🌊 Why Oceania Is So Special
Oceania is expenive Like, REALLY expensive if you want to see every country in the region. While Australia and New Zealand, along with a few nearby now-popular holiday destinations like Fiji and Vanuatu are pretty accessible, most of Oceania is a headache to plan. On many islands, flights may only arrive a few times per week.
For me, the region became one of the most emotional parts of the entire every-country project. Several of my final 25 countries were in the Pacific.
🗺️ All 14 Countries in Oceania
These are the 14 UN member countries in Oceania.
🧭 Oceania Travel Guides
I have travelled to every single country in Oceania. These are the Oceania country guides currently live on the 195 Blog. Each guide is a personal account of my visit, with practical travel tips, route details, photos, things I wish I would have known before, and my personal impressions.
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby, Koki Market, Ela Beach, the National Museum, and one of my most intense travel days.
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands
Honiara, Guadalcanal, Vilu War Museum, World War II wrecks, markets, and Melanesian culture.
🇻🇺 Vanuatu
Port Vila, Pango, Blue Lagoon, kava, laplap, and a perfect first introduction to the Pacific.
🇹🇻 Tuvalu
Funafuti, airport runway evenings, scooter rides, fekei, and one of the least visited countries on Earth.
🇹🇴 Tonga
Nuku'alofa, Tongatapu, tui tui nut juggling, Queen Salote College, Anahulu Cave, and the blowholes.
🇰🇮 Kiribati
Tarawa, Abatao, hitchhiking, Starlink, untouched beaches, and very expensive Pacific flights.
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
Majuro Atoll, the United Island Hopper, empty beaches, community life, and a borrowed rental car.
🇫🇲 Micronesia
Pohnpei, Colonia, Palikir, the United Island Hopper, Japanese tanks, and slow Pacific island life.
🇳🇷 Nauru
The world's third smallest country, phosphate mines, rain, rough coastlines, Grog Bar, and Nauru Airlines.
Get Travel Insurance for Oceania
Oceania is expensive, spread out, and flight-dependent. Remote islands, limited medical infrastructure, diving, ferries, and irregular flight schedules make insurance especially important here.
For Oceania, I usually compare two different types of travel insurance: SafetyWing for longer, more flexible trips, and Heymondo for fixed-date holidays with clearer start and end dates.
SafetyWing
Best for longer Pacific trips, remote work, island-hopping routes, and travelers who do not know exactly when they will return home.
- Good for open-ended travel
- Useful if you do not know your exact return date
- Works well for multi-country routes
- Subscription-style coverage for long-term travelers
Heymondo
Best for fixed-date trips to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, or specific Pacific island itineraries.
- Good for trips with fixed dates
- Useful when you want cancellation options
- Often strong for medical coverage limits
- Flexible add-ons depending on the trip
The simple rule: if you are island-hopping around Oceania for weeks or months, check SafetyWing. If you are booking a specific Oceania trip with set dates, check Heymondo.
✈️ Practical Notes for Oceania Travel
The biggest challenge in Oceania is rarely the visa. It is usually the flight network. Routes are limited, prices can be absurdly high for short distances, and missing one flight can mean waiting several days for the next realistic option.
- Build your route around actual flight days, not just the map.
- Expect accommodation to be basic and sometimes expensive.
- Bring cash (USD and AUD) for all islands. ATMs are unreliable.
- Do not underestimate how different Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia feel.
- Leave buffer days whenever the route depends on small island aircraft.