Students desiring an enriched educational experience and expanded perspective on the world are well served spending a year or semester abroad at a university in New Zealand, Australia or Fiji. In addition to the personal benefits of such an incredible opportunity, spending a semester or the full school year abroad is an impressive addition to a graduate school application or resume. The global perspective gained by the experience affords students a leg up in future endeavors.

Enrolling in a Year or Semester Abroad Program

Enrolling for a single semester or entire school year abroad is much like enrolling at a university in the United States and Canada. After deciding upon a program that best fits their educational goals, students begin the application and enrollment process. Once accepted at a university in New Zealand, Australia or Fiji, class selection may begin. Credits earned at most universities in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia are easily transferred to a student’s home university. Consulting with a college advisor to confirm the transferability of credits earned during a year or semester abroad is advised.

Advantages of a Year or Semester Abroad in New Zealand, Australia or Fiji

Students find there are numerous advantages to selecting the South Pacific to study abroad. Among the most notable are :

• English is a primary language. – There are no language barriers involved when attending school in the South Pacific. Many students feel one of the most significant advantages of studying abroad in Australia, New Zealand or Fiji is that English is spoken in and out of their class rooms. It is not necessary to undertake intensive foreign language study prior to embarking on a semester or school year abroad.

• Cultural immersion is a perspective broadening experience. – One of the most striking aspects of studying abroad for a year or even just a semester is really getting a sense of the people and cultures in the host nation. Living on campus or exploring the surrounding region provides many opportunities to meet those living in-country or visiting from other nations. Students share food, dance and cultural events that make these South Pacific countries unique. After getting to know people of Australia, New Zealand or Fiji and exploring the region, students acquire the unique understanding and perspective of global citizens. Many students find the experience provides them with an new awareness and appreciation of our global society.

• Explore the region while broadening your education. – Whether students spend one semester or the entire school year abroad in Australia or the neighboring countries, there are ample opportunities to explore the region. Students find the educational benefits studying abroad are not limited to the classroom.

The South Pacific has the popular holiday destinations of Fiji, Tahiti, Vanuato, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and Easter Island. These islands have palm-fringed beaches, tropical forests, cascading waterfalls and rugged volcanic peaks. There is some great self catering holiday home accommodation available to rent on these islands.
The islands of Fiji and Tahiti in the South Pacific are very popular with couples looking for a relaxing romantic holiday. They can rent some fabulous holiday villas with swimming pools right next to a beautiful white sandy beach on Fiji and Tahiti. Holiday home accommodation in Fiji and Tahiti enable holiday makers to explore the islands and have complete independence. When visiting these beautiful places they may try their hand at snorkelling around the coral reefs.
Vanuata and Samoa are also popular with holiday makers looking for a beach holiday. They are home to some fabulous white sandy beaches and offer water sports lovers the opportunity to swim and scuba dive in the warm clear water. It is possible to rent self catering holiday apartments and holiday villas in Vanuata and Samoa. Many of the villas are right next to the beach and you can wake up in the morning and walk straight out of your holiday home accommodation onto the beach.
Tonga and the Easter Islands are also in the South Pacific and are regarded by many holiday makers as their idea of a tropical island paradise. Many tourists come here on their vacations and spend their time relaxing on the clean white sandy beaches and top up their sun tans.
The islands in the South Pacific are a great holiday destination for holiday makers to go and have a totally relaxing holiday. You are assured of a warm and friendly welcome from the locals and many tourists like to sample the local food. By staying in a holiday villa or self catering apartment in Tahiti, Fiji or any other of the islands in the South Pacific enables you to sample the local culture. You can eat out at many of the small local restaurants or you can choose to take food back to your holiday home and cook it yourself.
The coral reefs off these islands in the South Pacific are home to a great number of species of tropical fish. You can either snorkel amongst these reefs or scuba dive and experience the true splendour of the marine life. Many holiday makers come back year after year to these beautiful islands as they are captivated by all that they have to offer.
The islands offer some great night life and many tourists join in with the local songs and dances. There is also the opportunity to sample the local food with fish being the main staple diet of the area. As well as a good choice of small family run restaurants there are usually barbecues held on the beaches most evenings.
These islands in the South Pacific are a real tropical holiday island paradise. They have great weather, clean sandy beaches and a warm inviting sea to swim in. They are an ideal destination for a relaxing beach holiday and there is a great choice of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments to rent during your stay in paradise.

There are few places in the world as beautifully untouched as Fiji’s 330 islands, which make it an outstanding location for a luxury holiday. In Fiji, there is plenty to see, an amazing culture to absorb and some simply unforgettable sights. Here is a selection of Fiji’s Must Sees:

Navala Village

Although many of the settlements you see will seem traditional by western standards, Navala village really is something else – all the houses are built from local materials. The houses (“bures”) are single room buildings with thatch roofs and bamboo woven walls. Kitchens and toilets are separate buildings. There are around 120 bures in the village, and apparently a new one is built every time a couple get married – due to the simplicity of the buildings, construction takes around a month. You can take a guided tour of the village, and it is definitely a Fiji holiday experience you will not forget in a hurry.

Go Island Hopping

With a total of 330 islands, it’s no surprise that exploring presents tourists with unique and memorable experiences. The majority of these islands are not developed for tourists, so an adventure is almost guaranteed. Guest houses are sporadic, so you may well be looking at the hospitality of locals for lodging and board – make sure you pay at least F$50 per day to your hosts to cover expenses, and present a ‘seveusevu’ on arrival. If the prospect of uncertainty in your lodgings and the idea of an adventure fills you with excitement rather than dread, than a island hopping adventure should be a key part of your Fiji holiday.

Visit the Bouma National Park

The Bouma National Park comprises some 15,000 hectares of rainforests with volcanic peaks, breathtaking mountain ridges and sheer cliff faces. The waterfalls in particular are breathtaking, and the park has some unusual wildlife which is rare on other local islands thanks to the prevalence elsewhere of the predatory mongoose. The park is home to a vast number of reptiles and birds – definitely worth the effort of getting to on your luxury holiday in Fiji.

Scuba Diving

With so many islands and absolutely perfect conditions, it’s no wonder that Fiji is renowned for its excellent diving. Offering a huge variety of bright and colourful soft corals, impressive marine life, warm waters and good visibility, it’s a solid choice both for beginners and experienced divers. The pick of the reefs to explore would be Astrolabe Reef and Beqa Lagoon – any diver worth their salt should pay these a visit at some time in their life, and they are also an excellent place for beginners to be introduced to the world of diving on a holiday in Fiji.

Traverse Navua River

Navua River is tucked up in the highlands of Viti Levu, and despite the regular raft rides along it, feels like it’s barely been touched by human influence. The trip takes you past astonishingly beautiful terrain, past black volcanic walls and emerald rainforest and countless waterfalls. The waters can be choppy, but the beauty of this wonderful river means that you will hardly notice.

I’m only scratching the surface here, and the sheer number of barely explored islands means that there are thousands of unique adventures waiting to happen – there’s never been a better time to book a luxury holiday in Fiji!

There are so many different areas of Fiji that you could plan a vacation to because the geography is so incredibly unique. Fiji is made up of over 300 islands, but only 106 of them are inhabited. There are two major islands that comprise Fiji: Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Both of these islands are very mountainous and are absolutely covered with tropical forests. Viti Levu is home to the capital of Fiji, Suva, and includes about three fourths of the entire population. There are really only two major cities that reside on the island of Vanua Levu: Labasa and Savusavu. Both Labasa and Savusavu are major trade centers and bring in a lot of money for the island. Some of the other notable islands are Tveuni, Kadavu, Mamanuca, Yasawa, the Lomaiviti islands and the Lau island group.
Viti Levu has one of the most interesting histories of any island in the entire world. Geologists actually believe that it has been completely submerged in the ocean a number of times throughout its history. The eastern side of the island of Viti Levu is widely known for its heavy rainfall which is likely to have contributed to the possible submersion. Viti Levu has been exposed to many volcano eruptions and earthquakes which has caused it to have a very rugged terrain in some areas. This is a great place for a Fiji vacation because the history is so diverse. The western side is much drier than the west and that creates a very unusual balance of climates on the island.
Vanua Levu is the second largest island in Fiji, only second to that of Viti Levu. Although smaller in physical size, Vanua Levu has a much larger history to it. Most people believe that Vanua Levu is actually a type of combination of other islands that were submerged and then fused together by shifts in the earth. This event has caused a rather peculiar shape of the island. The main part of the island is in the shape of a very long, thin triangle and the rest of the island is surrounded by coral reefs. The terrain is rough and hilly, not unlike that of Viti Levu.
A Fiji vacation is definitely something that will forever change your life and the way you view traveling in the future. All you must do is decided what you want to get out of your Fiji vacation and the rest will just fall into place.

The Octopus Resort Yasawa Islands Fiji has one of the most beautiful white sandy beaches you will ever see right on its doorstep, and it is called Likuliku, voted one of the top 10 beaches in the World.

It is a small resort compared to many Fiji island resorts, with seventeen bures

It is a relatively cheap option for Fiji insofar as Yasawa Fiji Accomodations go, with budget alternatives to the normal bures. By this I mean serviced tents and dormitories, and although we stayed in Poppy’s Lodge, which is their top accomodation, we did check out all the options, and found them to be very reasonable.

Poppy’s Lodge is really suitable for families with interconnecting rooms, air conditioning, with wonderful views from the day beds on the decking, and it is almost on the beach amongst the trees, and very close to the centre of the resort.
The fittings, the bed, in fact everything we needed for our short stay.

There are many reasons for staying here at the Octopus resort, and whilst the first may be financial, and by that I mean you don’t have to be wealthy to stay here, unlike Turtle Island. Secondly you will meet a far wider group of people from all walks of life at the Octopus Resort, than you ever would at Turtle.

It would be fair to say this is a beautiful very well maintained resort, and the staff are very organised. The beach is just stunning, lovely clear turquoise water, the fish and the coral brightly coloured and healthy. If you wanted to use the swimming pool although I can’t think why, it had stunning views, and was very well maintained, and the bar area with it’s huge mirror is in my experience a unique way of seeing the beach no matter where you sit and look.

The food was much better than I had thought it would be, and the dining area had a sand floor so this is a real barefoot in paradise experience.

This was only one of the resorts we planned to visit in Fiji, and it happened to be the first. We had been promised a genuine Fiji experience, and I think that was what we got, thanks to the dedicated staff.

If you want to see photographs go to http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/articles/125/1/Octopus-Resort-on-Likuliku-Lagoon-Fiji-one-of-the-Top-10-Beaches-of-the-World/Page1.html

Finally I would like to say, that we were able to visit the real Fiji, to see where the hotel staff belonged, to attend the Sunday Service in the Local church, and what wonderful experiences they were.

We will return to the Octopus Resort Yasawa Islands Fiji, amongst the best of Yasawa Fiji accomodations, on Likuliku lagoon, one of the top 10 beaches of the world, truly a barefoot paradise.