Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through American Samoa can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized American Samoa itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
American Samoa has no mandatory vaccinations for most travelers, but you should be up to date on routine shots (MMR, tetanus-diphtheria, polio, flu and COVID-19). Hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended because of food and water exposure, and hepatitis B is worth considering for longer stays. Dengue outbreaks happen regularly and Zika has been reported, so use DEET or picaridin repellent, especially at dawn and dusk.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in American Samoa, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Life in American Samoa revolves around church and the extended family. Keep Sundays quiet, and don’t swim, work loudly or do recreational activities in villages that day. Many villages hold sa, an evening prayer time around 6 to 7 p.m. If you hear the bell or see the guards, stop walking or driving and wait quietly until it ends. Beaches and land belong to villages, so ask permission and pay any customary fee before you swim or picnic. When you enter a fale (traditional open house), take off your shoes and sit cross-legged on the mat, and don’t point the soles of your feet at anyone. Don’t eat while walking through a village, and don’t stand over seated elders. Wear swimwear only at the beach. Women in particular should cover their shoulders and knees in villages and at church, and same-sex couples should skip public affection.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for American Samoa.
- Palusami: Young taro leaves wrapped around thick coconut cream and baked in the umu (earth oven). The leaves go soft and the cream turns rich and silky. You’ll find it at almost every Sunday family meal.
- Oka: Raw fish cured in lemon or lime juice and finished with coconut cream, onion and cucumber. It’s the dish that shows off the local reef and ocean catch most directly.
- Umu feast (pig, taro and breadfruit): Food slow-cooked on hot stones under banana leaves. It’s the center of Sunday to’ona’i lunches and big celebrations, and the smoky taro alone is worth getting invited for.
- Sapasui: Samoan chop suey made with glass noodles, soy sauce, beef or chicken and ginger. It came here through Chinese influence and is now a standard at weddings and church functions.
- Fa’ausi: Cubes of taro or breadfruit soaked in a sticky caramelized coconut sauce. It’s the dessert that turns up at feasts.
- Panikeke and koko Samoa: Deep-fried banana or flour dumplings eaten with hot cocoa made from locally grown and roasted cacao. This is a cheap breakfast sold at roadside stalls and markets.
Tap water in American Samoa is treated by the local utility, but boil-water advisories are common, especially after heavy rain. Many locals drink filtered, boiled or bottled water. Tourists are best off doing the same: use a filter bottle or buy large refill jugs to save money and plastic.
The main language in American Samoa is
Samoan. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Samoan skills have become a bit rusty.
Want to understand locals better?The complete Travel Guide for American Samoa includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.
Get your local basic phrases 👉
Get the Travel Guide - is an official language in American Samoa alongside Samoan, and you can use it at shops, government offices, guesthouses and restaurants around Pago Pago and Tafuna. Younger people learn it at school and speak it fluently. In outlying villages and on the Manu’a islands, older people usually chat in Samoan, though most can still switch to English. Learn talofa (hello) and fa’afetai (thank you), because villagers respond warmly when a visitor uses them.
Money & Payments
The local currency of American Samoa is USD ($).
American Samoa uses the US dollar, so Americans have nothing to exchange, and everyone else should arrive with dollars or plan to withdraw them, because euros and other currencies are hard to change. ATMs are concentrated around Pago Pago, Fagatogo, Utulei, Tafuna and Nu’uuli, and you’ll find almost none on the far ends of Tutuila or in Manu’a. Expect a local fee of roughly US$2 to 5 on top of whatever your home bank charges. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at hotels, larger supermarkets, car rental agencies and some restaurants. Aiga buses, taxis, small shops, markets and village beach fees take cash only. To exchange other currencies, use a bank branch in the Pago Pago area during weekday hours, and carry plenty of small bills before you head out to villages or the outer islands.
American Samoa has no tipping culture, and locals don’t expect a tip at restaurants, in taxis or at guesthouses. Some hotels and tourist restaurants add a service charge, and leaving a few dollars for exceptional service is welcome but optional. Pushing money on a family that has fed or hosted you can embarrass them, so offer a small gift such as food instead.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.