Top 5 Reasons To Visit Fiji With Teenagers

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Are you looking for a unique place to visit with your teenagers? Consider planning a vacation in Fiji! It is a fantastic travel destination for families. On my recent trip to Fiji, I was surprised at how much there was to do beyond the beaches! From a cultural river cruise to snorkeling in the clearest blue waters, there is something for everyone. So, here are some of my favorite reasons to visit Fiji with teenagers!

5 Reasons Why To Visit Fiji With Teenagers

Visiting Fiji With Teenagers

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Fiji for a media trip hosted by Fiji Tourism. While it was fun exploring the islands with two other travel writers, I kept catching myself saying, “My kids would love this!” I was surprised at the diverse range of activities offered for all ages. Of course, there are beautiful beaches in Fiji, but there are so many other cultural and natural activities that your older kids would love.

The resorts in Fiji are known for their fantastic child care and nanny services. However, I think that Fiji is even better experienced with teenagers! As a mom of two teens myself, I know how important it is to find the perfect balance of excitement and relaxation during family travel. Fiji checks all of the boxes for my family.

That said, I did encounter endless families with babies and younger kids really enjoying themselves at the three different resorts I stayed at in Fiji. It was early May, so there were a lot of families with pre-school-aged kids traveling at the same time as me. But, the staff said that during summer and school holidays there are a lot of fun activities for teens at the resorts. In fact, most resorts in Fiji check occupancy and ages in advance and schedule activities that best suit their audience that week.

Fiji has incredible hospitality and no detail goes untouched! The two photos show Castaway Island Resort in Fiji, where everyone knew us by name.

arriving to Castaway Island on a family trip To Fiji

Why You Should Visit Fiji With Teenagers

Here are some of the top reasons to visit Fiji with teenagers. I will discuss each in depth below. I bet that you will be very surprised when you learn all about what Fiji has to offer your family.

English is the main language
Cultural learning opportunities
Fiji is budget-friendly
Nature & adventure outings
Enjoy Fiji Time

#1 English Is The Written And Spoken Language in Fiji

While we love traveling all over the world, I will be the first to admit that international travel with kids is much easier when you remove the language barrier. The official written and spoken language in Fiji is English. This means that your teens can communicate and read with ease, allowing them to immerse themselves fully in the vacation. Most of the guests speak English as well, allowing them to make new friends!

#2 Fiji Has So Many Cultural Learning Opportunities

I really want to highlight this point because repeatedly during my trip, I felt sad that my teenagers weren’t able to experience what I did in Fiji. And it’s not just them; Matt would have loved this trip. We are already talking about when we can go back to visit Fiji as a family.

Most notable was the Sigatoka River Safari, where, after a thrilling speed boat ride up and down the river, we stopped at an actual Fiji village. We participated in a traditional Kava ceremony and toured the Village. It was a school holiday, so the children followed us around, made us gifts, and shared smiles with each of the visitors. It was a touching experience for me, and I highly recommend this outing if you visit Fiji with teenagers.

In addition to that Village experience, the resorts do a wonderful job teaching visitors about the Fijian culture. You’ll hear Bula! enthusiastically call out to you many, many times throughout your stay. Your teenagers will learn to husk a coconut and weave the leaves. They will make fish houses (see photo below from the Shangri-La Fiji) to place out near the reef. You can participate in a Lovo ceremony at most resorts and listen to stories from locals who often work in the resorts with their own extended family.

#3 Dining and Activities Are Very Budget Friendly in Fiji

Prior to my visit, I envisioned Fiji to be a very expensive place to vacation. But, it is, in fact, quite the opposite. The bulk of the vacation expenses will be for airfare, but your family can even visit Fiji for just $5000!

Once you get there, I found the accommodations to be very reasonable. In fact, they were less than I had expected and by far lower than similar accommodations in the Caribbean and Mexico. The exchange rate works in our favor, making your dollar stretch quite a bit! Check out the recent article I wrote for Kids Are A Trip about 4 Family-Friendly Resorts in Fiji.

Some resorts include breakfast and allow you to add on meals. But even when meals are not included, they are very affordable. Similar to in Europe, taxes are included, and tipping is not customary in Fiji, making meals significantly cheaper than in the United States. Why is this such a big deal? Well, feeding teenagers means that every meal is essentially 4 adults, and costs add up fast when traveling!

pool at the outrigger fiji beach resort a great pace in Fiji with Teenagers

#4 Enjoy Thrilling Adventures & Fiji Nature Outings

As I mentioned before, Fiji is so much more than beautiful beaches. Although, the beaches are absolutely stunning! There is a wide range of activities that take you into the heart of the islands. I loved taking that Sigatoka River Safari and cruising along the old sugar cane tracks on my EcoTrax bike!

I recommend involving your teenagers in the travel planning process. Take time to gauge their interests and present a wide range of activities. One child may want to get scuba-certified while in Fiji, while another may be more into ziplining.

Later in this post, I will include some links to my favorite day trips and outings in Fiji!

#5 Your Teenagers Will Enjoy Fiji Time

Fiji and your teenagers most likely have something in common. They both run on Fiji time. What is Fiji time? It’s a slow pace, often free of set timelines, and with lots of wiggle room. If you have teenagers, you will understand the parallel here!

When traveling with my teenagers, we are often taking up their school breaks. For this reason, I do my best to incorporate time to relax and just veg out. In Fiji, your teens will have ample opportunity to sleep in or take a mid-day nap if desired. On the other hand, there is always something fun planned during most hours of the day at the resort.

How To Plan Your Trip To Fiji With Teenagers

Are you ready to plan a trip to Fiji? Here is exactly how to do it! Fiji is located in the southern hemisphere, so it has opposite seasons. However, it has a tropical climate, and the weather is generally pleasant year-round. The wet season is from November through April when it is most humid and pop-up showers arise. Many locals told me the sweet spots to visit are May, September, and October. It is usually busiest in June, July, December, and January.

Book Your Flights To Fiji

First, book your airfare! Fiji Airways offers direct flights from Los Angeles, San Franciso, and Vancouver (Canada). Make sure to follow Fiji Airways on social media or sign up for their emails. They often send out flight deals. Most of the time, you can find round-trip non-stop flights to Fiji for under $1000, making airfare for a visit to Fiji with teenagers cost about the same as other popular international travel destinations.

Book Your Fiji Accommodations

Next, after your airfare is booked, you will need to decide where you want to stay. There are so many fantastic, family-friendly resorts in Fiji. During my visit, I stayed at the Shangri-La Fiji, OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort, and Castaway Island. They are all great choices!

I encourage you to venture away from Nadi. While there are some great hotels near the airport, there is a lot of beauty to explore throughout the Vita Levu and the other 300+ islands that make up Fiji. Those hotels are great for one or two nights upon arrival or before your flight home.

As most trips will be a week or longer, I recommend splitting your stay between two resorts. On a first trip to Fiji, many families stay for a few days on the main island (Viti Levu) and then venture out to an island resort such as Castaway Island. I did just this, actually staying at two resorts before moving to the islands, and it provided me the opportunity to experience a variety of what Fiji has to offer.

The photo below shows the beachfront Bure (bungalow) that I stayed in while at Castaway Island. It would have actually been a really great setup for our family. Abby and Jake would have used the two twin beds up front, and Matt and I would have taken the king bed in the separate area behind. Take a tour by checking out this Instagram Reel from my trip to Fiji!

Research Activities For Teenagers In Fiji

Next comes the fun part! After we book a trip, my family likes to watch YouTube videos together to get a feel for the area. We take notes of places we want to see and things we want to do. While visiting Fiji last month, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much there was to do beyond the beaches and resort activities.

Honestly, you could fill your entire trip up with just the activities hosted by the resort. But, some of my favorite moments were outings that took me off the resort property. Here are some activities in Fiji that I think would be great with teenagers. I did over half of them myself!

All of these activities are located either on the main island or nearby and depart from Port Denarau and Nadi. You will want to make sure that these are close enough to your resort to visit. Honestly, my list barely scratches the surface, as there are so many things to do in Fiji with teenagers.

I hope that you consider Fiji as the destination for your next family trip. I had such a wonderful time, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to visit and share this beautiful country with you! Honestly, I highly encourage you to visit Fiji with teenagers or even on your own!