Getting to Pago Pago by air is fairly straightforward, though rarely inexpensive. Depending where you're coming from, you'll need to get yourself to Hawaii, Tonga, West Coast USA, Australia or New Zealand and catch a connecting flight. Air New Zealand, Air Pacific and Polynesian Airlines Samoa all fly the blue skies above American Samoa. There is a US$3 departure tax when leaving American Samoa by air, but it's usually included in the cost of the ticket.

It is also possible to arrive by sea if you've got a bit more time on your hands. Thumbing a lift on a yacht from the US West Coast or Australia's northeast is possible for those with sailing experience, or the desire to cook meals and scrape barnacles. Generally, you'll be hooking up with yachties in the USA between May and October as they take advantage of favourable winds and weather conditions. They'll all scatter by late November as the cyclone season fires up. If you're not planning to batten down the hatches with the locals, you probably should scatter with them.

Samoa Air and Polynesian Airlines ply routes between Pago Pago and a variety of American and independent Samoan destinations including Ofu, Ta'u, Apia and Savai'i. Buses are a great, unpredictable, noisy way of moving about the main islands. The 'aiga buses on Tutuila are brightly painted trucks that blast reggae music all day. Drivers are a law unto themselves; they'll knock off work whenever they feel like it. Never rely on a bus after about 2pm.

Car hire will set you back about US$50 a day plus insurance and fuel, but if you're on Tutuila for only a day or two, there's no better way to see the sights.