22 days in Island of Hawaii, Samoa & French Polynesia Itinerary

Aptly nicknamed the "Big Island," the Island of Hawaii features sunny, black-sand beaches on the western side by Kona and a tropical rain forest on the eastern by Hilo. In between, the massive mountain Maunaloa covers half the island, and Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, erupts continuously. Twice as large as all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, this big chunk of land in the Pacific manages to retain a laid-back atmosphere despite its immense popularity with tourists. Instead of spending your entire vacation at one of the island's luxurious tourist resorts, go on tours of this Pacific haven's coffee and macadamia nut plantations and working ranches, or explore its nature reserves and rugged trails.

Enchanting Samoa and its people boast a legendarily laid-back approach to life, and clocks and set times are merely a formality here. The society remains a proud one, deeply connected to a set of millennia-old traditions known as "Fa'a Samoa"--the Samoan Way. Spread out over two main islands and several smaller landmasses, Samoa is a land of incredible contrasts and natural beauty, home to rocky volcanic mountains and expansive beaches, rugged cliffs and lush rainforests. Visitors on holiday in Samoa can easily spend their time exploring the country's exotic interior and untamed coastal reaches, which offer plenty of wildlife and fantastic landscapes. Alternatively, they can just as readily kick back in sleepy seaside villages, indulging in a full-service resort, or splash around in lagoons and at beaches that hold their place among the world's best.

Spanning an area of the South Pacific as large as Western Europe, French Polynesia includes 118 islands and atolls scattered across the blue ocean. White sand beaches (and pink and black) skirt rugged island peaks, while magnificent coral reefs form tranquil lagoons, dyed a startling blue and teeming with fish, eels, dolphins, rays, turtles, and sharks. The names Tahiti and Bora Bora conjure up images of private thatched bungalows built out over a lagoon, and couples silhouetted against the sunset. That said, a wide range of family-run hotels and bed and breakfasts offer less extravagant (and surprisingly affordable) experiences that take in more of the laid-back local culture.