Undiscovered Luxury Adventure Destinations – Found By Mature Luxury Travelers

Where is Palau? ……… And Why Would You Care?

Finding undiscovered luxury adventure destinations worldwide always makes travel exciting and fulfilling. One of these wonderful surprises is the Republic of Palau with a population of only 21,000 on 30 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Most Americans would probably be surprised to learn that the U.S. was given a United Nations mandate in 1945 making Palau our protectorate.

Palau …. A History Of One of the Undiscovered Luxury Adventure Destinations

The islands of Palau were discovered by the Spanish in 1543, but then ignored. The English established their presence in Palau in 1783, and even helped the leader’s son, Prince Leeboo, travel to London to study. Unfortunately, he died of smallpox after arriving, and 20,000 of Palau’s original 40,000 population met the same fate, since they had no immunity to western diseases.

A Spanish colony was established on Palau in 1885, and as a result 42 per cent of the island is Catholic. When the Spanish sold the island to Germany in 1899, it was developed for bauxite, phosphates, and coconut plantations.

After the Germans lost World War I, Japan took over the islands and established a colonial headquarters on the island of Koror for all of their possessions in the South Pacific. It was fortified as a military headquarters in the 1930s, and fierce battles between the Japanese and the Allied forces took place on Peleliu, one of the country’s islands, in mid-1944. The Japanese were strongly entrenched in caves and did not realize that World War II had already been over for many years, until they were finally captured in the 1950s.

Palau became a protectorate of the United States in 1945 with a mandate to improve its infrastructure and educational system, so it could become a self-sufficient nation. It chose to become the Republic of Palau, and was granted full independence in 1994 with the United States continuing to provide for its defense, funding, and social services.  Its currency is the U.S. dollar, and the economy is based on tourism, subsistence agriculture, and millions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, which represent about 20 percent of their gross national product.

Palau ….. Still One Of The Undiscovered Luxury Adventure Destinations

It is always a surprise to visit someplace you have never heard about and discover  your common roots. Our guide was a very engaging young man called Fonzi (I think he liked Happy Days), who traced himself back to Prince Leeboo on his mother’s side but has an American father who helped establish Palau Community College. His accent and vocabulary were pure American.

Although gas is over $5 a gallon, cars are plentiful and inexpensive since they come from Japan. Apparently, the cars that do not meet their stringent standards are exported and can be purchased on Palau for less that $1000, even though they appear to be in excellent condition.

As the economic hub, Koror is a mixture of all the previous cultures.  It is an energetic and friendly place, but the island itself is not beautiful. There are a couple of shopping centers and several supermarkets with many of the goods coming from the United States.  Eggs are flown in from Hawaii.

Known as a top international dive location, Palau has a unique feature that makes it one of the world’s undiscovered luxury adventure destinations.  Located in the beautiful Rock Islands region of Palau, Jellyfish Lake is home to millions of golden jellyfish that have lost their ability to sting as a result of not having any predators.  It is possible to swim with them and have them float all over your body without any danger of being stung.  It is an amazing experience found nowhere else in the world, and people travel to Palau just to visit Jellyfish Lake and snorkel with the jellyfish.

Want to learn more about undiscovered luxury adventure destinations worldwide?  Sign up  for our complimentary 20 minute luxury travel consultation to learn more about your travel choices.