planning a trip to french polynesia

Tips for planning a trip to French Polynesia

Are you planning a trip to French Polynesia? we give you some tips to keep in mind before and during that magnificent trip

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Where is French Polynesia?

Far, far away, … distance is relative, but anyway everything is far away. French Polynesia is located in the middle (literally) of the Pacific Ocean. On average 8h of flight from almost anywhere. Travel to French Polynesia means, therefore, having patience, to face many hours of flight, but all this time travel will pay, and you will know an extraordinary place, which is surely so by its remoteness.

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Do I need a visa for a trip to French Polynesia?

If you need a visa for traveling to France you will need a visa for French Polynesia.
Be careful with your flight connections; most of them, are in the US and you will need a visa or ESTA.

Essential Facts about French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an insular territory of France under a particular regime (Collectivité Outre Mer).

It is made up of 118 islands distributed in 5 archipelagos. The best-known islands are found in the Société archipelago, it is where the international airport is located. There are atoll islands (non-raised rings), mountainous islands with a barrier reef, and mountains without a barrier reef (such as the Marquisas).

LANGUAGE: As a French territory, the official language is French, but Tahitian, Marquis, Paumotu, and Mangarevian are also spoken.

CURRENCY: it is paid in the currency used by the French Pacific collectivities, that is, in CPF (Communauté Financière du Pacifique)
The change is fixed 1 CPF: 119.32 EUR

ELECTRICITY: Standard Voltage 110 / 220V, with the plug that is used in France. Type C and E plug. Many hotels have adapters or additional type A plugs. But not always, so you have to provide an adapter and a converter according to the voltage accepted by your appliance.

How to organize the trip?

It is possible to organize a trip to French Polynesia on your own, you can search for all accommodations and excursions without any problem. But honestly, it seems to me that it is much more profitable and relaxed to organize everything through an agency. Better is if you contact a local agency.

You can work in conjunction with the agency to combine the types of hotels we want, the islands, and the type of excursions. In the end, you can reach the islands of Polynesia with great peace of mind, without stress, knowing that everything is ready. The agency even takes care of transfers between airports and accommodation and for excursions.

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Before the trip :

  • It is difficult to find flights to French Polynesia that cost little, little change with the time, or taking it long before. In other words, it’s not with the plane ticket that you can save money. Traveling to French Polynesia is globally expensive. That’s why it’s best to choose first the dates when hotels cost less during the year (some offers or packs come up during the year) and then buy the plane tickets.
  • If you are traveling from Europe, you can find some opportunities on plane tickets currently with the more or less recent French bee airline. It is a low cost line with all that this implies, it is necessary to calculate if the accompanying expenses do not exceed or equal the ticket with a traditional line.
  • Choosing the islands of French Polynesia that you want to know is the first step in organizing this trip. This will vary the price of the trip. You can leave the islands which include an air Tahiti plane pass (the interisland airline). Different passes include a group of islands and depending on this vary the fare.
  • How to choose hotels? In my posts, I give quite a few details of how we chose the hotels. In my last Bora Bora Post, you will find a detailed explanation regarding luxury hotels in Bora Bora. Anyway, there are for all tastes and budgets.
  • Equip: Waterproof bags to protect cell phones and delicate objects, snorkeling t-shirts, super indispensable snorkeling shoes (reef shoes)
  • Limit the amount of luggage, in French Polynesia, are constantly packing to change the island. You don’t have to wear a lot of clothes. It is possible to buy pareos once there and dress half the time with these. The girls wear beach dresses, which serve both for the day and to go to the restaurants at night. Unless you’re staying in a luxury hotel, heels are totally useless, and will significantly limit mobility. If you really want to wear some heels, opt for compensated sandals.
  • Carrying everything you need to protect yourself from the sun, in French Polynesia is inclement, even when it is cloudy you burn, and the reverberation is strong: hats, protective creams +50, cream for after-sun, sunglasses.
  • Pack things for chopping: chips (the Pringles or pringles are excellent because the packaging protects them ), peanuts and anything that looks like it, pates or spreading creams that do not need refrigeration, crackers (attention to packaging because they can get made flour), chocolates if they are lovers of it. And bring the alcohol of your choice (wine, strong alcohol…). In French Polynesia, alcohol is very expensive, except for local beer. Read my article How to save money on a trip to Bora Bora.
  • If you are a snorkeling enthusiast, please bring your own masks. All the hotels give them to you but are in the entry range of Decatlón.
  • Book excursions: it is preferable to book the activities in advance, but you run the risk of not finding a place in some of them which limits the number of people.
  • Don’t forget insect repellents. Also, buy the ones who put on the clothes. Make sure they serve for tropical areas use. In French Polynesia you will be able to buy monoi oil with citronella, this is practically the only one that serves against the nonos (tiny mosquitoes that bite very hard and leave you a mark that lasts weeks).

Some tips for the Flight to French Polynesia:

On a trip to French Polynesia, you need to make your flight as comfortable as possible. The Flight lasts a lot of hours for many of us, and if you want to enjoy when you arrive, and not arrive totally destroyed, you need to take some measures. Here are the ideas that have worked for me:

  • Try to rest very well the day before the trip, preferably take a flight that leaves in the afternoon. You’ll see that you will arrive more rested at the destination.
  • If you have trouble sleeping, you can buy some natural sleeping pills. There are melatonin and verbena, and they work very well without having to get high to sleep.
  • Wear containment stockings. The journey is considerably long and with these stockings, you arrive rested. They are fabulous (not very sexy!) but you’ll be great at your arrival.
  • Bring some comfy clothes to change on the plane. Use them during the flight; you can change them before landing. Consider that on the plane it always gets cold, so take a pull.
  • If you have dry eye problems, wear an eye lubricant. They will avoid arriving with tired, burning red eyes.
  • Drink plenty of water on the plane, walk to the back if possible according to your seat.
  • Take a hydrating cream for your face and hands; and use it several times during the flight.

Once the trip has started:

  • First of all,remember that comparing prices in French Polynesia to other destinations isn’t realistic—it’s a unique place with its own pricing standards. To avoid unpleasant surprises, prepare a budget before your trip and allocate a daily spending limit. For example, we set a budget of 100 euros per day, based on restaurant prices menu we han seen on internet. In the end, we spent much less than expected. There’s something to suit every preference and budget—it all depends on what kind of experience you’re looking for!
  • In the area where luggage is recovered at Tahiti airport, there is a small duty-free, it is cheaper than outside, but it will always be more expensive than taking things. But it’s all about the weight available in the luggage.
  • French Polynesia is not known for its nightlife or festive atmosphere. If you’re looking for parties and late-night excitement, this might not be the destination for you. However, that’s exactly why it’s such a popular choice for honeymoons. Calm and tranquility are the defining characteristics of this piece of paradise. Life on the islands follows the rhythm of the day: everything starts early, around 6 a.m., and winds down just as early, with most places closing by 10 p.m. Embrace the serenity—it’s a rare and precious escape in today’s fast-paced world.
  • Visit Papeete Market to buy handicrafts, pareos, and handmade beach dresses. I recommend buying monoi oils at the supermarket—they cost half as much and are exactly the same quality.
  • If you want to control expenses, always opt for restaurants whose cuisine is rather local. There will be those who will have a more French trend and will be much more expensive since their ingredients will be imported. Among the alcohols forget about European wines if you do not want to spend too much, there is an optimal local white wine and the beers Hinano or Tabu are very good and much cheaper than all the rest of the alcohols. Also, take advantage of eating fish in all its forms.

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