Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Remember also that hotels are open to the public and that in a large property, security may not be
able to screen everyone entering. Always lock your room door—don't assume that once inside
your hotel, you're automatically safe.
Burglaries of tourists' rental cars in hotel parking structures and at beach parking lots have be-
come more common. Park in well-lighted and well-traveled areas, if possible. Never leave any
packages or valuables visible in the car. If someone attempts to rob you or steal your car, do not
try to resist the thief or carjacker—report the incident to the police department immediately. Ask
your rental agency about personal safety, and get written directions or a map with the route to your
destination clearly marked.
Generally, Hawaii has the same laws as the mainland United States. Nudity is illegal in Hawaii.
There are no legal nude beaches (despite what you may have read). If you are nude on a beach
(or anywhere) in Hawaii, you can be arrested.
Smoking marijuana also is illegal. Yes, there are lots of “stories” claiming that marijuana is grown
in Hawaii, but the drug is illegal; if you attempt to buy it or light up, you can be arrested.
Senior Travel
Discounts for seniors are available at almost all of Hawaii's major attractions and oc-
casionally at hotels and restaurants. The Outrigger hotel chain, for instance, offers travelers ages
50 and older a 20% discount of regular published rates—and an additional 5% of for members of
AARP. Always ask when making hotel reservations or buying tickets. And always carry identifica-
tion with proof of your age—it can really pay of.
The U.S. National Park Service offers an
America the Beautiful—National Park and Federal
Recreational Lands Pass—Senior Pass
(formerly the
Golden Age Passport
), which gives seni-
ors 62 years or older lifetime entrance to all properties administered by the National Park Ser-
vice—national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife
refuges—for a one-time processing fee of $10. The pass must be purchased in person at any NPS
facility that charges an entrance fee. Besides free entry, the America the Beautiful Senior Pass of-
fers a 50% discount on some federal-use fees charged for such facilities as camping, swimming,
parking, boat launching, and tours. For more information, go to
www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm
or
call the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which issues the passes, at
&
888/275-8747.
Frommers.com
offers more information and resources on travel for seniors.
Smoking
Hawaii has one of the toughest laws against smoking in the U.S. It's against the law to
smoke in public buildings, including airports, shopping malls, grocery stores, retail shops, buses,
movie theaters, banks, convention facilities, and all government buildings and facilities. There is no
smoking in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Most bed-and-breakfasts prohibit smoking indoors;
more and more hotels and resorts are becoming nonsmoking, even in public areas. If you want to
smoke outside, you must
not
be within 20 feet of a doorway, window, or ventilation intake. (No
hanging around outside a bar to smoke; you must go 20 ft. away.) Even some beaches have no-
smoking policies (and on those that allow smoking, you'd better pick up your butts and not use the
sand as your own private ashtray—or face stiff fines). In Hawaii, breathing fresh clean air is “in”
and smoking is “out.”
Taxes
The United States has no
value-added tax (VAT)
or other indirect tax at the national level.
Every state, county, and city may levy its own local tax on all purchases, including hotel and res-
taurant checks and airline tickets. These taxes will not appear on price tags. Hawaii's sales tax on
Oahu is 4.17%, which will be added to every purchase. You hotel bill will have the sales tax, plus
