I was listening to someone- a well-versed traveler with over 60 countries of experience give advice to new travelers on how to begin the act of seeing the world with intention and purpose. He listed a few pieces of advice, but the one I remember best is this:
Don’t start with Hawaii.
Interesting.
I’ve been spending the past few days on the island of Oahu. Hawaii’s smack-in-the-middle-of-the-Pacifc-Ocean status makes it a perfect way to chop an overseas flight to the Philippines in half. I mean, sit for fourteen hours with a restless one-year-old on my lap who keeps trying to escape, or spend several days eating, exploring, and taking it easy around Hawaii? Tough choice, right?
Anyways, that traveler’s piece of advice might not be one you hear too often, but after spending some time on the shoreline of Waikiki, it actually makes perfect sense.
He wasn’t saying to avoid Hawaii. It truly is a kingdom of cultural and natural richness. But he was affirming that it might not be the best place to start.
See, Hawaii is actually where a lot of people start traveling. For a lot of people, Hawaii is the destination. It has the natural setting of a tropical island but the reassurance of still being within the United States. It isn’t uncommon for some families to return year after year.
If you hear the word tourist or vacation, I’ll bet many of the mental images that come up include Hawaiian shirts and leis.
While Hawaii has always been a popular destination, it’s probably a safe assumption that the majority of these visits are done with intent. What I mean by this is that a lot of tourism to Hawaii is extractive. People show up interested in how they can have a good time and see some beautiful scenery, without much investment in benefitting or learning from Hawaiians.
This results in some confusing takes. Ever since the start of the pandemic, there have been conflicting messages- some about how Native Hawaiians are begging mainland visitors not to come, and others about how dependent the state economy is on tourism. Both those things can be true. That said, the strongly worded social media campaigns to KEEP OUT seem to conflict with cultural practices of hospitality.
Things only get more complicated in the shadow of current events. During the heat of the pandemic, Hawaii’s more limited medical infrastructure (especially outside of Maui and Oahu) was stretched extremely thin. There’s an ongoing housing crisis that displaces many Native Hawaiians. Airbnbs and short term rentals have contributed to this housing shortage. Few things are as jarring as the contrast between the homelessness and extravagance that line the streets of Ala Moana and Waikiki.
The islands are economically reliant on tourism, with it representing about a quarter of Hawaii’s economy, but tourists aren’t always respectful of Hawaii.
Even with my best efforts to be a more conscientious visitor to Hawaii, I still found myself second guessing many decisions. Stay at an Airbnb? Hotel? I opted for the latter, which to my best knowledge seemed to be locally operated.
What should we do for fun with kids? The Dole Plantation seems fun. But isn’t that tied to Sanford Dole… AKA the guy who the U.S. installed after overthrowing Queen Liliuokalani? How do we feel about that?
Disney seems to have a popular beach for families… but can’t we just go to a beach on an island without being beholden to such a big corporation’s profit?
Of course, these questions aren’t unique to Hawaii, but something about Hawaii’s popularity makes it a bit harder to sift through. In many places, quick online searches can land me more genuine cultural experiences. What I get sometimes when searching for Hawaii often has the feel of the cultural equivalent of greenwashing. People want more authentic experiences, but that often simply nudges the bigger corporations to throw the words ‘authentic’ and ‘local’ in front of things that still economically disadvantage Native Hawaiians.
So yeah… trying to respectfully, meaningfully, and intentionally visit Hawaii can be harder. But it’s not impossible. I watch videos like Sam Potter’s Aloha Aina feature and remember… when done right, we can learn so much from Hawaiian wisdom while contributing towards expanded opportunities for Native Hawaiians.
We just gotta do our homework.
Learn history. It’s ridiculous and sad that so many Americans visit Hawaii every year while being completely unaware of how it became a state; the role of missionaries, sugar companies, and imperialism, the overthrow of the monarchy, and the way culture was repressed in language and education. No judging, I learned about this stuff late, too. This explainer video is a pretty accessible entry point into that unfortunate part of U.S. history. Of course, I am also more partial to Native Hawaiian authored resources. Queen Liliuokalani has an autobiography I recently learned about!
Consider your impact. When you sign up for an activity as a part of your visit, or a homestay… who benefits from the profit? Does it create opportunities for Native Hawaiians or contribute to their displacement? I know companies don’t make it easy to look these things up, but everything you do has an impact. We can try and mitigate harm and increase the good.
Learn from native wisdom. Annie Daly and Kainoa Daines have a book called Island Wisdom that serves as a good primer before a visit. The foundations of love, land, stories, and family resonate with me deeply. Check out Sam Potter’s video. And of course, spend time talking to the people you meet on your own travel. And definitely don’t do most of the things from Season One of White Lotus.