22 Tips for Your Family Vacation to Wallis & Futuna with Kids

Booking early becomes absolutely crucial during peak seasons. Accommodation options are already limited on these remote islands, and family rooms are even scarcer.

The busiest periods are December LINK#TT083 and early January LINK#TT085, when Christmas and New Year festivities draw locals together in celebration. From our experience, this creates a wonderful atmosphere but also means rooms fill up quickly.

June LINK#TT087 through August LINK#TT082 represents another peak period during the middle of the dry season. This is when most visitors come for kitesurfing, canoeing and church conferences. According to locals, these months see the highest demand for the few available accommodations.

To avoid disappointment, we recommend securing your family accommodation at least three to six months in advance during these periods. Check out The Best Time to Visit Wallis & Futuna: Best Months to Visit LINK#TT033 for our advice on when to visit!

For families who might be used to resort holidays in the South Pacific, note that Wallis and Futuna is a little different. There are only two accommodations that offer swimming pools, and crucially, neither has safety fences around them.

We recommend discussing pool safety with your family before arrival and considering bringing flotation devices for added peace of mind.

Swimming in Wallis and Futuna's lagoons and sheltered bays, however, is arguably more interesting than a swimming pool experience, but it's still vital to keep water safety in mind when out in the elements.

For more safety tips, head to Wallis & Futuna Safety Tips: Is it Safe to Travel to Wallis & Futuna? LINK#TT046

With not much discount on child fares for flying from Wallis to Futuna, flying the tribe to the territory's other island is a major expense.

Considering you can arrive in Wallis LINK#D017, it's best to stick to the main island if you’re on a tight budget and/or on limited time (5-7 days). Don't worry, Wallis has many islets within its lagoon that you can travel to by boat for that "outer island" experience.

There’s plenty to keep you occupied; just check out our Wallis & Futuna Itinerary: 5 Days LINK#TI046 and Wallis & Futuna Itinerary: 7 Days LINK#TI045.

It’s important to assign roles between parents or between the whole family before jetting off to Wallis and Futuna.

Who is going to be in charge of the food? Who is going to choose the activities? Who is going to book the activities? Who is going to handle the airport check-in while the other watches the kids?

Communicate these roles early so you avoid hick-ups in Wallis and Futuna, giving more time for everyone to enjoy themselves. Plus, assigning small roles to the children is a great way to teach responsibility.

While your kids are bound to learn a lot about Wallis and Futuna from cultural tours LINK#TTD002, get them excited for their trip away by educating them on Wallis and Futuna before you go!

Use a map and show them where you're all visiting, and pull out some trivia from our 10 Fun Facts About Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT065.

There’s always a bit of downtime when travelling, especially at the airport if you’ve been savvy enough to check in on time (or during the likely necessary stopover in New Caledonia or Fiji).

Games are an essential boredom-buster while getting the whole family bonding, so pack some travel-size games, like Uno and Connect 4 Grab & Go. They’ll also come in handy when you’re enjoying some downtime at your accommodation after a day full of adventures.

You may also want to pack a few snacks, but just note that once they are opened, you probably won’t be able to pass them through Quarantine LINK#TT003 once you land, so don’t go too overboard.

Moving on to some activity tips for Wallis and Futuna, of course, you’ll want to plan some family fun together. A holiday to Wallis and Futuna is the perfect opportunity to bond and reconnect.

Head to an uninhabited motu (islet) for the day for some sensational snorkelling and sandcastle building, visit historical Tongan forts that will blow the children's minds and much more. Plan your adventures using our whopping 40 Best Things to Do in Wallis & Futuna with Kids LINK#TTD068!

Bonus Tip: Always ask if there’s a family discount on tours; they usually work out a bit cheaper than paying for adult and child tickets separately.

On the flip side, packing your itinerary to the brim with sights and activities is probably just going to exhaust everyone.

Allow a free day or two in your holiday to relax and enjoy more of the simple pleasures; a day at the beach is plenty (and kids love hermit crab hunting)!

Ok, Wallis and Futuna isn’t Fiji. It's not even New Caledonia.

Kids’ clubs and babysitting services are very limited, so you will have to spend some time with your kids.

All in all, Wallis and Futuna is definitely a destination best spent together as a family.

With a tropical climate and rain being a possibility no matter what time of the year you visit, it's a good idea to have one or two rainy-day backups. There are some fantastic museums, cafés and much more. Head to 20 Things to Do in Wallis & Futuna on a Rainy Day LINK#TTD064 for ideas!

Also on the subject, you'll notice that Sundays are a little quieter in Wallis and Futuna, so have a look at what attractions are open in 10 Things to Do in Wallis & Futuna on a Sunday LINK#TTD028.

Renting a car for the whole duration of your trip might seem like the easiest way to go, but with most vehicle rental companies in Wallis and Futuna offering free delivery of vehicles to any accommodation, it might make more financial sense to just get a vehicle delivered when you’re ready to use it!

There are plenty of airport transfer options LINK#T030 for your arrival in Wallis or Futuna. Then, spend your first couple of days experiencing the restaurants, attractions and islet boat trips closest to your accommodation. Once you’re ready to explore the rest of the main islands, get your vehicle delivered and you’ve just saved a couple of days (and an airport delivery fee) on car rental.

For more advice on car rentals, check out What You Need to Hire a Car in Wallis & Futuna LINK#T010.

Wallis and Futuna are both perfect islands for a family road trip; you’re never stuck in the car for too long until you come across an amazing blue hole or beach to explore.

On the downside, not all vehicle rental companies provide baby or booster seats, or at least they have a very limited supply. If you need one, make sure to request one upon booking!

Get more vehicle rental tips, including the best type of car to rent, in our guide, What You Need to Hire a Car in Walils & Futuna LINK#T010.

If you'd rather jump into holiday mode than buy baby food or snacks for the family from the supermarket upon arrival, then bring a few snacks for the first couple of days in Wallis and Futuna.

You can bring food to Wallis and Futuna as long as it's commercially prepared and packaged, and you avoid fresh fruit and vegetables – see Arriving in Wallis & Futuna: Airport Customs, Quarantine & Arrival Process LINK#TT003.

On the subject, if there's a particular brand of baby food that you want to stick to in order to avoid any stomach upsets, it's best to bring it with you. Otherwise, American brands are available in local supermarkets. Learn more about self-catering in A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT020.

That’s right, kids’ menus are not available at every café and restaurant in Wallis and Futuna, so you sometimes have to get quite creative with what younger kids can eat. Look out for “snack menus” or “smaller plates” instead, which are usually good portions for kids. If push comes to shove, you can always just order them a side or an entree.

For more tips about children’s menus and the cost, head to The Complete Family Travel Guide to Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT062.

Making sure that everyone in the family is drinking water regularly is absolutely essential to their health while in Wallis and Futuna’s tropical climate LINK#TT093. However, tap water is generally not safe to drink, even if locals are drinking it.

Bottled water is readily available to buy in Wallis and Futuna. Otherwise, boiling water is another way to go.

So that there’s no stress over the issue, we recommend getting the family a few Lifestraw water bottles that remove 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria as you suck through its filtration straw. Plus, a reusable option is much kinder on the planet you’re leaving your kids.

Find out more about water safety in Is the Water Safe to Drink in Wallis & Futuna?

Although we have a full packing list in What to Pack for Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT037, those with infants will need to consider a couple of holiday extras.

As mentioned, a core part of your Wallis and Futuna family holiday is spending some time in the water, so waterproof nappies/diapers are a must for the packing list! Normal nappies/diapers are normally readily available in supermarkets, if you’re not bringing your own.

Additionally, a baby carrier is the way to go, as most attractions are not stroller-friendly in Wallis and Futuna.

You probably already know that Wallis and Futuna is a fantastic destination for snorkelling, especially for kids within the safe and sheltered lagoon of Wallis. However, snorkelling masks and fins, especially for kids, are not often available.

In short, bring snorkelling gear for the whole family to truly make the most of the amazing underwater landscapes and the wildlife LINK#TTD074 that resides in them!

See The Best Snorkelling in Wallis & Futuna: Top 10 Places to Snorkel LINK#TTD099 for all the best snorkelling hotspots and quick tips for safe snorkelling.

For an extra piece of protection while spending so much time in the water, we highly recommend that you get rashies (rash vest/swimming T-shirt) for younger ones that are more prone to sunburn, especially as sunscreen otherwise needs to be applied much more often when swimming (and no kid likes being pulled out of the water every couple of hours for a sunscreen slap-on).

We like Sharkskin for their rapid-dry rashies which have SPF 50+ protection, come in fully recyclable packaging and are saltwater, chlorine and UV-resistant so can be used for many more holidays to come.

We also recommend packing some reef shoes to protect little feet when standing on rocks or bits of coral. Speedo Kids and Toddlers Water Shoes are a great choice for little ones.

Perhaps the biggest health concern in Wallis and Futuna is the sun. While it makes for an awesome holiday by the beach, the UV levels are high and are especially harmful to unprotected sensitive skin.

Make sure you are quite strict on sun protection with child-friendly (and reef-safe) sunscreen, cover exposed skin where you can, use sunhats, stay in the shade when UV levels are at their highest (around midday) and drink plenty of water.

See The Best Sunscreens for Wallis & Futuna + Sun Protection Tips LINK#TT043 for more advice.

When buying your travel insurance, look for insurance that covers children too. Most travel insurance companies have policies to cover kids for free if travelling with an adult so always inquire.

Better yet, check out our Exclusive Deal with Global Rescue to gain one of the world's most comprehensive travel protection memberships that covers the whole family. Not only do they offer insurance policy add-ons, but they actually do the repatriation and medical consultation work themselves.

Note that not all medications are easy to find in Wallis and Futuna.

Pack all the essential medication and toiletries you might need, including the original box of the prescribed medication (with notes and the name on the prescription).

We have a whole list of things to pack in your travel first aid kit, just in case there are some accidents or illnesses, in What Medication to Pack in Your First Aid Kit for Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT048.

Finally, while this is a little piece of shameless self-promotion, make sure you do your research!

A good place to start is right here on Wallis & Futuna Pocket Guide where we not only have The Complete Family Travel Guide to Wallis & Futuna LINK#TT062 but even complete lists of experiences in the 20 Best Things to Do in Wallis & Futuna with Kids LINK#TTD068.