The 40 Hour Weekend Trip That Will Change How You Travel

How long 40 hours feels depends entirely on how you spend it. At a job you hate, a 40-hour workweek can feel endless. In Tahiti and Mo’orea, those same 40 hours can hold 2 islands, impossibly clear water, thriving coral gardens, close encounters with sharks and more beauty than most people experience in an entire week. Time feels different when you are maximizing every moment. Forty hours may be short on a calendar, but it is long enough to experience two islands, immerse yourself in a whole new world, and see possibility differently.

Is A French Polynesian Weekend Really Possible?

Do you have a long list of tropical islands mentally on your vision board or bucket list? Chances are, one of those destinations is in French Polynesia.  There are 118 islands and atolls that spread across 5 main archipelagos in the South Pacific Ocean, with Tahiti being the hub to the US.  You can fly to 4 dozen islands in French Polynesia on the local airlines and every island is a brand new story. If you plan it right, you can experience two islands and see incredible beauty in 2 amazing days. This is a trip for those who want to explore, see, taste, swim, appreciate and experience every possible moment.

What Happens On Departure Day

Taking the red eye flight Thursday night out of LAX means you work all day on Thursday, business as usual. Around 11pm you get on the non-stop flight to PPT, where you’ll be served dinner and a light breakfast. When you get on the plane, if you wear a watch, change it to Tahiti time.  Flights land between 4a-5:30am depending on what airline you’re taking. The day you leave does not really count because your routine only changes when you trade your bed for an airplane seat and wake up in French Polynesia.

What Does It Feel Like To Arrive Before Sunrise?

Landing at Faa’a International Airport before sunrise feels like entering paradise through a secret door. The air is warm, soft and filled with the unmistakable scent of a tropical island waking up. There is an immediate rush in knowing that while most people at home are barely waking up, you are standing on an island in the South Pacific with an entire day ahead of you. As you stroll into PPT airport, you’ll see local people singing and dancing.  This is part of a traditional Polynesian greeting and welcome show. The performance is amazing and everyone is smiling. The smell of the fragrant Tiare Tahiti wafts through the air as you watch the traditional dance called ‘Ori Tahiti, accompanied by live local music and ukuleles. Say hello to the airport staff in their native language by using ’Ia ora na. But don’t stop there because it’s on to customs.

Taking The Early Ferry To Mo’orea

If you take the red-eye from LAX, you’ll be clearing customs at Faa’a International Airport PPT in Tahiti around 4:30am-5am. Walk out the door, breathe in the fresh air and grab a cab because you’re leaving Tahiti. Take a 15-minute taxi from the airport to the Papeete ferry terminal to catch the first 6am passenger ferry to Mo’orea. Tickets for operators like Terevau or Aremiti can be purchased online in advance. The scenic 40-minute ferry crossing across the Sea of Moons offers sweeping ocean views and the volcanic peaks of Mo’orea rise dramatically from the horizon. There’s food on the ferry too, plus a vodka beer called Tabu. OK drink, cool-looking dude on the can. The best part is that before most people have started their Friday, you have already watched the sun rise over the Pacific and arrived on a second island.

The Best Tour In Mo’orea

My favorite way to experience Mo’orea is with Alex Lagoon Tours, which offers 4-hour excursions at 8am and 2pm on most days. The groups are small, so book with Alex as soon as your airline tickets are confirmed. Taking the first ferry from Tahiti gets you to Mo’orea around 7am, leaving enough time to reach Haapiti for the morning tour. Taxis are usually waiting near the ferry terminal, but there are not many and they disappear quickly. Joining a morning excursion with Alex is the right move as you will get an immersive look at Mo’orea’s marine ecosystem.

Water So Clear It Looks Like AI

Mo’orea is breathtaking from the shore, but its most intoxicating beauty begins when you slip beneath the surface. The lagoon is so clear that sharks, rays and coral formations are visible before your feet ever touch the water. You can drift-snorkel beside sea turtles, watch eagle rays glide silently across the sand and stand in shallow water while sharks circle nearby. The lagoonarium reveals baby fish hiding inside coral, giant clams glowing with color and intricate underwater gardens alive with movement. Every time you lift your head, Mo’orea’s green volcanic peaks surround you, and every time you look down, another world is waiting.

All Before Lunch?

By noon, you have visited 2 islands and spent 4 hours exploring one of the most beautiful marine ecosystems on Earth. It feels impossible that the day is only halfway over. Stop for lunch at a waterfront snack stand such as Taoahere Beach House Snack, where the food is amazing and the setting is nearly as memorable as the lagoon. Eat something fresh, swap camera batteries and look through the morning’s footage while the water sparkles nearby. There is a particular kind of happiness in realizing that you have already lived an extraordinary day and still have the entire afternoon ahead of you.

Maximizing Your Afternoon

After the morning tour, grab lunch before checking into your hotel, pension or fare. It may still be too early to enter your room, but you can sit down, swap camera batteries and think about everything you have already experienced. Then choose an afternoon activity such as a second boat tour at 2pm, a guided outrigger canoe excursion, paddleboarding or an ATV island tour. I choose to spend as much time underwater as possible, so after lunch I head back out for another 4-hour snorkeling tour. When the boat returns around 6pm, watch the sunset, check into your room, find dinner and fall asleep knowing you experienced more in one day than many people do during an entire vacation.

What Happens On Your First Day?

From the moment you land at PPT, the microadventure begins and you are maximizing every minute of it. You land in Tahiti, take a taxi to the ferry, cross the Sea of Moons to Mo’orea and travel to Haapiti for a tour with Alex Lagoon Tours. By noon, you have already cruised across the lagoon, snorkeled in impossibly clear water and met some of French Polynesia’s most captivating marine life. After lunch, you head out for another 4 hours of coral gardens, sharks, rays and shades of blue that barely seem real. By the time the sun sets, you are exhilarated, salt-covered, beautifully tired and completely amazed by how much life can fit into a single day.

Your Second Day In French Polynesia

Wake up early after an amazing night of sleep and step outside to watch the sunrise. The lagoon slowly begins to glow, the mountains rise from the shadows and the morning feels too beautiful to be real. Take a moment to appreciate where you are and feel genuinely grateful that you created a life capable of holding experiences like this. Eat a lovely breakfast and check out of your lodging. Leave your luggage at the front desk as you head to your next 8am tour. Spend another 4 hours snorkeling, exploring by outrigger, riding a jetski or crossing the island by ATV while soaking in everything Mo’orea still has to offer.

How Do You Say Goodbye To Mo’orea?

After your morning adventure, eat lunch and begin making your way back toward the ferry terminal. Return to the hotel to clean up in a transit room, change into travel clothes and retrieve your luggage, or simply collect your bags if you plan to continue exploring in Tahiti. I stay in my swimsuit so I can keep playing in Tahiti. Depending on where you are staying, the taxi ride back to the Mo’orea ferry terminal may take around 40 minutes, so scheduling the pickup time in advance is a must. Take a late-afternoon or early-evening ferry and enjoy one final sweeping view of Mo’orea’s jagged mountains and brilliant lagoon. Watching the island recede creates the strange realization that you arrived only the morning before, even though it feels as if you have been away for a week.

Is There Still Time To Experience Tahiti?

Returning to Papeete does not mean the microadventure is over. A resort day pass at the InterContinental Tahiti Resort & Spa or Hilton Tahiti provides a place to swim, enjoy a drink, shower and change before the flight. Around 6pm, if you like sushi, you must have a meal at Chef San’s at the Hilton Tahiti. It’s the best sushi in French Polynesia.  This allows you to skip the inflight meal and go directly to sleep.

What Can 40 Hours Give You?

Taking the 11:45pm flight back to Los Angeles ends the approximately 40 hours spent in French Polynesia. The overnight flight gets you home by around 10am the next day, and traveling with only a carry-on lets you breeze through the terminal. You still have plenty of time to get home, unpack, relax and transition smoothly back into the workweek after visiting 2 tropical islands. Those 40 hours held coral gardens, reef sharks, rays, mountains, ferries, unforgettable meals and water so clear it changes your understanding of the color blue. Yes, it is a lot of travel for a short period of time, but would you rather wait for the right time to go or go now? You know my answer.