- Riselle Celestina was born and raised in the Caribbean and now lives on the island of St. Maarten.
- The travel writer has explored dozens of islands and helps incoming travelers plan their trips.
One of Riselle Celestina's favorite parts about living in a tourist destination is getting to show visitors the magic of the place she calls home.
Celestina, who was born and raised in the Caribbean and now lives on St. Maarten, told Insider that the top thing tourists should do when they visit is say hello to locals and create relationships.
Saying hello "is super important to us," Celestina — who shares insights like this about her home on her travel blog, The Traveling Island Girl, and her podcast, "Paradise Perspectives" — told Insider.
"We locals are a very friendly bunch, but we tend to get offended when you don't greet us before you ask a question," Celestina previously said on her YouTube channel The Traveling Island Girl.
A simple greeting is all it takes, Celestina said
Celestina wears many hats in her day-to-day life in St. Maarten.
When she's not blogging or podcasting about the Caribbean, she's managing the bar she owns on the island of St. Maarten. And when she's not doing that, she's meeting with tourists and taking them on adventures across her home.
In all these roles, she said she constantly encounters tourists. Travelers might enter her bar to ask for directions or a restaurant recommendation. If she's showing visitors her home or walking around the island, a tourist might stop her to ask a question.
Celestina said she welcomes these encounters and is thrilled to give advice — but the polite way is to start the interaction with a greeting, like asking locals how their day is going and if they have a minute to answer a question.
While this may seem like obvious advice, Celestina said she's surprised how often tourists forget to greet a local. Instead, they approach her and others with questions, concerns, and requests without taking a moment to stop and introduce themselves.
She said slowing down and saying hello can open the door to exchanging stories and perspectives — and ultimately, she says that's one of the best parts about traveling.