guests just wind down that first 24 hours. You can just see them connect with the island, the culture of the team, uh, and just really wind down and uh connect with the nature and the culture.
SPEAKER_00I would like to read some of the comment cards after because it's probably all the same. It was beautiful, it was beautiful, it was wonderful.
SPEAKER_02Is that the kind of feedback you get? Absolutely, you know, Vomo's got a just a beautiful soul, a lot of staff that have been here 15 plus years, uh, and they just feed that soul with you know, all those relationships with repeat guests, and they know the children's children in in a lot of instances, and uh and that just creates a beautiful comfort. Uh, and they've got uh the culture has just such an incredible uh emotional intelligence and the way they connect and they're so authentic and and they've got uh incredible memory of of guests and the all the little details. Um makes it a real pleasure to work with them and um a privilege to be here.
SPEAKER_00Well, I bet uh people can find out more information on your website, vomofy.com. All they have to do is look at the images and go, it'll take your breath away, just the images. I can imagine what it's like in real life. Uh Leon Fink is the general manager of Vomo Island Fiji. Uh a job that probably thousands of people would take in a heartbeat, uh, Leon. So I do I do appreciate your time uh doing this.
SPEAKER_02No, it's my pleasure, Randy, uh, and uh real pleasure being uh on this forum. And um, yeah, I look forward to welcoming all your guests to Vomo Island and uh Fiji in the in the Pacific and the Southern Pacific. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is Randy at the informedtraveler.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformed traveler.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.