So, you’re thinking of moving to American Samoa…
Let me start by saying, Congratulations! You’re in for a treat.
American Samoa, or Am Sam, as some call it, is truly a diamond in the rough, the undiscovered jewel of the Pacific. No, I haven’t been everywhere in the Pacific, but we seriously love our island home!
Island Life In American Samoa
Living in American Samoa (as opposed to just visiting) can take some figuring out though and some getting used to. Life here on our tropical island isn’t always easy and it isn’t always perfect.
As much as I’d like to spend all day, everyday relaxing on the beach or exploring the islands, hiking along jungle trails, the truth is that real life continues. Kids get sick. Taxes have to be paid. You have to find a house to live in. You have to register vehicles and get a driver’s license.
Bleh. Boring. But that’s life.
But can I tell you a secret?
You can be as busy as you want to be. Here, people are much less worried about “keeping up with the Jones'” and much more interested in spending quality time with the ones they love. Again, life continues, but there’s something magical about this place that makes you want to slow down and enjoy the island pace. Or at least it has that affect on me.
The trick is- not to get so frustrated by the inefficiencies and inconveniences that you lose sight of the beauty of the islands and their people. So, to make your transition to island life easier I’ve included these resources below just for you.
Whether you’re moving here for the first time or coming back after years of being gone, we’ve got you covered.
Hi. We have been watching your videos on YouTube and we love them. We’ve been looking at moving to America Samoa. We currently live in Missouri (state side). We have a similar family dynamic with 2 boys and a girl. Thank you for all the hard work you put into those videos. I have a few questions about housing. I think I’ve watched all your videos and didn’t see one on housing. What does that look like? What’s rent / home buying look like price rang etc? My husband is an engineer and though we haven’t looked into any jobs yet we are very interested in moving that direction.
Thanks
Kelly
Kelly, that’s awesome! This place really is special.
We are currently working on a housing video that should be up next month. The housing situation is a little different here for outsiders. You have to be at least 50% Samoan to own land. There is a wide variety of places available to rent, anything from a very basic “island home” to something bigger and more Mainland standard. The rent price varies widely as well, from around $500-$1,000+. If you haven’t subscribed to our channel yet, make sure to and click the bell to receive notifications, so you won’t miss the housing video when it comes out.
I am an avid on-line shopper (especially Amazon for my homeopathic medicines). I saw a photo on one of the Apartment Section 8 sites that showed a “Prime Air” plane and was wondering whether this meant that you can order from Amazon while living in Am. Samoa? I also shop Ebay a lot. Can a person still get items shipped from Ebay while living there? We’re still not ready to move yet, but we (my mate and I) are doing a lot of research ahead of our move so we know just what to expect. We’ve read your book…very nice. We watch your videos together…also very nice. Saw one FB page that had a notice about Island Cleanup so that’s nice since I’m into trying to make this earth a better place for our children and their children etc.
Hi Julia, great questions! And I have one for you- how are your relocation plans coming along? Sorry about the delay in responding, some things slip through the cracks. From our experience, we’ve had better luck with eBay than Amazon. With eBay, each listing will clearly specify if they don’t ship here, whereas Amazon doesn’t alert you until you’re checking out. In fact, we’ve had a lot of luck with eBay. We rarely ever shop on Amazon anymore, but I know people here who do still.
We’re so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the travel guide and videos. Hopefully you’ll be able to come see all the beautiful places for yourselves!