Long-distance travel: is the pain worth it?

Long-distance travel: is the pain worth it?

Peter surveyed our surroundings. “Are you going to be okay here?” he asked nervously, remembering my breakdown on Beverly's Beach.

We had just finished our tour of the facilities at the Mafana Island eco-lodge off the coast of Vava’u, Tonga. Peter, who has spent months of his life wild camping, was unimpressed, but I hadn't dealt with something so fundamental since my trip to Bangladesh 20 years ago. Would I be able to handle it?

The pain points

1. Regenwasserduschen: Da es auf der Insel kein fließendes Wasser gibt, mussten wir in stehendem Regenwasser duschen, das mit ärgerlicher Genügsamkeit aus einem oben liegenden Fass tropfte. Meine Haare zu waschen erforderte eine zenartige Geduld, die ich einfach nicht habe.
2. Gesalzenes Besteck: Das Regenwasser auf der Insel ist kostbar, also mussten wir unser gesamtes Geschirr im Meer spülen – was nicht gerade über meine Hygienestandards hinausgeht.
3. Essensentsorgung: Unsere Essensreste mussten bei einem Baumstumpf entsorgt werden, damit „die Mäuse aus der Küche bleiben“.

4. Composting Toilet: This was a bucket in a tin shed with a few wooden planks assembled for seating. There was no flushing; just a bucket of ash to disguise your business.

5. Complete isolation: There was no drinking water anywhere. There were no shops, streets or people. Apart from me, Peter and Vinnie, who runs the place, there was actually no one on the entire island, which gave it a decidedly eerie feeling.

The turning point

On our second day we decided to kayak to some small, unnamed islands nearby. We've been lucky enough to have some incredible experiences (like a private dinner on a sandbar in the middle of the Indian Ocean), but these were always organized by a resort.

This time, however, we were there on our own initiative. There was no hundred dollar deposit to get us there, no captain waiting to take us back, no safety briefing, no food basket, no chaperone.

We had these Pacific islands all to ourselves. The rarity of this experience was truly breathtaking. As I looked across the water back to Mafana Island, I realized I would probably never be in a position like that again.

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The verdict

Long distance travel is worth the pain. Yes, we had to take two flights and a boat to get there, and yes, we ran out of drinking water, and yes, our meals contained more sea salt than a fancy bag of Waitrose crisps, but the sheer wonder of exploring uninhabited Pacific islands far outweighed the pain.

Main image: Google Maps

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