This year, my big international trip was to a few places in Oceania. My husband and I set off for almost three weeks of fun in Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia in November and I’m so excited to share our trip with you all!

I accidentally booked the wrong flight on the way out, so that we ended up spending 24 hours in Long Beach, California before our “actual trip” began, but it was still a great time, and you can read about staying on the Queen Mary, visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific, and whale watching here!

Next we flew to Nadi, Fiji. The plan was just to do a stopover there for a couple of nights so we could recover from jet lag in a tropical paradise with a slow pace of life before heading onto New Zealand. Was this plan a success? You can find out here: 12 Reasons to Do a Stopover in Fiji.

Then it was onto one of the “main” legs of our trip, exploring the North Island of New Zealand! (You can read about why we chose the North Island over the South Island here). We rented a car and drove in a loop that included Rotorua and its must-do attractions, including Maori evening experiences, geothermal wonders, waterfalls, and hiking; Lake Taupo; Tongariro National Park; Waitomo and its glowworm caves (plus other natural attractions); and Auckland.

We flew to Australia next and spent four days exploring the wonders around Cairns. This gorgeous area of Queensland allowed us to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, explore the Daintree Rainforest, cruise the river spotting for crocodiles, learn about Aboriginal culture, and chase waterfalls in the Atherton Tablelands.

Our last stop of the journey was a few days in Sydney, Australia’s largest city. We got up close and personal with native Aussie wildlife, saw the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, walked the coastal walk between Bondi and Bronte Beaches, went in search of sushi with a friend we’d made on our Peru trip last year, and did a few other fun things along the way.

I hope you enjoy reading about our “Oceania trip” this year! If you have any questions about planning such a trip, comment below and I will do my best to answer! Happy travels.