Most people plan Hawaii all wrong. They try to hit three islands in ten days, get stuck behind slow drivers on the Road to Hana, and never make it past Waikiki. This week Joe and Crystal sit down with Doug Norman, who has lived on Oahu since the 1980s, for the kind of advice you only get from someone who actually lives there.

In this episode:

Why the Big Island should be your first stop, what makes each island completely different from the others, the Pearl Harbor attractions most visitors miss, and why Waikiki is both overrated and worth your time.

Biggest takeaways:

Do less than you think. One island per week minimum. The visitors who enjoy Hawaii most are the ones who slow down and let it find them.

Skip the sunrise bus to Haleakala. You board at 3:30am, sit in a diesel-idling parking lot with 300 strangers, and hope the clouds cooperate. There are better ways to watch a Hawaiian sunrise.

The Big Island gives you things no other island can. Snow and lava on the same day. Black sand beaches. The quietest place in the world inside a volcanic crater. Start here.

Ask your hotel concierge for this week's best local restaurant, not the brochure rack. And then go to Zippy's anyway.

Also in this episode:

The ninth island of Hawaii isn't in the Pacific. Crystal is still somewhere in Japan.

Head to stackingadventures.com/mystory to guess the city and win travel swag from Emerald Cruise Lines.

Resources mentioned:

Doug Norman at militaryfinancialindependence.com

Travel gear we actually use: stackingadventures.com/gearoftheday