Top myths I was infuses with by my parents/ society in general that just aren't true:
1) Three meals a day is something that the food industry invented. You can get by with 2 if your body gets used to it.
2) You have to book tickets way in advance- the airline industry, travel industry in general obviously want to get you signed up and committed and money asap, and also know how many more tickets they can sell to unsuspecting chaps.... these days based on my job and changing work schedules I either get a refundable/changeable ticket (think southwest) or just wait til last minute and take my chances rates don't go up. It's like a guessing game between you and the hotel/ airline: I find it's not high season, you call call their bluff and wait.
3) You have to go to departures when leaving and arrivals when picking someone up- obviously not at places like lax where the two levels are just right on top of each other. Save self some time and go to the less crowded one.
4) Tipping- urg. You can't encourage a society where people EXPECT to be tipped and get upset if they don't. Hawaii is a tipping-reliant society and based on the tourism industry, i get that, but it kind of ruins the whole experience of traveling if you have to tip the rental car driver, the valet at your hotel, the bartender, the tour guide, the receptionist at the restaurant who passes you your TAKEOUT, it's almost as if everyone you meet on vacation needs to be tipped, and not even for doing anything extra, just doing your job. How did this whole notion of tipping get started? Asian countries don't have it. It's America's and certain other societies' way of subsidizing the middle lower class and service industry that the government itself fails to do, levying yet another tax on the consumer.
Bottom line: tipping is not a legally required exercise, just a social obligation. Not even a moral obligation, people do it cuz they don't want to get someone angry, but it's almost as bad to see someone you just tipped with your hard-earned money (tax-free btw, you're welcome service industry employees) just take it like they're offenses you didn't give more.
5) You have to let loose and "relax" when on vacation.
"Aloha" and "Mahalo"- 2 words I heard the most on vacation in Hawaii, outwardly a sign of friendship and greeting but said by too many people in the service industry sounds like "how can we make you give us your money?" And "relax, you're on vacation" but while you're relaxing, also relax your wallet and spend money."
6) You gotta spend at least x amount of days on y vacation location. In my experience, unless you have a school commitment or contractual obligation to be somewhere, always cut x number by 25 to 50 percent, and don't overrate y as the end all and be all. Tourist locations love to have you the consumer stay longer and spend more money on their restaurants and hotels. I should open up my own location in suburban Camarillo and advertise "come to Camarillo! You'll love our public parks and proximity to Costco! Gotta stay at least 3 days!" I can get a lot done in a day, especially if I find my way somewhere quickly (I'm a good navigator and tireless traveler) and don't stay somewhere too long (enough to take a picture, walk the grounds, and get out)
7) Have to eat the native food in the location: I ate Hawaiian poke on the big island... not the best. The most authentic food is usually jacked up in price. The phrase "tourist trap" comes to mind.
8) You have to stay at a fancy resort as a guest. You don't have to stay there to visit there! Hawaii in particular had some awesome resorts. We went to like 8 of them, actually a guest at 3 of them. Four seasons, Hilton, Sheraton, Fairmount, whatever fancy luxury resort you want to talk about, they all let the public go in and look around, and really, isn't that at least half the value, the ambiance and experiencing the resort? Certainly that's what the "resort fee" (that gets taxed too btw) should encompass, right? The other part of the hotel experience is just sleeping in the room, which I can do almost anywhere (Mj can't, I can)
9) Christmas
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
No comments:
Post a Comment