Travel Tips for a Wonderful Experience on the Island of Oahu
There have been a number of jellyfish stings reported during the month of July. Our tip this month is to obey jellyfish warnings. Be aware of when and where jellyfish appear, and don’t go in the water if you see them or if warning signs are posted.
Sign Credit: https://emergencyservices.honolulu.gov/ocean-safety-lifeguard-services/beach-signs/
Our tip this month is to not pack medication, valuables, and other essentials in your checked luggage. Always keep those items with you in the event your luggage is damaged, delayed, or lost. In some instances, people have also reported cash, electronics, jewelry, or items of sentimental value, missing or stolen from their checked luggage. Keep with you what you really value or cannot do without.
This month, we are reminding people keep their wallets, purses, and other valuables on them while sightseeing and to share this advice with family and friends. Lookouts on Oahu continue to be the number one hotspot for car break-ins and we urge everyone to exercise caution while out and about in order to minimize any unpleasant incident.
Consider buying a refundable airline ticket when you travel. In the last couple of months, we have assisted visitors who purchased non-refundable, non-transferable airline tickets because they are cheaper than refundable tickets. However, when life happens, like when visitors get sick and have to reschedule their trip, the airlines have told them to buy brand new tickets which are far more expensive.
Our tip this month is to not count your money in the open. You never know who is watching. In March, a visitor was robbed after he was seen sitting on a bench counting his cash. The perpetrator stole his cash and wallet, and kicked him in the leg. Fortunately, the victim was not injured.
Our tip this month is to not bring unnecessary cards and documents on your trip. For example, visitors sometimes travel with their social security card and a large number of credit cards. If you don’t need it, it’s best not to take it.
Our tip this month is to purchase travel insurance. Unexpected expenses can destroy your finances. There isn’t a month that goes by that international visitors ask us who can help pay for their medical expenses. Travel insurance offers an important safety net that you should not go without.
Our tip this month is to not let your guard down when sightseeing. We routinely get cases involving visitors whose belongings are stolen from their cars while they stop at various lookouts, as well as other scenic locations. They sometimes tell us that they were only gone for five or ten minutes. It doesn’t always need to take long for a crime to take place.
In December, VASH assisted hiker Ian Snyder who was hiking alone. Ian fell 1,000 feet to the bottom of a mountain and was missing for three days before he was rescued. Officials in the hiking community advise to never hike alone
When booking a trip online, we recommend you use a reputable website. Never wire money because once it’s gone, you are unlikely to get it back and you will be out of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Our tip this month involves visitors leaving their lanai door unlocked while they step out or are asleep. We have received many cases over the years in which visitors’ vacation rentals were burglarized or ransacked. We recommend that you take the time to lock your lanai door if you are going to sleep, sightsee, or enjoy the beach.
Our tip for this month involves minor children traveling alone domestically or internationally. Parents should be aware of airlines’ Unaccompanied Minor policy. In many cases, there are age restrictions and unaccompanied minor fees, which vary from airline to airline. We recently had a case where a child was flying unaccompanied with incomplete paperwork. We recommend that you thoroughly check the rules and requirements for unaccompanied minors with your airline.
We encourage visitors to be aware their surroundings especially when they are on their cell phone. We urge visitors to pay attention to where they are and what they are doing. In July, we assisted the family of a 15-year-old visitor who was harassed by a homeless person. We reached out to the victim’s mother who explained that her child was on the phone and not paying attention to her surroundings. The victim was initially upset about the incident but was doing better.
We advise all visitors not to take all of their cash or credit cards with them when they go out for the day. That way, if an unfortunate incident occurs, their vacation is not ruined and they still have resources. We have dealt with hundreds of cases where visitors take all of their valuables with them and have no resources if something happens. We want our visitors to have a safe and happy vacation, and they can do this with just one ounce of prevention.
A lot of our visitors come to Hawaii when they are ill. We recommend they stay home until they have recuperated. If you have a friend or family member who is not feeling well, please encourage them to stay home until they have recovered, for their benefit and for those around them.
Visitors are sometimes faced with a predicament as to what to do with their luggage if they arrive before check-in time or have to check out hours before their flight. Some people will drive around or sightsee with their luggage in their vehicle while others might leave the baggage in an unconventional place. A couple weeks ago, a visitor arrived too early to check into his vacation rental so he left his suitcase containing clothes and gifts right next to a dumpster. When he returned hours later, the suitcase was gone and he was upset. VASH recommends asking your hotel to store your luggage until check-in time. The Honolulu airport and many hotels, for example, provide baggage storage services.
Hawaii offers many opportunities for adventure. Cliff jumping or diving, for example, is a popular pastime for some people and many guides promote the best spots for this activity. In March, a visitor sustained injuries after he jumped off a cliff at a waterfall on the Big Island and landed on rocks. He was transported to a hospital on Oahu. There have been other instances in the past involving injuries stemming from cliff jumping. Whether you are a novice or experienced, please be aware that cliff jumping comes with many risks due to changing tides and other conditions, unfamiliarity with the location, and overestimating your limits. VASH does not recommend cliff jumping or diving for our visitors as an adventure activity. One major injury can ruin a whole vacation.
Hawaii offers a variety of outdoor activities, including, but not limited to, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, whale watching, ziplining, hang gliding, and hiking. Our tip to visitors is to check weather conditions and advisories, and to familiarize themselves with any potential impacts on an outdoor activity. The weather can be beautiful one day and stormy the next. Earlier this year, we experienced heavy rain, high winds, and/or high surf warnings. We have had several cases over the years in which visitors have been injured while engaging in an activity during inclement weather.
Our tip to visitors is to be careful when booking a place to stay on the internet. Please make sure that you go through a legitimate company or website and research the property thoroughly. Do not wire money as a form of payment. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. We have had many cases over the years where visitors arrive to find that the vacation rental they paid for doesn’t exist or isn’t for rent, and the person they booked through is nowhere to be found. They end up scrambling to find new lodging and have to absorb additional costs for new accommodations.
Our tip to visitors is to please not leave your car door unlocked, especially when you have valuables inside. We have recently (and over the years) received cases in which visitors’ belongings were stolen as a result of this. They step away from their vehicle to take pictures or go sightseeing, or simply forget to lock their door. We recommend always double-checking that your car door is locked when it is unattended.
We highly recommend that visitors take out travel insurance before coming to Hawaii in the event an unfortunate incident occurs. Travel insurance offers an additional safety net when visitors are thousands of miles away from home. Depending on the policy, benefits may include coverage for medical expenses, medical evacuations, nonrefundable trip cancellation costs, lost or delayed baggage, and a number of other benefits. Health insurance from other countries might not be accepted in the U.S.; therefore, it is particularly important that international visitors consider purchasing travel insurance as well.
Please do not leave your car keys unattended or hidden on the beach. In October, we received three cases in which a rental car was either stolen or left behind but rendered inoperable because the key was taken. In the latter case, the visitors had to wait until someone arrived to tow their vehicle before they could leave the scene, as there was no spare key.
Please be aware of Hawaii’s Animal Quarantine law if you plan to bring a cat, dog, or other animals into Hawaii. An animal entering the State must have two rabies vaccinations, blood tests, a microchip, and a health certificate in order to avoid the maximum 120-day quarantine at a cost of $1,080 per pet. (Exceptions apply to rabies-free countries.) In September, a visitor and his dog had to be sent home when the owner did not meet the necessary quarantine pre-travel requirements.
We advise our visitors to always leave their valuables in the hotel room or safe and never leave them unattended on the beach.