Happiness Is Just Around The Bend

Because you all seemed to love A Hawaii Food Bucket List (From a Local), I decided to make a part 2!  So here are a few more local foods to try in Hawaii.

This is a write-up of my 2008 trip to Hawaii. The photos are low quality as they were taken from Facebook, due to our camera being stolen while on the trip.   Everywhere you go in Hawaii there are adverts for helicopter rides, and it was after seeing my 50th of them that I decided to check it out. After some research, I opted to go with Paradise Helicopters, mostly because they offer a “doors-off” experience, where you could feel the heat of the lava hitting your face. They were also the only company that offered a two-way communication channel with the pilot so that you could ask questions as well as listen to what they had to say. We chose the 50 minute “Doors Off with Waterfalls” experience, at a price of $225 per person. The helicopters depart from Hilo, and as we were currently staying in Kona, on the other side of the island, we had a long drive to reach Hilo airport. Upon reaching the airport, it was easy to find the place where we would depart fr...

I know not everyone is a fan of guided tours. In fact, among the travel community, many people look down upon those who would choose a guided tour over going it alone, arguing that dependence on a tour guide makes the experience in a place less “authentic.” Well, I’m not sure I agree. Just like with all inclusive vacations and cruises, I think guided tours have their place in travel . Admittedly, they aren’t for everybody, and a good guided tour depends a lot on the people running it, as well as the people partaking in it. Get stuck in an annoying group of insensitive or ignorant tourists (or guides), and nobody is likely to enjoy the tour. But if you luck out and choose the *right* tour, there’s no reason why even the most independent traveler can’t enjoy a guided tour. The Markings of a Good Guided Tour So what makes a tour the right one? Well, what’s right for one person may be wrong for another. It’s all about personal preferences, after all. But there are a few points that ...