It’s a well-researched phenomenon, that when you get home after a holiday, it’s common to get feelings of being rather down and missing the freedom, fun and adventure you had.
We arrived back in Sydney from South America on a Thursday, Dave marched for ANZAC Day on the Friday and on the Saturday, we had the huge pleasure of attending the marriage of my niece Charlotte to Isaac, a lovely young man that we have got to know a little (and love a lot) over the last few years.
I think looking forward to a holiday is one of the best parts of travelling and planning and researching holidays is one of my very favourite things to do. Lots of web research, YouTube, accommodation and activity reviews, social media, word of mouth and even the occasional hard copy magazine helps me consider what we will do and when.
Looking back on a holiday and reminiscing about wonderful experiences can also be fabulous, albeit tinged with sadness that the holiday is over. When Dave and I are watching a movie at home and have an ‘intermission’ break, the TV is set to rotate random recent pictures from my phone as a screensaver. It’s not uncommon for us to keep watching them rather than return to the movie, as many photos are of holidays just finished. There’s usually a story with most of them and we re-live that particular experience, many of which had faded from memory! (It’s also the reason I blog – to help me remember)
So, what’s the best cure for post-holiday blues? Given we are on a ‘recently retired’ binge of holidays, I’m sure you can guess what our approach is!
My go-to remedy, for 2025 at least, is to go on another holiday 😉
Retiring from paid work is still very new for me, and I sway between pure elation at the freedom from stress I now have, and panic that I won’t find enough intellectual stimulation, personal reward, or our carefully considered budget will go awry. It can look decadent and overdone to others I’m sure, but 2025 was always planned to be a transition year where we travelled to as many of the wonderful places that had been our list, but I didn’t have enough leave to be able to get to.
2026 and beyond may not look quite so diverse or extravagant…
So let me cut to the quick… despite us getting home from South America a few weeks ago, we accidentally slipped and fell onto another international flight! Actually, to be honest this was booked nearly a year ago when Qantas first announced they would resume flights from Brisbane to Vanuatu. Yes, yet another example of my eagerness for additional frequent flyer points and maintaining our Qantas status 😉
It also worked perfectly for a visit to Sydney enroute, where Victoria & Justin and Dave & I drove to the location of their upcoming wedding (less than six months now!), for a look around and to sample the menu for a delicious lunch.
Brisbane to Port Vila is just a short 2.5-hour flight on the 98-seater Embraer 190. With a single aisle and twin seats each side, its only marginally bigger than the planes Qantas fly to Wagga. It felt strange flying over the Pacific Ocean heading to an international destination on such a small plane. We’d had a early start though, so I spent most of the flight asleep, although as I didn’t want to recline my seat on the generously sized Vanuatuan man behind me, my head kept falling forward, waking me up regularly!
Qantas flights from Wagga include a sweet or savoury snack, depending on the time of the day. I was fascinated to see that on this leg they serve a hot meal. A small serving of Thai Chicken curry and rice was given out to each passenger, and once cleared they handed out a full-sized Kit-Kat to everyone! You can imagine how this food was distributed among Dave and me. Yes, I had two serves of the chicken (with plenty of salt and pepper added which improved the flavour, but not the bland colour!) and Dave ate seven out of eight Kit-Kat fingers. Two happy campers! The plane did not have a seat free, and I hope that’s an indication that the route will continue to be on Qantas’ schedule.
Vanuatu definitely needs a leg up through tourism. As you may know, in December last year the capital, Port Vila, was severely impacted by a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake. The disaster affected an estimated 80,000 people, and forced more than 2,500 people to flee their homes. 285 people were injured and sadly, 14 people lost their lives.
Cyclones are also common here, with many major storms smattering their historical timeline, each one setting them back physically, psychologically and economically. Dave was last here in 2015, following an especially brutal cyclone. ‘Pam’ was a Category 5 tropical cyclone that struck Vanuatu in March of that year, causing widespread destruction and significant humanitarian needs. Dave’s role during that fortnight was as an Australian Army Newspaper reporter and he saw, photographed and wrote about the impressive assistance that Australia and other countries provided. He remembers it most for the resilient and positive locals who were so appreciative of the assistance and also recounts his eight days on board HMAS Tobruk without a shower or change of clothes. Eek!👃
Storms, cyclones and the threat of more natural disasters have made things difficult for Vanuatuan people, but there are other challenges too. Their distance from major markets inhibits export potential; they have a small formal labour market; limited economic diversification and a lower-than-average Human Capital Index rating, all further exacerbating their social and economic issues.
Living in Vanuatu can therefore be precarious. All of the above, combined with its heavy reliance on agriculture as a key economic sector, makes the country highly susceptible to climate change and extreme weather events. Limited infrastructure in some areas also presents challenges to the daily lives of the locals.
Poverty is also a real concern in Vanuatu. Approximately 39% of the population lives below the Poverty Line. Limited job opportunities, inadequate infrastructure, and the pressure of rapid population growth contribute to the challenges in alleviating poverty. From what we have seen living conditions aren’t great, many homes simple structures with tin roofs, no flooring and open windows.
Having said all that, and in spite of the many challenges, we have found that Vanuatu is a place of immense natural beauty and is an incredibly welcoming and friendly country. The people of Vanuatu are known for their hospitality and are always ready to help visitors, which has been very evident during our short time here. Every face is smiling; every hello returned; on our drives outside the main city all the kids shout out happily and wave at us; and we have had nothing less that wonderful service everywhere we have been.
Sunday 18 – Tuesday 20 May
We arrived here on Sunday and will fly back to Australia next Sunday. So far, we have walked all over the main part of town (with much of it still closed post-earthquake), drove along the Pango peninsular in our hire-car (20kms = 1 hour due to the state of the road!), had a couple of delicious meals and yesterday took a four-wheel-drive up a mountain just north of Vila where we did the ‘chair in the air’. You will note I didn’t say ‘enjoyed’… hanging from a steel wire about 100 metres above dense jungle, despite being in a harness was not my cup-of-tea!
A selection of pics from days 1-3:
Tuesday evening 20th May
We still have a few of days to go, but I’m confident our time spent last night with new-found friends will remain the highlight:
Not long before 5pm, we met up with Annie, my step mum Pamela’s half-sister and Annie’s delightful son, Pryce. Annie and Pryce live here in Port Vila, although their home is on the Island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu’s largest island which lies about 270km north-west of this island (Efate). Annie is a similar age to me, and Pryce is just shy of 30, the same age as Will. Our ages may be the same, but our lives couldn’t be more different.
Annie, a mother of five, is an accomplished seamstress and is living in Port Vila while her two youngest daughters go to university here. A year or two ago she spent six months in Fiji where she attended the Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC), honing her skills in sewing, and topping her class. In the same way that I love cooking, and love teaching others about food, Annie loves dressmaking and especially loves sharing her skills with others. She proudly told us about a recent visit to a small, isolated island where she was employed to teach young women sewing skills in order to improve their job prospects. Her face lit up during the recount of her trip and the impact she could have on other women’s lives. I get it!
We spent a couple of hours with Annie and Pryce which was so lovely. While our lives may be different, we had lots to discuss, and our conversation returned often to talking about Pamela – our adoration of her is something that we most definitely have in common!
Wednesday 21st May
Following a (relatively) busy couple of days, today is all about R&R. After a simple breakfast of toast, fresh local fruit and tea I spent some time snorkelling, then Dave and I lay on sun beds (under umbrellas) reading, and diving in the pool every now and then to cool off. For those of you who know of my aversion to sand, you would have been proud of me, although the little concrete foot baths are getting a regular workout 😏😏
(The fish is ‘cooked’ by marinating in lime juice – similar to Ceviche or Kokoda)
Tomorrow we will change hotels, just for some variety. After checking out here we will head off to drive all the way around the island. It takes about three hours to drive the full ring road of approx. 130kms, but our plan is to spend longer than that and stop at a few places along the way. I’ll blog again in a few days and let you know how that goes. The temperature range for every day until we leave is showing as 24-28C. Perfect weather for driving and exploring this beautiful place. Stay tuned!