The Johnslingtons

Malolo Island Malolo Island is in the Mamanucas, about an hour and a half from the mainland on a fast ferry. You leave Denarau marina and do drop-offs and pickups at several different islands. We have been able to stay at some lovely beaches in our lives, but this place… imagine if the gods of… Continue reading Fiji – Things We Loved

Fiji Fun Facts Fiji is made up of approximately 333 islands, but only about a third of those have people living on them. We’re staying on Malolo Island. There are two main seasons in Fiji: Wet and Dry. We’re here at the end of the wet season, which goes from November – April. Fiji isn’t… Continue reading Where in the World is Fiona? Fiji!

Despite how it may appear on Instagram, it’s not all that easy being hot in a tropical climate. Let me clarify: While it’s extremely easy to feel swelteringly, steamily hot in the tropics, looking hot is a near impossibility. I suppose not for everyone (I’m looking at you, stunning pregnant mom of a toddler in… Continue reading Hot in Fiji

Planning a trip like this is an exercise in constant anxiety. Figuring out plane tickets, reservations, schedules, international eSIM card etc. is a chunk of work. Add COVID in, and there’s another level of uncertainty and (necessary) bureaucracy to going anywhere. Throw in leaving jobs for a while, getting things ready for people to stay… Continue reading When the small stuff sweats you

You guys, Fiji is SO beautiful. And I mean, obviously. But it’s not just the lush jungle vegetation and the impossibly blue (and impossibly warm!) ocean water and the crazy sunsets (really, how does the sky even get that color?)—it’s how welcome we’ve felt here. Every step of the way since we landed—at the airport,… Continue reading Welcome Home

It’s a loooong way to Fiji from San Francisco. What does a jet-setting kid need to survive the 22-hour trip (across the International Date Line! into the future!) in style? Here’s Fi’s top 5… 1. A full belly and a fancy mocktail to fuel up pre-flight 2. A largely deserted terminal, ideal for taking the… Continue reading SF to FJ Travel Necessities: 5-Year-Old Top 5

We made it to the airport, and I’m writing from Gott’s SFO post-security. The staff here is the best. Why? Comping a mocktail for a happy 5 year old… wonderful. Thanks so much! Next stop is Fiji. Expect some radio silence for a bit.

I find I’m feeling a lot of feelings as our big adventure approaches—daunted, excited, anxious, incredibly grateful, vaguely removed from the whole situation (as if this thing I’m talking about is happening to someone else entirely), hassled by the sheer inconvenience of fitting ALL THE THINGS (bills! taxes! kindergarten placements!) of the next five months… Continue reading The Wide World

I used to be a backpacker – in both the American (carrying camping gear on your back and hiking for days) and the global (dude with a big backpack who is out of his home country and trying to find the cheapest possible place to sleep) senses. I kept that identity for years – anything… Continue reading Luggage