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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 10 customer reviews )
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14 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Hippie's guide Nov 05, 2006
By Ivan V. Afanasyev
When I got this video I expected to see some points of interest, some history, some advice for a traveler. Well, there are some of these things in the video but they serve only as a background. This video is poorly put together political statements of a 20 something year old which has a quality of a high school project. She spends way too much time discussing politically sensitive issues such as gay marriage and the right of natives for their land, but with very little content useful for tourists or people interested in Hawaii's sites. This is definitely not a travel guide. Probably if you are a hippie you will appreciate that the only hotel reviewed in the video is a hostel with bunk beds and the featured rental car company is a junk car loaning place. Do not be misguided.
15 of 20 found the following review helpful:
 How to have a bad time in Hawaii by Globetrekker. Aug 26, 2006
By Moniker Mike
This show does not tell you where good hotels can be found, what tours to take, where to eat, etc. This 60 minute show is really geared for the young, hip, counter-cultured (very left-leaning) Euro-American who likes to travel around Europe with only a back-pack on their shoulders. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy the spontaneity and the adventure of the idea, but it just doesn't translate very well to Hawaii.
I question staying at a hostel in Oahu for $17 a night considering that you will pay in excess of $500+ per flight to Oahu from the continental U.S. in the first place. I was also very unimpressed by the hostess's willingness to hitchhike to places: Kauai seemed to be the only place where hitchhiking is the only way to get around. Other islands offer car rentals, which is the normal way people get around (call me old-fashioned).
The show did highlight some different aspects of the Hawaii... from Kauai as being the non-tourist destination, to Oahu as the site of Pearl Harbor, to the crater of Haleakala in Mauai, to the lava flows from the Kilauea volcano in the Big Island.
Overall, I would not use my own money to buy this show... in the spirit of everything globetrekker, I would try to pawn some worthless stuff for it instead.
4 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Don't waste your money Dec 01, 2007
By R. Worthy
"Houston Tourist"
I bought 2 dvds and 1 book just before we left for Hawaii. (Nov. 17-26, 2007). This video is VERY slow and does not show anything you can't see on-line. It shows still photos with a narrative. And...the photos are from the early 80s. There is no action here. You are better off buying something else. There are other dvds for less!
4 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Low quality DVD Jan 11, 2007
By Mariusz Mikita
"Mm"
This DVD from Lonely Planet is interesting but look like VHS version, realy low quality of recording
Not particularly well researched Nov 19, 2011
By M. Myers
"mmyers"
Some Globe Trekker videos are very interesting and full of helpful information. This one, not so much. It is a nice looking video, but then again, most footage of Hawaii is beautiful. It also covers several islands and some places that fewer people visit, like the Parker Ranch. And the focus on leaving the beaten path and meeting ordinary people instead of just doing touristy things is great.
There are several really questionable parts, though. The worst, from my point of view, was the host's trek near active lava flows at Kilauea. After giving a half-hearted disclaimer about the National Park Service's warning not to go hiking there, and naming a couple of potentially fatal dangers (and failing to mention many others, like corrosive gases, scalding hot steam, and knife-sharp rocks), off she goes, getting up close to red hot lava and cooing over the sight. The only precaution she mentioned was that she had a guide. The guide's credentials were left somewhat unclear. If a lot of people follow her example, it's likely some of them will be injured or killed, or at least need to be rescued.
The video says Hawaii has very little dangerous fauna, which may be true on land but is definitely not true in the water. If you're going to be surfing, swimming, kayaking, etc. as shown in the video, you definitely need to be aware of this.
The video also gives the impression that a large number of Hawaiians don't recognize Hawaii as part of the US and want to secede. While this is one point of view to be aware of, it's not the only one, nor is it the most common. It also presents a glib and politically-sanitized view of Hawaiian traditions and history, the kind you might get from popular movies. Save for a brief mention of human sacrifice, the video gives the impression that native Hawaiians were all gentle pacifists living like hippies in a largely unstructured society until the missionaries came along, abolished the kapu, tore down all the heiaus, made everyone start living by strict rules, etc. If the writers had done a little research, they'd have known the real history is more interesting and nuanced.
Parts of the video are very dated. Obviously, some facts have changed - for example, it's no longer true that nearly all flights into Hawaii land at Honolulu. But also, the video was written at a time before the same-sex marriage debate had heated up. Apparently in an effort to support gay rights, the host attends the civil union ceremony of a gay couple who apparently are total strangers to her. No matter what you think of the marriage debate, dropping in on someone else's wedding is kind of an odd thing to do. And now that several states recognize either same-sex marriage or civil unions, I doubt anyone wants to spend their time in Hawaii attending strangers' weddings, no matter what kind of couple it is.
There are also some a few really offbeat choices about places to stay, transportation, and activities that aren't necessarily any cheaper or more fun. If you find it entertaining to see someone else go through discomfort for no apparent reason, you'll like this. If you are looking for something really unusual to do and don't care about enjoyment or comfort, you might also like it. If you're trying to get the most out your trip to Hawaii, you might be happy that it steers foolish adventurers away from the good places you have scouted out. But if you follow the host's example, you might be in for a miserable time and miss out on a lot Hawaii has to offer.
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