Exotic doesn’t begin to capture the allure of a roadmap abbreviated as Vancouver – Fiji –  Australia. Across one continent to another, a distance from Ottawa to Australia roughly 15,300 km (9,500 mi). By comparison the earth’s circumference measured around the equator is 40,000 km (24,900 mi).

…with flights taking around 20-25 hours or more, depending on layovers, as there are typically no direct flights, often connecting through Vancouver or Los Angeles.

And just in case you’re unsure:

No, Fiji is not a continent; it’s an island nation in Oceania (also called Australia/Oceania), a geographic region in the South Pacific that includes the Australian continent and many smaller islands like Fiji, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.

Continents are vast landmasses like Africa, Asia, or North America, while Fiji is an archipelago of over 300 islands, only 100 of which are inhabited by the 870,000 residents of the country, as of 2015. It was a British colony from 1874 to 1970 when it became an independent state. Fiji is a tropical paradise with hypnotizing white sandy beaches that attract tourists from across the globe and pristine clear waters and botanical reefs ideal for fishing and recreation activities like scuba diving.

While for some people global travel of that romantic nature and extravagance is familiar territory, for me it is not. Asia and the South Pacific are for me both figuratively and literally on the other side of the world. I laud those who undertake such striking adventure, reminiscent of ancient navigation and exploration. And – relying upon my shameful domestic intelligence to compete with such extraordinary foreign enterprise – I venture to say there are no doubt accommodations required. I’ve read that every seasoned traveller – not unlike any of us in the native exploration called life – knows that one must be prepared for change. This philosophy is not to diminish or defeat the wayfarer’s enthusiasm; indeed just the opposite. It is in brief a tool to be retained in one’s back pocket to tranquillize or immobilize fleeting obstructions; or, in the tradition of all that is resourceful and beneficial, to rise above the commotion, preferring instead an elevation removed from the inconsequential muck and disturbance of fortuity.

Meanwhile those of us who are deprived the confrontation of such “outside” adventure and misadventure have our own trifling adversities to manage and address, each with its own capital for memory and achievement. Maybe even some photography.

Featured images: Benedetto Photography