The hardest thing to do on Guam is find your way around. Our first day there, we went to what felt like a million gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores looking for a detailed map with street names and numbers. You know what doesn’t exist there? A detailed map with street names and numbers.
The best one we found, and the one we ended up using so much it nearly fell apart, was in the centerfold of the free Island Time Magazine, which can be found in most any hotel on the island. Between that and google maps when we were in the hotel, we were able to cover every major road, see over a dozen unique beaches, and find some pretty amazing views. The map is posted on their Japanese language website here, but the magazine version has a little more detail in it from what I remember.
I’m a born-and-raised Houston girl who has seen more than her share of hot and oppressively humid days. I can work outside in July and only just barely break a sweat. I worked on a farm in one of the hottest summers I can remember. Heat is nothing to me. (Don’t bring up cold, though. I hate cold.) See that delightful back sweat? I acquired that after less than 10 minutes of walking on almost entirely shaded sidewalks at 8:30 in the morning. Seriously. The humidity on the island is somewhere in the neighborhood of 300% at all times and it’s a killer. We had big plans to spend most of our time in the Tumon area on foot until we actually got there and started breathing like an invisible hand was holding a steaming hot, wet washcloth over our mouths. The bus system there isn’t great either from what I’ve read. Perhaps we weren’t in the right places at the right times for it, but I don’t recall ever actually seeing a bus that wasn’t a Japanese tourist shuttle from the hotel strip to the duty free shopping strip.
We traveled the island on scooters from Scooter World (I linked to their facebook because their website is under construction and has no information), and I can’t think of a better way for us to see everything. In fact, we loved it so much we’ve had reservations for March’s trip since the minute I found out we were going. They never really got above 40 mph unless we were going down a hill, but that gave us a chance to take in everything around us. With a full 360° viewing area everywhere we went, I feel like I was able to see much more of the island as well.
It was only $175 per scooter for a week, which sounds comparable to a car until we get some real talk about gas. A scooter tank can be filled for less than $5 and will go just as far as a car. Can you fill your car’s tank for $5? The only challenge with the scooter was getting our fins, masks, snorkels, towels, sunscreen, and snacks in the little seat compartment. Marshall ended up having to ride with fins strapped to his backpack, which wasn’t fun but totally worth it.
Guam for Beginners 