So, Lilo and Stitch is one of your favorite Disney animated movies? Seeing Lilo travel around the picturesque whereabouts of Hawaii with Stitch in tow set to the backdrop of Elvis Presley tunes has left several of us yearn for your own Hawaiian vacation!
Well you do not have to keep on yearning; vacationing in Hawaii is easy, evidenced by the vast number of tourists just last year. What such a large number of tourists can do though is dilute the actual experience of the setting and prevent you from really savoring the local culture and flavor.
Here are some particularly important tips to consider if you want to experience your idyllic Hawaiian vacation the truly local way:
1. Disconnect
Seeing scores of vainglorious tourist pictures and selfies with local monuments and destinations is nothing new. It is pretty much guaranteed whenever someone goes on vacation they will pretty soon be bombarding their social media sites with imagery.
If that is what you went to do however then how is that any different from back home?
The first thing therefore upon landing in Hawaii is getting rid of that cycle of likes and comments. Disconnect and unplug and turnoff every social media account you have, unwind and unburden yourself from today’s incessant craving for always online connection and electronics.
Keep your Elvis Presley tunes handy though, sometimes stereotypes work. Sipping pina-colada on a beach with the waves caressing your feet and Elvis serenading you is something even locals would be game for.
2. Travel the Path Less Trodden
With the number of tourists in Hawaii, particularly during the prime seasons, it’s more than likely that instead of taking in the history and majesty of local culture and sights, you will be greeting the same mundane rote faces as back home.
It will be a miracle if you can even get to enjoy any of the popular hotspots, that is why a keen local would tell you to travel to some of the far-off less visited places. The comparative lower tourist density there would allow you to soak in and really enjoy the local setting more.
3. Local People, Local Food
What do most tourists generally do? Book rooms in hotels and resorts with overpriced food!
The experienced traveler would tell you to really get to put yourself in local shoes, perhaps bar any other advice; Savor local cuisine from local people. Soul food is the essence of any culture, and you will not get that at posh hotels and buffets. You will find them at quaint homes with recipes going back generations or from famous roadside stalls and hawker carts going back decades and people cooking up the best freshest meat and seafood available in warm homely settings.
The tips above may seem general but it is all the more important to hammer in the basics for areas that are already crawling with tourists.
So what are you waiting for? Book your dream Hawaiian vacation now and remember, enjoy it like a local.