So, you just booked your ticket to the island paradise of Tahiti? Well, I have some travel tips that will help make the most out of your Tahitian vacation! In the last installment of my Tahiti Travel Guide series, I’ll cover what to expect in terms of money, tech, food, driving, and communicating on the island.
CA$H
First and foremost, let’s talk ca$h. Tahiti’s currency is the French Polynesian Franc, or the XFP. As of November, 2023, $1 USD was 112.35 XPF. Now, I always tend to grab some of the currency of the country I’m headed to before even taking off. That way you don’t have to pay the exorbitantly high airport conversion fees just to catch a cab to your accommodation after a long flight. I live in Los Angeles and use a company called LA Currency Exchange. They have several offices around the city and offer the best conversion rates.
Once in Tahiti, there are really not a lot of cash exchange locations. Definitely do not get tricked into paying the crazy exchange rates and high fees for the airport currency exchange spots unless you really need it. I found it was best to simply use an ATM to draw out cash into the XFP—just double check what foreign ATM fees with your bank are first. I use a local credit union and thoroughly enjoy my $0 foreign transaction fee! The best ATMs we found were from Bank of Tahiti.
Next, I was honestly surprised how well-received credit cards were on the island. Not only do hotels and more established spots take cards, but also the tasty food trucks and smaller locations as well, which made things really easy. Interestingly, you can actually use some USD on the island as well. Small street vendors were quite happy to take singles for tasty treats. We even found servers didn’t mind receiving tips in USD either. In fact, we often paid our bills in card and tipped in USD. Speaking of tipping, it is not as customary in Tahiti as here in the United States. I definitely would still offer a tip, we found 10% was a good sweet spot—but if a server turns it down, don’t try to force it on them.
Technology
Tahiti is definitely a spot famous for romantic vacations. Unfortunately, that means it’s really not a primetime spot for digital nomads like me who have to work on the road. In fact, WiFi was pretty rough throughout the island. Hotels were ok at best, but most Air BnBs had pretty weak signals. I’ve had better signals in rural Cambodia! So, if you need a reliable connection, I would definitely bring along a WiFi hotspot, like GlocalMe’s G4. Also, I’d recommend picking up a local SIM card from Vodaphone—actually two. See, you do need voice calling if you’re renting a car, but the data on most voice plans was trash. I found it easiest to put a voice SIM in my burner phone and then keep a data one in my other phone to use as a hotspot and for driving directions. I know, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but each were like $19 and we got a total of 8GB plus 5 hours of calling time. There's a Vodaphone right in the heart of Papeete that made the whole process super easy.
Also, Google Maps sucks in Tahiti. Many of the local restaurants tend to be a combination of bars and restaurants, with their kitchens closing hours earlier than their bars. Yet, google really did not make much of a distinction. I can’t tell you how many times we went looking for late night food, only to find closed kitchens. Thanks Google!
Food
Speaking of food, it is important to note that there were not really a ton of late night bite options open on the island. Ironically, Papeete had far fewer options compared to further out in Tahiti Iti. Past like 8pm, there were only crappy touristy spots open. So, definitely plan on eating earlier, especially when in Papeete.
On a more positive note, the food trucks throughout the island were amazing! A lot of them were more permanent compared to the food trucks here in the United States. They had adorable little patios set up with picnic tables. The food was delicious, with many offering impressive size portions of fresh tuna, steak, and other options.
One of our Air BnB hosts also tipped us off to a useful food delivery app called Food Ease. It was super easy getting delivery and they had a huge selection of options, especially near Fa’a’a and Papeete. Just be ready to speak a little French—or use Google Translate! Also, you need a phone number to order as well, so that’s where that second SIM card comes in handy!
What to Bring From Home
There’s definitely two things I would recommend you bring from home to make your trip to Tahiti that much more enjoyable. First, while many Air BnBs offer snorkeling gear like masks and fins, most of it is in pretty rough shape. They tend to be cheap, breaking or leaking a lot. So, if you’re really into snorkeling, definitely bring your own mask.
Also, much of the island is surrounded by lagoons of coral reefs. That means it is imperative to bring a reef friendly sunscreen. Given that sunscreens are always more expensive in tropical locations anyways, this one is a must. One that I have been loving lately is called Black Girl Sunscreen. While it is specially formulated for darker skin tones, an Ulta employee sold me on it recently and I have been obsessed. It’s super moisturizing, does not leave a white cast, vegan, and safe to use around those delicate corals. You can buy it directly form the company’s website, or through Ulta.
Driving
So, public transportation is pretty scarce around the island. There are some bus lines that head to popular beaches, but they rarely stick to their schedules. Additionally, there are open-air truck taxis like the songethaws you see in Thailand. Known simply as “le trucks,” they could be an option. Yet, we rarely saw them. So, honestly, renting a car is completely worth the expense. You can pop around the island, hitting tons of beaches, parks, and hikes—for free! I’ve mentioned this in my previous Tahiti Travel Guide posts, but I will reiterate here again—renting a car opens up a ton of completely free activities that justify the expense.
Also, make sure you head to your local AAA branch to get your International Driver’s License. It is a legal requirement in Tahiti, so protect yourself in case you get pulled over. It’s basically a document that translates your license information into different languages. It’s simple to get and only like $20.
There’s a few general tips I want to leave here about driving as well. First, the roads are pretty well-maintained, but it can get pretty dark in the more remote areas, like Tahiti Iti. Definitely watch out for dogs, as there are a ton chilling roadside who love to dart out into traffic every so often. For both these reasons, I’d recommend driving a lot slower than we tend to at home. But, don’t be that asshole blocking the road going 20 mph—let the locals pass you! There are also a ton of roundabouts on Tahiti’s roads, even on the freeways. So, familiarize yourself with how to mitigate these little obstacles before heading over. Finally, be prepared to drive a manual. Like most places outside of the United States, automatics are expensive and hard to come by.
Communicating
Whenever traveling where you do not speak the language—Google Translate is your best friend. It is easy to download on Apple and Android devices through the app store. You can type or speak phrases for translation, so you can communicate efficiently while abroad. The app even offers downloadable languages so you can translate without WiFi service. The official language of French Polynesia is French. Still, it is helpful to learn some Tahitian phrases like la orana (hello) and my personal favorite, maururu (thank you). I’m linking a nice list here.
Anyways, this is my final post for my epic Tahiti trip! Please check out my earlier posts about the amazing road trip we took around the island! I hope you learned something and that you have a great time on your next Tahitian adventure!
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