How to spend the least money to visit Polynesian islands?

Budget Travel in Tahiti, French Polynesia. How to travel to one of the most expensive countries in the world on $125 a week!

If you are a backpacker looking to travel on a budget, French Polynesia seems to be a no-go. Almost everything is imported and taxes are high so you can imagine the cost. Advertised as a honeymoon paradise, attracting wealthy vacationers all the travel to this country makes it very expensive! But with an open mind, after three months of traveling, I have a few ways to get money-saving tips to avoid completely blowing the budget in Tahiti, French Polynesia!

Budget Travel in Tahiti: Accommodation

Couchsurfing

While French Polynesia has few couch surfers, when you connect with people online At the time, these offers were huge. Now that I've been sleeping here for a long time, I can safely say this is the most offers I've gotten from members, I've received many apologies and other solutions that don't actually accommodate me. The people of French Polynesia are some of the friendliest and most welcoming people I have met while traveling.

Camping and Hammocks

For the serious budget traveler. This is great if you have a hammock or tent on your back. Most residents outside Papeete have large, beautiful gardens. Talk, spend time and offer to help with cooking, cleaning or pay them a little money and the more likely they will let you pitch a tent or put up a hammock.

Budget Travel in Tahiti: Transport

Hitchhiking

Stick your thumb out and wait, you’ll be picked up in no time. I even had a lovely couple travel 21km and it was 21km where we wanted to end up. I spent next to nothing on island transportation because hitchhiking is so safe and easy here.

Sailboat

Have time on your hands and little cash? Hang out near Tiana or Papeete Marina and you'll often find boats there. Want to tour French Polynesia and may need an extra pair of hands? If you spend time at the dock and talk to the right people, you can ride the elevator and explore the island's beds. Especially if you have previously worked on boats, on the water, in engineering, as a mechanic, or as a technician, your skills may be valuable in helping out on yachts and sharing the costs, just like being on a boat, can significantly reduce your costs. This way of seeing the world is so unique that I have written a guide for those on board a yacht with no previous experience.

Budget Travel in Tahiti: Food and Drinks

Water

Don’t buy bottled water, you can drink from the taps on the main island. Heading outside, there's a nice tap water spilling over the island that's also used by the locals.

Alcohol

Simple, don’t drink. Excessive drinking is a problem in French Polynesia (something I've been told from different locals.), it has high taxes and almost everything is imported, which makes it even more expensive. If you really want to drink Ta'haa Island's local rum. Pari Pari is brewed with local vanilla at 50% strength and is consumed by locals as a 'Ti Punch' with raw sugar cane syrup and lime. You just need a few of these to feel great all night long.

Fruits

Especially on Tuamotus Atoll, Marquis and Society Islands, the land is filled with fruits and coconuts. Before doing yourself a favor make sure you're entitled to the fruit, but more than likely, the lovely locals can do you a favor! Expect deliciously sweet grapefruit, star fruit, coconut, passion fruit, papaya and mango. French Polynesia is the only place I would consider carrying a knife, not for safety but to eat snacks straight from the trees.

Bread

Bread here is highly subsidized and much cheaper than most other foods.

Food Trucks

When dining out, eat at Les Roulettes. These are food trucks that appear in parks, sidewalks, and any outdoor area where people can hitch a ride and set up shop. If you are traveling with multiple people, share your meals. Meals at Les Roulettes start at 1000 FPX for common dishes such as Chow Mein, Steak Frite and Poisson Cru. Sharing means the meal costs about $5, and trust me, the portion sizes here are more than adequate.

Budget Travel in Tahiti: Activities

Hiking

The cheapest way to explore the island - Hiking! There are many hikes on all the islands that offer some of the most beautiful views and stunning waterfalls. Did you know there is a waterfall in Raiatea so beautiful that an entire camera crew hiked for hours to film a shampoo commercial? If you're stuck on the best place, as always, ask the locals!

Snorkelling

Remember your mask and snorkel and head to the beach, you don’t need to go on any tours to experience the incredible marine life of these waters. The best thing to do is to ask someone where is the best place to see the most.

Be sure to ask about currents and swells, the last thing you want is to be floating on the ocean floor mesmerized by SeaWorld.

Explore the Market

The market was even just for five minutes just to smell great - the beautiful tiaras and flower necklaces they make here add to the fragrance of the entire area.

Meeting the locals

This was a personal highlight for me. Spend time with locals and you'll be greatly rewarded. Bake desserts with an Italian expat who has retired for a more secluded life on the top of a Marquisian mountain, attend an Ono'u concert in Raiatea with the lead singer and his friends, have a barbecue with an ex-Parisian who single-handedly manages the logo The unique architecture of the floating wooden bungalow is unique to French Polynesia. I even somehow managed to sail to Mopelia, arguably the most beautiful island I've visited to date, to catch coconut crabs and lobsters. All this by making time for the people in front of me, staying flexible and having good luck. Give it a try and see where you end up.

My travel expenses:

I spent three months in French Polynesia and spent about $1,500 here. This is a mixture of everything I mentioned.

While this isn’t your ultra-low-budget travel experience, you can really make it your own with these tips!