[Travel] My Travel Guide To Hawaii

Hawaii is a special place that anyone should get to if they get the opportunity. I love it there and have been many times and trust me, I will make this many more in the future. I thought it might be a good idea to give you a little guide about Hawaii, what it means to be there and what it is that I love about it. So sit back, relax and enjoy my Hawaii travel guide.

My first thoughts

Hawaii is a very interesting place when it comes to the first impression that you get. When you land you are presented with luxury homes in Hawaii next to the beach, great weather, nature, skyscrapers and a relaxed atmosphere. It is very interesting because technically speaking it is a state of the United States, but that is certainly not the impression that you get when you are there.

The People

Hawaii is a nice mix of people from all around the world from the native people, Americans, Japanese and many people from the Philippines. The Hawaiian culture is one of a relaxed nature and also of a warm friendliness that you don’t often experience in other parts of the world. This is, of course, very difficult to describe in a blog post, but is very obvious when you get there.

Food culture

One thing that I like to benchmark in every place I go is definitely the food and Hawaii is certainly a place that doesn’t disappoint in this regard. The food of the locals is very interesting and my favourite aspect is the concept of the “imu”, which is like an underground oven. Hawaiians heat stones and place them in the ground along with the food wrapped in leaves or foil to slowly cook things like meat and vegetables. This makes for some delicious meat, which simply melts in your mouth.

There is also a number of local producers of food, which make for some incredible meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. This means fresh food that tastes great and in particular, I really like the fish and seafood. Hawaii is, after all, an island in the middle of the ocean and this means some of the freshest fish that you can imagine.

The American influence can be seen in a number of American restaurants, such as burgers, ribs and all the good stuff that we all love. In general, many people may see choices like this as the choice of unsophisticated tourists, but that isn’t the case here.

What to do

If you asked anybody about the things that you could do there, it would be a never ending list, but let’s start with the beaches. Hawaii is the home of surfing and here you can learn to surf and there are beaches to suit those with all kinds of surfing experience. On some beaches there are huge waves and on others there are calmer and more relaxed waters that are more suited to the beginner. My personal favourite is Oahu, which has the big waves that we have all seen on television. The beach is also a great place to relax, swim and snorkel. Snorkeling is one of my favourite activities, especially due to the beautiful tropical fish that you can see in the clear waters around the islands. For those that enjoy diving there are a number of dive sites too, so if you are planning a trip to Hawaii, you should seriously consider getting a diving certification before you go.

The nature is one great aspect of Hawaii and there are a number of ways that tourists can interact with the landscape of this great place. For example, the active volcanoes are a great attraction and provide some incredible sites to see. Seeing the lava fields and steam rising from the earth is a strong reminder of the power of mother nature. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend getting up in the air in a plane or helicopter to observe the amazing sights of the volcanic landscape. It is a very special experience to see molten rock pouring into the sea from high up in the air and it is a sight I will never forget.

Another highlight for me when I was last in Hawaii was seeing the sunrise at Haleakalā and it is probably the only place on the planet where you need to reserve a place to see the sunrise! Here you are presented with the sun rising above the clouds and one of the most spectacular views that you are likely to see in your life. Be organised and book early, because this is not an opportunity to be missed.

For those interested in the history of Hawaii, there are also a number of historical sights. In particular, those that were significant during the Second World War. Pearl Harbour is one great example of this and the naval base here was ambushed by the Japanese air force and this effectively signalled the entry of the United States into the World War. There are a number of memorials that dot the place and my favourite is the USS Arizona, which was the only battleship that was not raised from the sea. It serves as a memorial to those that lost their lives in protecting their nation and you can even see the remains of the ship from the shrine that was built above it on the water.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about Hawaii and hopefully this has whet your appetite to travel there. I will certainly be traveling there again very soon!

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