Category: Asia

Pago Pago, American Samoa: Not Made For Tourists, Which Is Why I Can’t Wait To Go Back

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Would I recommend someone travel all the way to Pago Pago (pronounced Pahngo Pahngo) for some R & R? Absolutely not. Why? Let me list the reasons:FullSizeRender2Border

1. There are maybe three restaurants on the island. And one of the places the hotel concierge recommended had an inside joke about diarrhea associated with it. No thank you.

2. Speaking of threes, there are only three hotels on the island and Sadie’s By The Sea, where we stayed, was the best option. It had a beach, a great restaurant, a friendly conciergIMG_1504Bordere, but the rooms reminded me of our sterile Holiday Inn hotel rooms in the bad part of Mexico City. Oh, and one of the crew members had their cell phone stolen.

3. There’s not much to do. There’s no shopping, there are barely any restaurants, and the only beach side restaurant we came across- Tisa’s Barefoot Bar- was closed. With that said, when our Crown Princess cruise ship came into port, the whole island changed: shops came out of nowhere, our hotel suddenly had stand up paddle boarding and drink specials, and there were street side vendors with fruit! Whaaaaaaa???IMG_1553Border

So, with all these reasons, why do I find myself yearning for my time in Pago Pago, American Samoa? Well, it’s a classic example of the question: is it the destination or the people that make the experience?

When it comes to American Samoa, it was a little bit of both, but mostly the latter. The people I was with were amazing. We had the island to ourselves! It was unreal. We rented a cheap car from the hotel and let the one road takes us for as long as we could explore. Every single beach was deserted with these gorgeous huts. It’s an instagrammer’s dream and truly one of the most magical places I’ve been to in this world.

I want to go back, get away from it all, and, of course, bring my DSLR.

The episode where we filmed in Pago Pago airs this Saturday on Vacation Creation (ABC).

To see more of my pictures from Pago Pago, follow my instagram @AndreaFeczko

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Coffee Made Out Of Poop Actually Tastes Good!

You gotta love traveling- you do things half way around the world that you would never think of doing at home. In fact, you pay money to do things half way around the world that you wouldn’t even try for free at home!

This is Exhibit A.

I was in Bali for the inaugural Ultra Beach Bali, and on my off day, I decided to go around the island. A DJ told me about the Kopi Luwak coffee aka cat poop coffee aka the most expensive coffee in the world. I had to try it! And, well, it was shockingly really yummy. It was smooth, strong, and didn’t have a bitter aftertaste. I’m also the type of gal that likes my coffee black and my Scotch straight, so take my opinion for what it’s worth. And yes, I hope you’re impressed by my beverage choices.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more travel tips and adventures!

Inside Japan’s POD Hotel

 

I love Japan. Not only is it a great place to visit, but the amount of weird stuff that I can film is endless. See Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C… you get the point!

 

I’ve been a little sleep deprived this year thanks to a nWebsiteScreenShot2016-02-15at8.11.56PMon-stop work schedule of Vacation Chasers, The QYOU, and hosting the Ultra Music Festivals worldwide- on top of doing my YouTube channel! So, when I had a massive nine hour layover in Tokyo after my already massive nine hour red eye flight from Bali- and BEFORE my 12 hour flight to LAX, I decided to test out Tokyo Narita’s 9 hour Capsule Hotel. And no, not just because nine seemed to be a theme for me that day!

 

I won’t give away too much- you have to watch the video– but let’s just say they need to make this available at ALL international airports. Just look at my before and after pic! The only recommendation I have is for the pod/capsule hotel to be more conveniently located next to the airport. It was extremely complicated to get to the hotel. I had to take an airport bus AND walk through the subway station to get to the hotel. Yes, you read that right- I had to walk through a subway station. It was weird. But then again, Japan is weird (to me), so, following that logic, it kind of makes sense. Hope you enjoy the video!

100K Twitter Followers!

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Konichiwa from Japan!

I woke up this morning to an awesome surprise- I am officially at 100,000 followers on Twitter! I got so excited I threw myself a little dance party! Well, it also helped that I’m here hosting a dance party aka Ultra Japan’s livestream.

Thank you all so much for helping me get to 100k. YOU are awesome! And, if you don’t follow me already – I’m @andreafeczko.

I Have My Own Travel TV Show!

…..And the #SuperSecretTravelTVShow is (drum roll please)…. Vacation Chasers on HLN!!!

This is real now! We’ve had so much fun filming for the past few weeks- and I’ve had so much fun teasing you about this on Twitter and Instagram– but nothing beats the feeling of seeing your baby out in the real world! Well, at least this is how I think it will feel.

Rachel and I are two travel experts who plan extravagant vacations for our clients. The catch is, the clients can only choose one itinerary. So, this is part competition, part travel show, and 100% a good time. Seriously, Vacation Chasers has a lot of heart, many inspirational moments, and will bring a smile on your face. A lot of people think the world is out of their reach; Rachel and I prove you can go to those exotic destinations on your current budget. And yes, this is ALL REAL! Calculators do not lie! Making that budget work felt like I was back in high school again, and I didn’t like math.

Vacation Chasers premiere’s on Friday, June 5th 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific on HLN. Set your DVR’s! Until then, check out the trailer above!

xoxo