After four years without international travel, including three years through a pandemic, I finally booked my next trip to another Pacific Island nation, Palau.

Disclaimer, I did travel to Belize twice during that time to visit family, but this felt different. This would be my first true solo trip abroad again in years, and honestly, it felt like a reset.

After all that time, I was finally stepping back into motion.

But out of all places in the world, why Palau?

The Perfect One-Off Trip from Hawaiʻi

Unless you live in places like the Philippines, Guam, Japan, or South Korea, Palau is far. It is not a destination you casually pass through. Getting there takes intention, and because of that, it is not the easiest or cheapest place to reach.

What stood out to me was that Palau is not well connected for onward travel. Most routes bring you in through Guam, and you typically leave the same way. There is a weekly option through Manila, but beyond that, there are not many paths that lead elsewhere.

Because of that, Palau felt like a true one-off destination. A place you go to for itself, not as part of a larger multi-country plan. And how could I forget, immersing and learning about Palauan culture.

My Style of Travel

Typically, when I travel long distances, I try to connect multiple destinations within the same region. It is a way to make the most of being in that part of the world and continue building on the experience.

Palau does not really fit that style.

It is not a place where you easily move onward to neighboring Pacific nations or continue deeper into regions like Micronesia or Papua New Guinea. For now, it felt like a destination best experienced on its own, with time to focus on what is there rather than what comes next.

And in a way, that made it even more appealing.

Relics of War

One of the things that has drawn me deeper into the Pacific is its history, especially the remnants of World War II that still exist across many of these islands.

I have had the opportunity to see parts of that history in places like Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands. Palau, particularly Peleliu, holds some of the most significant remnants of the Pacific Theatre.

From tanks and gun placements to smaller artifacts left behind, these sites are preserved and protected. Visiting them offers a look into a time that shaped much of the region and still leaves its mark today.

A Unique Taste of the Pacific

More than anything, this trip comes down to one simple truth.

I love the Pacific Islands.

Every trip I have taken across this region has left a lasting impression on me. The people, the cultures, the languages, the music, and the hospitality all feel deeply connected, while each island still carries something uniquely its own. Thats where One Ocean, One People exists!

My 2018 Pacific trip shifted everything for me. It changed how I traveled and what I looked for in a destination. It moved me away from just seeing places and toward understanding them more deeply.

Palau, while new to me, felt like a natural continuation of that journey. A different part of the Pacific, but still connected to everything that has kept me here all these years.

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ALSO

Check out my Pacific Island journey on Youtube.

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