This week we have a guest blogger Bailey Chalcraft, who is 18 years old and from Rouse Hill. For this weeks blog, Bailey reflects on his 2019 Schoolies Island in Fiji trip. You can find Bailey on Instagram @baileychalcraft_.
When I booked for Schoolies in Fiji, I was expecting a chilled out and fun-filled holiday, where I could party, relax and most importantly celebrate finishing 13 years of schooling with my best mates. Little did I know the experience I got was not only exactly that but so much more!
To kick off our trip, we had a Schoolies staff member approach us at the airport to help us with our passports and checking in, the whole experience was quite daunting for someone who has never travelled overseas by themselves (or at all!), so after meeting our staff member Tyler who was so kind and welcoming, I knew straight away it was going to be an awesome trip. Once we arrived in Fiji, we met the rest of the Schoolies staff who were once again just so comforting and helpful. They helped us get all our stuff onto the boat where we travelled to Treasure Island and got us in the mood for fun and partying by playing some tunes on the boat.
Arriving on the shores of Treasure Island we were welcomed by even more friendly staff – although this time it was the Fijians greeting us with some traditional singing! Throughout the whole trip, I was overwhelmed by how kind-hearted the island staff were, they would go out of their way to do almost anything for you without any complaints.
I would have to say that one of the best things I found about going to Schoolies in Fiji, was that because there were far fewer people than other destinations, you were able to form such close relationship with everyone on the island. This made my whole group (and I’m sure the rest of the island) feel extremely comfortable, as it was the same staff for the whole week who made an enormous effort to get to know every single Schoolie on the island. This also meant that all the Schoolies on the island became close friends with each other. The strength of the friendships we formed was evident on the plane trip home, when everyone was talking to all the different people we had met, and organising plans to catch up once we were all home! Even as I am writing this, I am also packing to go visit a friend who I met at Schoolies so trust me when I say friendships from Schoolies really do last!
I did not expect to build such friendships with the staff and other Schoolies, but believe me it is impossible not to become close with those on the island! As I said before, I was expecting a chilled out, relaxing and fun-filled holiday, where I could party and celebrate finishing 13 years of schooling with my best mates – but what I got was better, because I got really was the best week of my life!
If you want to have the best week of your life on Schoolies Island Fiji, just as Bailey did, you can book Schoolies Island in Fiji here.