VanLife in the Fiji Islands

[CosmickGold]

Does anyone have information about living in a van in Figi?
If you are curious as to what I could be talking about, here's an article from The Figi Times about it.
But before I pay $4,000 to ship my van there, I want to be sure of what I'm committing my future to.

 

[Morgana]

There is nothing in that article to suggest it would be a good idea to ship your van to Fiji and do van life there.

The article does clearly state that van living is rare there (if it happens at all), would be looked down on, and would be impractical given the geography.

Unless you have a strong interest in Fiji (not Figi) I can't think why you would go to the expense, or expect local people to welcome your doing so. Pacific Islands living is not cheap. Pacific Islanders have a lot of experience, mostly negative, coping with foreigners trying to introduce new lifestyles.

Land ownership, and land management, are handled very differently in Fiji than they are here and can be fraught issues. You couldn't expect your US-based instincts on how to drive around and find parking to work there.

If you want a foreign van adventure there are probably 100 countries where it would be easier and cheaper to do than Fiji.

If you want to spend $4000 there's 1000 adventures that would be more practical, fun, and sustainable.

If you want to get to know Fiji, there are many simpler and more culturally sensitive ways to do that. (But no cheap ones.)

 

[CosmickGold]

There is nothing in that article to suggest it would be a good idea to ship your van to Fiji and do van life there.

The article does clearly state that van living is rare there (if it happens at all), would be looked down on, and would be impractical given the geography.

Unless you have a strong interest in Fiji (not Figi) I can't think why you would go to the expense, or expect local people to welcome your doing so. Pacific Islands living is not cheap. Pacific Islanders have a lot of experience, mostly negative, coping with foreigners trying to introduce new lifestyles.

Land ownership, and land management, are handled very differently in Fiji than they are here and can be fraught issues. You couldn't expect your US-based instincts on how to drive around and find parking to work there.

If you want a foreign van adventure there are probably 100 countries where it would be easier and cheaper to do than Fiji.

If you want to spend $4000 there's 1000 adventures that would be more practical, fun, and sustainable.

If you want to get to know Fiji, there are many simpler and more culturally sensitive ways to do that. (But no cheap ones.)

Morgana, your reply is EXTREMELY intelligent; a compliment you well deserve. Thank you for taking the time to read the article and write the above.

I googled for information on Fiji after watching this video about the safest places to be when World War Three starts (with nukes). It names Fuji first, as likely the best choice. I've been intending to head for the Northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, because it consistently receives breezes from the Pacific Ocean, rather than from Seattle to the East (on the other side of the Olympic Mountains) where major fallout will be generated. And I learned that the only food really safe from major radiation after the bombs will be from the deep seas, where radiation is highly dispersed in the depths of the oceans. But that location will certainly be cold, and if the sun is blocked for ages, no more solar power for my furnace, and where will I get more propane? So those are my reasons for looking seriously at Fiji.

 

[INTJohn]

If u want tropical island van living chek the US Virgin Islands. Can have vehicle shipped from Miami. If you do St John’s (which is mostly National Park) I recommend 4x4.

There’s a ford dealer on St Thomas I think if you wanna buy from there and back pak it till it shows up.
Sayin……
bch bum jonny boi

 

[CosmickGold]

If u want tropical island van living chek the US Virgin Islands. Can have vehicle shipped from Miami. If you do St John’s (which is mostly National Park) I recommend 4x4.

There’s a ford dealer on St Thomas I think if you wanna buy from there and back pak it till it shows up.
Sayin……
bch bum jonny boi

Hi John!
Thank you for answering helpfully. What you said sounded really good: not so far to go, easy shipping, American-owned land, etc. However, when I did as you suggested and checked it out, I found this article on the jamaica.loopnews.com website.

Among other things it states:
"Many are questioning whether the possible [nuclear] retaliation on the US will affect the Caribbean. . . . From a regional perspective, Caribbean security will be at stake like never before, as modern-day war machines and weapons of mass destruction can now reach any corner of the globe within 30 minutes max. . . . the fact that the two nations with the most nuclear weapons in the world, namely Russia and the US, no longer have constraints, a fallout in this part of the world could turn the Caribbean and Latin America into a nuclear graveyard."

Really sad It seems Fiji is still the best bet for survival.

 

[bullfrog]

Why not a sailboat or shallow depth submarine/diving bell, build your own island! You can pretty much pick a general location and work on your survival skills. There are some pretty nice solar boats coming out!

 

[INTJohn]

Hi John!
Thank you for answering helpfully. What you said sounded really good: not so far to go, easy shipping, American-owned land, etc. However, when I did as you suggested and checked it out, I found this article on the jamaica.loopnews.com website.

Among other things it states:
"Many are questioning whether the possible [nuclear] retaliation on the US will affect the Caribbean. . . . From a regional perspective, Caribbean security will be at stake like never before, as modern-day war machines and weapons of mass destruction can now reach any corner of the globe within 30 minutes max. . . . the fact that the two nations with the most nuclear weapons in the world, namely Russia and the US, no longer have constraints, a fallout in this part of the world could turn the Caribbean and Latin America into a nuclear graveyard."

Really sad It seems Fiji is still the best bet for survival.

none of us get out of here alive anyway but in the USVI a hurricane is more apt to kill u and more likely. It’s y I left.
If you do decide to go “boat” go with a large livaboard catamaran. Stable, can take the seas and a shallower draft than classic v with a deep keel. Rig with both solar and wind.
Sayin…..
bch bum jonny.

 

[user 423]

none of us get out of here alive anyway

You got it. And I hope if there's a big blow up it gets everyone. Then in a few millennia a different species can give it a try and maybe not screw it up like our species has.

 

[Morgana]

Really sad It seems Fiji is still the best bet for survival.

I hate to be a downer, and I don't want to be disrespectful, but I think it's important to say at this point:

You would need to do much, much, much more research before you could have any confidence that you knew (1) how to prepare for nuclear war or (2) whether Fiji is an option for you.

If you are serious about safety/emergency preparedness, then it's important to prioritize -- including by what you can do something about. This thread focuses on one, highly dramatic, solution to one very scary problem that you can do very little about.* There are 101 other safety issues that are likely to rise up and bite you first. Are you equally prepared for them?

Finally, an ethical question. You're talking about a country that has been impoverished by colonialism and threatened by sea-level rise caused by faraway countries over which it has no control. Now you -- as a citiizen of one of the countries that caused that harm -- are speculating about going there to escape a nuclear war that would likely be launched by the same countries. It is a small, isolated country with limited space and resources.

Why do you believe you would or should be welcomed -- even in peacetime, let alone as a war refugee? Are you bringing large amounts of money to invest? offering specialized skills for which there is a local shortage? What makes you think your fate would, or should, be different from the vast majority of other migrants and refugees? Why should Fiji take you in?

More research (not random YouTube videos), more planning (systematically, rather than focusing on the most dramatic scenarios), and more respect (for the potential host location) are what I would recommend. And the more importantant progressivism, or multi-culti, or spirituality is to you, the more important the "respect" angle should be.
-------

* one thing you can do: VOTE. November 8.

 

[CosmickGold]

. . . . What makes you think your fate would, or should, be different from the vast majority of other migrants and refugees? Why should Fiji take you in? . . .

* one thing you can do: VOTE. November 8.

That really is a sobering thought, that I'm no different to the people of Fiji than the refugees from the middle east that invaded western Europe, or the refugees now invading the US southern border; nearly all of them ignorant of the culture and values of the established residents. Really, my plans have me trying to be just like them, so likely I should not. Perhaps instead I should just head for the Northwest tip of the USA, where it's my country, my people, and our shared values.
And certainly yes, tell everyone to VOTE November 8, and thereafter. Doing so is essential to our survival as a country.

 

[Morgana]

the refugees from the middle east that invaded western Europe, or the refugees now invading the US southern border; nearly all of them ignorant of the culture and values of the established residents.

Yeah really don't go to Fiji hon.

 

[user 423]

Refugees described as invaders? Refugees are fleeing terrible things that have happened in their home country. That includes war and other misdeeds brought to them by the U.S. and other Western powers to protect 'national interests'. Huge mistakes have been made by us with tragic results in other countries; militarily,economically (addiction to oil for one thing) and diplomatically. If and when the SHTF, maybe you will get an opportunity to more appreciate what they endure.

 

[CosmickGold]

Refugees described as invaders? Refugees are fleeing terrible things that have happened in their home country. That includes war and other misdeeds brought to them by the U.S. and other Western powers to protect 'national interests'. Huge mistakes have been made by us with tragic results in other countries; militarily,economically (addiction to oil for one thing) and diplomatically. If and when the SHTF, maybe you will get an opportunity to more appreciate what they endure.

I understand what you said and know you are absolutely correct!

I didn't mean to belittle the refugees or their truly tragic situation; rather, to point out how I would be viewed by the natives of Fiji (as well as the fact I couldn't blame them for feeling that way about me).

 

[user 423]

It's a crazy time and lots of folks are having trouble dealing with all the 'what ifs'. You are not alone.

 

[aytee]

Reminds me of some friends of mine who did the same thing - hunted the world high and low to find the safest place. The Cold War was happening and the threat of nukes was high. They found an island in the Atlantic that no one had ever heard of - it was called the Falkland Islands.

For those of you around in the 80s, need I say more?