New York to Ablow (JFK–MTV) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

US passport holders enter Vanuatu visa-free for up to 30 days. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry. A return or onward ticket and proof of sufficient funds are required. At Port Vila Bauerfield International Airport (VLI) on Efate Island, immigration stamps your passport after a brief document check.

The 30-day stay can be extended up to 120 days total at the Department of Immigration and Passport Services in Port Vila. Extensions cost about $40 per month. Vanuatu is a Y-shaped archipelago of more than 80 islands in the South Pacific between Fiji and New Caledonia. Mount Yasur on Tanna Island is one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes, with strombolian eruptions visible from the crater rim multiple times per hour. Espiritu Santo has the SS President Coolidge wreck dive, one of the largest accessible shipwrecks on earth.

No direct flights connect the US to Vanuatu. The most efficient routing from North America goes through Nadi, Fiji on Fiji Airways (about 3 hours from Nadi to Port Vila). Fiji Airways connects from Los Angeles (LAX) to Nadi in about 10 hours 30 minutes. Sydney to Port Vila runs about 3 hours on Aircalin or Qantas. Auckland to Port Vila runs about 3 hours on Air New Zealand or Fiji Airways. Total travel time from the US West Coast runs 18 to 24 hours. Vanuatu uses the vatu (VUV), trading at roughly 120 VUV per $1. The vatu has no subunit. Card payments work at hotels and resorts in Port Vila and Luganville. Outside these towns, cash is the only option. ATMs exist in Port Vila and Luganville only. Inter-island flights on domestic carriers connect the main islands.

The AirTrain connects JFK to the NYC subway and Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica Station (Howard Beach is the other connection point). Subway fare plus AirTrain totals $9.25 from midtown Manhattan; allow 60–75 minutes. LIRR from Penn Station takes 25–30 minutes to Jamaica, then 8–10 minutes on AirTrain; total fare around $10–15 depending on time of day.Taxis from Manhattan to JFK are a flat rate of $70 plus tolls and tip ($85–95 all-in). Ride-shares cost $45–80 depending on traffic and time of day. A dedicated express rail (JFK Connect) has been proposed but does not exist yet.