When it comes to planning how to get to the tiniest countries in the world, it takes a little bit of planning. I’m lucky in that I’ve got a lot of frequent flier miles so those go towards the ones that I’d never be able to afford, or to get most of the way there. Four of the ten are in Europe, and are easily accessible.
The Vatican? Simple. Fly into Rome. San Marino? 4 hours by train and a bus from Rome. Two down. Lichtenstein? Fly into Zurich, train + bus and you’re there. And Monaco? Flying into Nice will get you there, but I think a scenic train from Paris will be more fun.
Since I’ve got status/miles with American Airlines, I’ll try to stick with them as much as possible. Saint Kitts and Nevis is a direct flight from Miami or JFK and I earn beloved miles.
That’s five down.
The Maldives is easier now. British Airways, as of October 25th, will be flying there three days a week from Gatwick. Ass in seat, it’s 9243 miles from Chicago, so I think I’ll just have to pony up some miles to go in Business Class. Just sayin’…
The third smallest country in the world, Nauru, presents a bit of a challenge. Only one airline flies there – Our Airline. And it flies out of Brisbane, Australia only twice a week. with a stop in Honiara (in the Solomon Islands – don’t worry, I had to look it up too.) 10, 993 flight miles from Chicago. This also tells me I should probably make it a point to spend some time there as well.
Tuvalu, the fourth smallest country in the world, is accessible via Pacific Sun from Fiji. Again, it looks like I’ll *have* to spend some time in Fiji. OH NO. But getting to Fiji might require me to burn miles.
Marshall Islands, the world’s seventh smallest country, poses an interesting problem of how to get there. Continental Airlines, of all airlines, flies there from both Guam and Honolulu. That flight is expensive from either place, so I’ll have to figure out what’s the best way for me to get there. I’ll probably just have to pray for a cheap fare to Honolulu, and then see if I can trade miles or something for the Continental leg of it.
Finally, the Seychelles. Air Seychelles flies from a lot of Western European airports that American Airlines flies to. It’s kind of anticlimactic, but it then becomes an exercise in what’s the best way to get there (trade off of cheapest vs my mile whoring.)
So that’s how you do it: Ten tiny countries. With luck, next September I’ll be spending my birthday on one of the most beautiful, isolated beaches in the world with the surf, sand, camera and Blackberry.