‘Love Island USA’ is one of America’s favorite reality TV shows, and a major part of that popularity is the magnetic energy of host Ariana Madix. Madix is currently hosting her third season of the show, which films in Fiji, and is offering some of her go-to travel tips and tricks while praising the beauty of the tropical South Pacific nation.
‘Love Island USA’ is one of the most popular reality shows in America. From high tension re-couplings, viewer-voted eliminations, and messy challenges, the show has become one of the most talked about programs amongst Americans in recent years. One of the biggest contributing factors to the show’s success is its host, Ariana Madix.
Madix is an alum of popular reality shows ‘Vanderpump Rules’ and ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and has been hosting the hit reality dating show since season 6. The show is currently airing, and as always is filming in Fiji, an island nation in the South Pacific.
Recently, Madix spoke to Travel + Leisure about how much she loves spending her summers working in Fiji, and offered some of her best tips after spending so much of the past years traveling.
During her first summer filming, Madix admitted that she didn’t fully know where Fiji was until she started planning her arrival.
“Honestly, I don’t even think I really knew where it was. But now I love getting to go back. It feels like a second home, and there are some Fijians who are now like family to me, who I get to see every time I go back, so it’s very cool.”
“I’m very excited that the fans are excited, but I’m just trying to continue to do me.”
Madix revealed that her top place to stay while in Fiji is the Sheraton Denarau Villas located near Nadi. She explained that since she typically is living in the nation for two months at a time, having access to things like her own kitchen and a washer and dryer is important; the infinity pool and stellar views also help.
“I’m able to really settle – it’s like having my own apartment,” she said.
When Madix has time during her busy filming schedule, she makes sure to explore the vast wonders of Fiji. One of her main goals is to make it to the Coral Coast on Viti Vevu’s southern coast. She told T+L that she also loves to relax at day clubs like the Malamala Beach Club, Seventh Heaven, and The Beach Club Wailoaloa.
“It’s very relaxing. You’re in the sand, you can just have a bucket of beer and listen to amazing live music.”
In terms of cuisine, she boasted about experiencing the traditional Fijian cooking method known as lovo. This involves meats and vegetables being slowly cooked underground with heated stones. She also told the publication how for anyone visiting Fiji, she highly recommends the Shearaton’s Farm-to-Fork program, which entails visiting the DGRC Farm to see the sustainable practices utilized to grow food before the lovo dinner.
Although she has a deep love and appreciation for the beauty and culture of Fiji and its natural allure, typically, Madix is more of an “urban explorer.”
“As much as I love nature, when I’m traveling, I’m more of a city girl. I love to walk around and explore,” she said.
“I want to feel like I’m gonna turn a corner and see something completely new – and I love street food. You don’t get that as much when you’re on a deserted island, beautiful as it is.”
Madix’s love for cities also grew even further ever since getting into her long-term bicoastal relationship with partner Daniel Wai.
“Even in the cities that we live in, LA and New York, if we can walk down a street we’ve never walked down or see something we’ve never seen before, that is the most fun for me. We get the beautiful weather and the nature where I work a lot in LA, and all the amazing food and restaurants and Broadway shows where he works in New York – it’s a great combination!” she said.
Madix considers LA to be home, but understands how overwhelming the giant city can be for first-time visitors, so as an experienced traveler and LA resident, she offered some advice.
“People don’t realize how spread out things are, and they’ll want to do Malibu and a show at the Pantages on the same day, which is nearly impossible. My biggest suggestion would be to pick an area and really explore it. A lot of people want to do it all in one go, and they don’t factor in the travel time.”
She suggests West Hollywood as a great starting off point as it offers a lot of bars, restaurants, and other LA-centered experiences.
Of course, Madix also recommends checking out one of America’s most popular travel destinations, Walt Disney World. In fact, she used to work at the park as a princess when she was in college.
“I learned what it was like to be part of something that was so much bigger than myself. As a big Disney fan myself, it was something that was very cool to be part of, especially the way you can change someone’s day!”
Madix then offered some of her top travel tips and tricks to T+L, including her best hack for jet lag.
“There’s this brand called Fly Kitt that I buy—you put your flight information into their app, and based on your flight information, what time you normally go to bed, and what time you want to be getting up in the morning, it times out all of these different vitamins and things. When I’ve done that when I’m traveling long distances, like when I went to Thailand and Singapore, it’s actually really helped. I was not jet lagged in Singapore at all!”
When taking a flight, Madix always recommends prioritizing comfort, and either watching a movie or taking a nap to pass the time. Overall, she believes it’s important to rest and relax while on the way to your destination so your energy is conserved for whatever new adventures you’ll be embarking on once you arrive.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
