What would you do if you were on a remote tropical island, without your luggage and without any shops to buy clothes or essentials?

Live the hut life, of course! That is what happened to me when I landed on Tanna Island in Vanuatu and the only things that made it with me were the clothes on my back and the stuff in my carry-on camera bag.

In reality I didn’t need anything else. Sure, I could have used my camera tripod to get some better photos. I could have used a change of clothes in the sweltering heat of the day too. But I was living on a beach in Vanuatu for the next few days so I didn’t let it worry me. I had my toothbrush and critical items with me, so it wasn’t a big deal.

I had my own hammock. My own Friendly Bungalow (the name of the place I stayed at on Tanna Island) and my own beach too. I could have run around naked if I wanted to, after all that’s what all the locals did at the far end of the beach when they needed to wash up in the Pacific Ocean.

When not walking up and down the scorching black volcanic beach, I was dining on massive plates of fruit and seafood, learning how to hack open coconuts, or hiking up to Yasur Volcano for one of nature’s best fireworks shows.

The hut life was great. No wi-fi, no TV, no street lights…no stress and only one other guest staying nearby.

It was simplicity at it’s best. My beach side bungalow had been made of all local materials. A bamboo bed frame and furniture, a locally weaved hammock, an open-space coral floor bathroom and shower, a thatched roof.

This was one place where I was finally able to totally unwind, sit back and read a book – something I seem to never make time for at home…too many digital distractions I suppose?

By the time my hosts Mary and Jessel at Friendly Bungalows had tracked down my luggage at the end of day two I didn’t want or need anything I was missing, I had already adapted to the simple Melanesian island lifestyle.  (My luggage was still at the airport in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu on Efate Island.)

When I left Tanna and was finally reunited with my luggage it felt more like a burden than a relief. At least I smelled a little better though!