We are supposed to be in Hawaii today. We take the occasional trip with the whole family and since larger groups are less predictable and more expensive, we opted for flight insurance. Thank God, because Covid19 hit just in time. We are counting our blessings at this time, to include job security and having traveled recently and having been to Hawaii a few times. But we are grounded. But we are also determined to celebrate all that Hawaii is by stepping up the staycation game with a fakecation.
I'm not talking about faking a trip to make people jealous, we're not pretending we're there. But we are soaking in the Aloha at home. I'm going to take this opportunity to list some of my favorite travel tips too! Put a flower in your hair, grab some coconut rum and join me.
Tip #1 Use google maps and street view to check out intended destinations. You can virtually walk or drive down streets and some walking/hiking paths. You might walk past a restaurant-look at their online menu and choose something to try at home for fakecation.
Fake the local food. In Hawaii, our hotel has a buffet breakfast so we have a ton of fresh tropical fruit every day. On the menu for the week... Spam musubi, kalua pork, tropical drinks, coconut peanutbutter, honolulu cookies (they ship) and I'm really hoping for some shave ice, if I can find the Snoopy ice shaver I know we have somewhere.
Tip #2 Get an airline credit card. It doesn't matter which one, just start earning those miles. We like Alaska Airlines but it makes sense as we're in the Seattle area. Alaska has partners across the country so it could work for anyone.
We don't always get flight insurance. Once the price of the airfare is higher than something we're really willing to just throw away, it's time to consider the insurance. When traveling outside of the US, we check out health insurance too. Your credit card might come with some insurance.
Tip #3 Know what your destination is famous for. Hawaii is easy. Beaches and Pearl Harbor make the top of the list.
On our last trip the Pearl Harbor memorial was closed for refurb but they took us out on the boat and told us stories and actually, I think it was a deeper experience for me. On the beach, toy rentals are easy to find. We love Stand Up Paddling but you could surf, kayak or peddle at any southern beach along the tourist area. A north shore surf lesson is a beautiful splurge.
Tip #4 Know the neighborhoods. Whenever visiting a new city, research it by neighborhoods. Which have the most culture, which are dangerous at night, etc.
In Hawaii, that probably means looking at differences between islands, or maybe just which side of the island you want to be on. Oahu is small enough to day trip to any corner. Know what your hotel offers. Our hotel has a craft market, hula and craft classes. Other hotels have great shopping, gardens, and most have their own luau.
Tip #5 Search for the thing you love to do at the place you're going to visit. For me, that's hiking. We try and hike Diamond Head every time.
Research tells me peak trafic, parking fees, and that there is often a shave ice truck in the parking lot. Score! Researching snorkling at Hanauma Bay told me it's become more crowded and going at a peak time means we have to Uber. Which reminds me...
Tip #6 Google "how to public transit" and the city you're looking at. Honolulu has public transit but if you're staying in town, the trips are short and it's actually worth it to take Uber to save time. Saving time means more beach time, right?
Tip #7 Take a day tour. You're an independent traveler, I know. But day tours can be really fun. On Oahu, we took a few hours to tour Kualoa Ranch. Many movies and TV shows have filmed here and you can tour it by many different vehicles. Some of us went on a big open bus and others went on a 4 person ATV caravan and got really dusty. Both were fun and the views and stories were beautiful. The ranch has zip lines and horses too. Find day tours on Air BnB "things to do" in any city around the world.
Look for podcasts and audio tours too. For Europe tours, Rick Steves free app has a ton of free content. Mywowo has limited content and not free but I recommend it if they have content for your destination.
Since I had my PTO reversed so I can work this week, fakecation will be a lot of looking at past trip pictures and other people's pics on Pinterest. Fakecation will probably turn into trip planning. If you fakecation, tell me about it! Aloha!
