Beat of Hawaii and Beyond: Travel Tips, Deals, Events, Culture

We told you how to eat well at 30,000 feet. Now that you’ve arrived at your destination, what’s your meal plan on the ground?

If your hotel room does not have a kitchen, your choices are limited to room service and restaurants. That is unless you follow our tip and bring along a portable kitchen. Not only will you save money, you’ll also be able to eat a home cooked meal in the comfort of your room.

For ten bucks we found a lightweight electric burner and a saucepan. This gives us the flexibility to prepare a multitude of meals, at the fraction of the cost, wherever we travel in the world. Normally we plan one meal out a day and use our portable kitchen for the other two.

Your hotel, however, will not be enthused with the electric part of your kitchen so hide the evidence. Also be careful not to damage furniture.

Suggestions:

• Make your kitchen in your bathroom so you’ll have access to the sink, and ventilation so you won’t set off the smoke detector.
• Keep your meals simple and follow our handy list of ideas.

What to bring:

• Electric burner
• Saucepan with lid, medium-sized and lightweight
• Knife, wrapped in paper towel and labeled bag and placed in checked luggage
• Cutting board, flexible and thin
• Spatula, wooden spoon and can opener
• Salt, Pepper, and condiments
• Silverware (stainless camping style sets)
• Plastic plates and bowls, nested, in different sizes
• Insulated bag-type ice chest, collapsible

What to make:

• Hot and cold cereal
• Eggs (scrambled, omelette or poached)
• Soups, canned, packaged or from scratch. We like packaged Asian soups and add veggies, tofu, or fish)
• Pasta or spaghetti (boil, drain noodles and add your favorite sauce)
• Sandwiches
• Fruit and green salads

What not to do:

• Poach things in the coffee pot
• Grill sandwiches or quesadillas in foil on the iron.
• Heat canned food directly on the coffee pot burner.
• Cook pasta with the coffee maker
• Cook things that have a strong smell

Here’s what can go wrong: On a trip to Thailand, our portable burner died and we bought a new one there. Unfortunately, unlike those bought in the U.S., the burner wasn’t insulated on the bottom. When we used it on a wooden dresser, well you can see for yourself what happened.

What did we do? First we tried to fix it ourselves. Using sign language we conveyed to a small town shop owner that we wanted to buy sanding and refinishing supplies. Unfortunately the burn was too deep and we were not able to remove it. We summoned the manager, prepared to pay for the furniture. To our great surprise we were told that it was not a problem and they would be happy to fix it. We left a very large gratuity and learned a difficult lesson.

What’s cooking in your hotel room?

I’ve added my thoughts on these discussions and more over the past week. Here’s a recap of the articles I found most relevant to our readers:

1. What is the weak economy’s impact on vacation and business travel?

First Signs of Softening Demand for Air Travel by Rick Seaney, pointed to a Bloomberg study indicating a decline. I’d seen the study, but it is at direct odds with another current report. So what’s the point? Continue Reading »

Can “The Store of Hawaii,” Hilo Hattie, keeps its island identity following their just announced sale to a California discount hair salon owner?

It’s sad to see the end of a 45 year era. We have been hearing for some time, however, that Hilo Hattie was in financial trouble. Their problems included: Continue Reading »

Two new and potentially important travel sites, Uptake and Tripwolf, are going public this month. Both could help to improve and streamline planning for your next trip to Hawaii and beyond. But will they be able to break through the crowd and gain public trust? Here’s my first look at both.

Uptake believes that travel opinions are still an untapped part of the Web 2.0 travel industry, and we completely concur. Their release from Beta is due next week on May 14.

What We Like: Find all travel reviews on one site.

Continue Reading »

Honolulu has just made the list of Travelocity’s Top Booked Domestic Destinations. So we too were left gasping when we read yesterday’s AAA report spreadsheet:

Hawaii meals and lodging for two adults: $792 per day!

Beat of Hawaii asks: Could AAA’s financial interests associated with automotive travel have had anything to do with the way in which Hawaii travel expenses were portrayed? Could AAA itself be better served by your taking a domestic motor trip rather than a trip to Hawaii?

I started thinking about AAA and what could have been behind their article and the perception it gave readers. Certainly it could not have been an accident.

Continue Reading »

Now that airlines will be charging extra for your second checked bag, do you pay the extra fee? I’d rather keep the money for a special excursion or other splurge instead. Here are some of our ideas to make the new baggage policy work on your next Hawaii vacation.

1. Travel with a luggage scale.

Now that you’re packing more stuff in one bag, you’ll want to make sure you go right up to, but not over, the 50 pound weight limit. In our recent newsletter we mentioned the one that we use from Magellan’s for $9.95.

Continue Reading »

I took this photo while hiking in Kalaheo last week. It’s one of my favorite views on Kauai looking down to the south shore.

Speaking of views, I have a lot of my own and enjoy sharing them with others on travel sites and forums. To start the week off, I’m featuring some of these recent topics and conversations.

Continue Reading »

This Oahu hotel had stellar TripAdvisor reviews. We were floored on arrival, and thought about leaving immediately and sleeping in the car. It was the 2005 Pro Bowl weekend and everything was booked solid, except for this hotel. We checked out after one night, which was one night too many.

It all comes down to who do you trust.

Continue Reading »

Here’s my contrary tip to save money this summer and have your dream vacation too:

Don’t book early.

In fact, don’t book at all. Booking early and paying the max is exactly what airlines, hotels and car rentals are counting on right at this time.

If you’re reading USA Today’s article Cheap Tricks for Summer Travel, you’ll see their suggestion to “book far in advance.” If you’re feeling philanthropic towards the ailing airline industry, then by all means do follow that advice.

I, however, suggest the following money saving tips: Continue Reading »

Airline food is disappearing as quickly as the cheap ticket. If you find it, and can stand the taste, you’ll be eating food high in fat, salt, and sugar. Airline food is hard to digest due to the effect of low air pressure on your gut. Studies show that people feel better when they eat the opposite, with more carbohydrates and less fat.

To have tasty and nutritious food on board, and be the envy of your fellow passengers, you need to bring your own. With advance planning, you can eat like a King or Queen on the plane. Another advantage is that food is served on your schedule.

Here are four time saving tips to make it easier.

1. Choose your food: Casseroles, salads and sandwiches work best.

Another option is to freeze your favorite leftovers in the week before travel. Most any food that tastes good cold will do, and that way there is virtually no extra work. I also choose snacks I like to eat onboard, like protein bars, raisins, pretzels, and nuts.

2. Pick your food containers: I use inexpensive ones made of recyclable plastic.

Once the food is in containers, I’ll keep it in the freezer until defrosting prior to departure.

3. Get ready the night before to avoid last minute stress.

I make sandwiches and bring the casseroles from freezer to refrigerator to thaw. If the casserole I’m bringing is very perishable (which I don’t recommend), I only partially thaw it before packing. It can then finish thawing as I travel.

Each container (plus plastic cutlery and paper towels) goes in a plastic gallon bag to avoid leaks in my carry-on. Salad dressing (if not a one serving package) goes into a small container which I put inside the one quart TSA “liquids” bag. I put all the food and snacks into a reusable zippered insulated bag then stuff that into my carry-on.

If I’m not starting from home, or something goes terribly awry, I’ll stop at a grocery store and hit the salad and deli/sandwich bar. But from that point, I package it just the same as if I made it.

Do you have any favorite airline food tips? Be sure to post them here.