Tropical Travel Girl
When in the islands, do as the islanders do…
When you travel to a tropical island, do you drink the local beer or ask for a Bud Light? Do you make a beeline for the KFC or other American chain (on islands that have them) or ask where the locals go for lunch? Do you do as the islanders do, or avoid any deviation from your Americanized comfort zone?
Cove Bay Beach, Anguilla
As one who has traveled to more than 40 islands in the Caribbean, Europe and South Pacific since visiting my first island in 1990, I choose to immerse myself in the island culture, food, drinks, and to “chat up” the locals whenever and wherever possible. I live in America and love it, but when I travel, I want to enrich and enlarge my world, by doing as the islanders do.
If you want to make the most of your next trip to a tropical island destination, here are my suggestions:
Hermitage Plantation, Nevis, West Indies
Choose to stay at a small, individually-owned resort or bed-and-breakfast where you will be more likely to eat, drink, and interact with the islanders. Skip the large all-inclusive resort chain this time. (This is not to say that every all-inclusive caters to American tastes, and if you enjoy staying at them, thatʼs fine. Just realize that you may not be able to experience the full flavor of the island if you are eating cheeseburgers and drinking Budweiser.)
Drink the local brew and the local non-alcoholic beverages, too. Many islands have their own beer (or rum), which isn’t available “back home,” and until my Caribbean travels I had never tasted ginger beer (non-alcoholic, tastes like very strong ginger ale), Ting (a grapefruit-flavored soft drink) or Ginseng-Up.
Hairoun Bitter Lemon, Cool, Reed’s Ginger Beer, and Quenchi
Fiji Bitter and Fiji Gold beer
Try local dishes. Each Caribbean region and the Pacific islands have their own specialties. If I had been hesitant to eat outside my comfort zone, I would have never tried plantains, callaloo, ackee and saltfish, ceviche (marinated conch), sea urchin, or goat water.
Poisson Cru at Four Seasons Bora Bora
I would have said “no, thanks” to the wonderful marinated fish dish, poisson cru, I fell in love with while in Tahiti and its Fijian cousin, kokoda.
Talk to the locals. Ask them where they like to eat, where they go for the best island entertainment, and the beach they head for on their day off. Show an interest in their lives. Ask about their children. Find out what their favorite home-cooked meal is. Getting to know them beneath the surface may end up being the most enriching part of your vacation.
A Tahitian family enjoying their local beach.
Children playing on beach, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Attend local events; learn about the culture. Take time to attend a church service. Go to a soccer game or other sporting event. Visit a village. Research island festivals before you go, and plan your trip to coincide with the island’s Carnival or music festival.
Kava Ceremony in Fiji
Kick back with a Killer Bee at Sunshine’s in Nevis. Snorkel with stingrays in Grand Cayman or Antigua. Don’t miss The Baths in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts, or Nelson’s Dockyard on Antigua. Buy spices in St. Lucia and Grenada. Visit Alexander Hamilton’s Birthplace and Museum in Nevis.
Sunshine’s Beach Bar, Nevis, West Indies
Snorkeling with stingrays in Antigua
The Baths, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Wherever in the islands you find yourself, whether you spend a week on one island or visit several islands while on a cruise, when in the islands, do as the islanders do. In doing so, you will expand your comfort zone to include more of all the world has to offer. You will take home a bit of the islands with you – more than a t-shirt or touristy trinket from the airport gift shop.
So, don’t just visit the islands as a tourist, visit as a traveler, open to new experiences and ready to open your heart to the people you meet.
“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” – Henry David Thoreau
RELATED POSTS:
Why I love islands: food and drink
Why I love islands: history and culture
All Photos © Debbra Dunning Brouillette
Poisson Cru looks absolutely delicious! What a fabulous island wrap – swimming with Stingrays looks amazing. We have quite a lot along the coast in Western Australia, although I’m not sure I’d ever want to pick one up.
I absolutely love poisson cru! As far as stingrays, I’d never pick one up either…but most people who aren’t scuba divers mostly need to worry about stepping on one if they’re wading in the water where they can be hidden in the sand.
Poisson Cru looks a lot like a version of Hawaii’s poke – fish ‘cooked’ in various marinades. . .and something we love to eat while there. We think the whole point in travel is to try new tastes, flavors and lifestyles so we always try to do as the islanders (or any local folks) do. Funny, but I was thinking of a similar post after having some friends visit us in Greece and have an egg and toast for breakfast (as they always do at home) instead of trying the wonderful yogurt, cakes and dishes eaten in Greece.
Love Hawaiian poke, too! If I make it to Greece (not on a cruise ship, as before) I’ll eat whatever the locals eat! I love Greek yogurt, and Greek food in general.
We share your emphasis on being local – eating what locals eat and drink, experiencing what locals do, and especially taking the time to chat with folks. That may be the best take-away of the experience.
We must be cut out of the same cloth! I adore eating, drinking, and staying local. One of my favorite food memories is the fabulous goat milk ice cream in Jamaica.
And now that you mention ice cream… one of my favorite food memories is having soursop ice cream for the first time on the porch of The Hermitage (the small inn pictured in this post) on Nevis.
I definitely do all things local when I travel. I can’t understand people who order their tried and true favourites as they travel the world. Why leave home then!
It’s hard for me to understand, too, Doreen. I encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zone and try something new!
I love to experience the local culture and the local foods when I travel. I am not ready to try quite any food, but as much as I can I will eat and drink what the locals do.
Anda, I agree there may be limits as to what I would try, although I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to food!
I agree with you totally. These are great tips for visiting the islands and really getting the most out of a trip anywhere. You are much braver than I am getting up close with that stingray. Good for you!
Before the photo of me was taken with the stingray, a local teenaged boy who was very familiar with the stingrays held one and let me actually kiss its barb (the part that can rise up to “sting” someone when on the defensive)! Still can’t believe I did it!