I've spent 6 weeks of my life on Guam and am convinced it's the most underrated tourist destination in the US

Joey HaddenJul 23, 2024, 03:41 IST

That's the author posing with a shell on one of Guam's pristine beaches in 2001. Hardly any Americans visit Guam, and I think they're missing out.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The island of Guam is a US territory in the Pacific seeking more US tourists.
I've spent six weeks in Guam, visiting my CHamoru family and exploring the island.

Throughout my life, I've probably spent more time in Guam than any other destination in the world. The primary reason I've spent a total of six weeks on the Pacific island is that I have more family there than anywhere else on Earth.

Guam is a US territory in Oceania that has long been overlooked by American tourists. Travel search site Skyscanner reported in 2018 that few Americans plan trips to this destination. And growing up in the US, I rarely met people who'd even heard of the island.

Guam is actively seeking more US tourists in 2024 to boost its economy, the Guam Daily Post reported in December 2023.

As the largest island of the Mariana Islands, Guam's rich culture and adventure-friendly terrain make it one of the most underrated travel destinations in the US.

The indigenous people of Guam are CHamoru. I'm half CHamoru, and most of my CHamoru family lives on Guam.

When I visit them, we go on adventures all over the island and surrounding waters. These photos of tropical jungles, coral reefs, and some of the most culturally rich destinations Guam offers will show why it should be No. 1 on everyone's travel bucket list.

Guam's slogan is "Where America's day begins" because it is — literally.

A cliff on the western shoreline of Guam.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Guam is in the North Pacific Ocean.

Guam is an island in the Pacific.Google Maps

When I visited my family on Guam, I flew from the contiguous US by connecting through either Honolulu, Hawaii, or Tokyo, Japan.

The airport in Honolulu is called Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.Eric Broder Van Dyke/Getty Images

Guam only has two seasons — wet and dry — and it has a tropical marine climate.

Guam is full of jungle terrain.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The warm weather is perfect for swimming. Guam is surrounded by coral reefs.

A cove on the western shore of Guam.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

On the western shore of Guam in a village called Piti, the Guam Seawalker Tours offer a unique underwater adventure.

The Guam Seawalker Tours are in Piti.Google Maps

This tour takes people to the seafloor to see schools of fish, complete with a Sandy-Cheeks-like helmet straight out of "Spongebob Squarepants."

After helmet diving, my brother watches my cousin snorkel on the other side of the boat.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

But if hanging out underwater isn't really your thing, there's still plenty to do on Guam, like a hike through its tropical jungles.

Ritidian Point is in Yigo.Google Maps

It used to be an ancient CHamoru village, but now Ritidian is a wildlife refuge.

Ritidian supports a variety of plant life and wildlife.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Aside from snails, lizards, and fruit bats, Ritidian is known for its archaeological significance.

Rock art not pictured here.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Archaeological studies suggest that the first CHamoru people settled on Guam nearly 4,000 years ago, according to Guampedia.

Ritidian is known for its caves.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I went to Ritidian on the first day of my summer 2018 trip to Guam.

After I took this photo, I began to feel ill.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

For another historically informative adventure, you can also visit the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park.

The Valley of the Latte Adventure Park is in Talofofo.Google Maps

Tour guides take visitors to the valley by boat, but you can take a kayak or a paddleboat if you are feeling more adventurous.

A riverboat takes patrons to the valley.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Once at the site, patrons can see how ancient CHamoru people lived in the Talofofo River Valley over 3,000 years ago.

The latte stones are the pillars that the hut is standing on.Valley of the Latte

Visitors can walk through the home and picture what it would be like to live inside one of these huts.

A traditional Chamoru home.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The rest of the tour is a combination of exploration and demonstrations.

A tour guide shows patrons how ancient CHamorus made fire.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Then, the tour guide gives everyone some time to explore the lands. The valley is home to chickens, caribou, lizards, and wild dogs.

Chickens live in the Valley of the Latte.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My family also took me to the Guam Museum in the island's capital.

The Guam Museum is in Hagåtña.Google Maps

The Guam Museum has a history of destruction and rebuilding, just like the island of Guam itself.

A timeline of the museum's history.Yutong Yuan/Business Insider

The first thing that stands out about the museum is the building's exterior.

The building was designed to inspire a sense of community.Guam Museum

Museum director Dominica Tolentino told BI that the building's architect was inspired by memories of growing up on Guam.

The building was designed to inspire a sense of community.Guam Museum

This slab of cement on the front of the building resembles a book page.

The building was designed to inspire a sense of community.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

But the inside of the museum is even more impressive. It's complete with a permanent exhibition called "I Hinanao-ta Nu I Manaotao Tåno Siha."

The museum's lobby.Guam Museum

The exhibition is 6,200 square feet in total, and it uses technology to make it an interactive and unique experience.

A hologram provides historical information.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The first gallery focuses on the diverse ecology of Guam.

Artifacts from "The Sea and Land."Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The next section of the exhibition focuses on the ancient CHamoru culture.

The "Our Ancient Heritage" exhibition.Guam Museum

The next section is early colonization.

Colonization brought up a diverse range of traditions and cultural influences that made their ways into CHamoru people's lives.Guam Museum

The exhibition then goes into World War II and postwar reconstruction.

The World War II section of the exhibit.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

A wall of this exhibit is dedicated to those affected by the war. My cousins and I ran our fingers down the wall and found "Chaco," one of our family's names, on it several times.

Chaco is my mother's maiden name.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

A wall of this exhibit is dedicated to those affected by the war. My cousins and I ran our fingers down the wall and found "Chaco," one of our family's names, on it several times.

Finally, the exhibition ends with CHamoru's perspectives on Guam's political status and cultural revitalization.

An image from "I Finaloffan Yan I Ma'mai'la: Our Past and Our Future," which is the section about contemporary Guam.Guam Museum

Tourism commercializes Guam, introduces foreign illnesses and diseases, and it's Guam's only driving economic force, Tolentino told BI.

The museum has a cafe and a gift shop.Guam Museum

Ultimately, Tolentino believes that the people of Guam will support tourism as long as it does not challenge the community's core family values.

Opened coconuts at the Valley of the Latte.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

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I've spent 6 weeks of my life on Guam and am convinced it's the most underrated tourist destination in the US

Guam's slogan is "Where America's day begins" because it is — literally.

Guam is in the North Pacific Ocean.

When I visited my family on Guam, I flew from the contiguous US by connecting through either Honolulu, Hawaii, or Tokyo, Japan.

Guam only has two seasons — wet and dry — and it has a tropical marine climate.

The warm weather is perfect for swimming. Guam is surrounded by coral reefs.

On the western shore of Guam in a village called Piti, the Guam Seawalker Tours offer a unique underwater adventure.

This tour takes people to the seafloor to see schools of fish, complete with a Sandy-Cheeks-like helmet straight out of "Spongebob Squarepants."

But if hanging out underwater isn't really your thing, there's still plenty to do on Guam, like a hike through its tropical jungles.

It used to be an ancient CHamoru village, but now Ritidian is a wildlife refuge.

Aside from snails, lizards, and fruit bats, Ritidian is known for its archaeological significance.

Archaeological studies suggest that the first CHamoru people settled on Guam nearly 4,000 years ago, according to Guampedia.

I went to Ritidian on the first day of my summer 2018 trip to Guam.

For another historically informative adventure, you can also visit the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park.

Tour guides take visitors to the valley by boat, but you can take a kayak or a paddleboat if you are feeling more adventurous.

Once at the site, patrons can see how ancient CHamoru people lived in the Talofofo River Valley over 3,000 years ago.

Visitors can walk through the home and picture what it would be like to live inside one of these huts.

The rest of the tour is a combination of exploration and demonstrations.

Then, the tour guide gives everyone some time to explore the lands. The valley is home to chickens, caribou, lizards, and wild dogs.

My family also took me to the Guam Museum in the island's capital.

The Guam Museum has a history of destruction and rebuilding, just like the island of Guam itself.

The first thing that stands out about the museum is the building's exterior.

Museum director Dominica Tolentino told BI that the building's architect was inspired by memories of growing up on Guam.

This slab of cement on the front of the building resembles a book page.

But the inside of the museum is even more impressive. It's complete with a permanent exhibition called "I Hinanao-ta Nu I Manaotao Tåno Siha."

The exhibition is 6,200 square feet in total, and it uses technology to make it an interactive and unique experience.

The first gallery focuses on the diverse ecology of Guam.

The next section of the exhibition focuses on the ancient CHamoru culture.

The next section is early colonization.

The exhibition then goes into World War II and postwar reconstruction.

A wall of this exhibit is dedicated to those affected by the war. My cousins and I ran our fingers down the wall and found "Chaco," one of our family's names, on it several times.

Finally, the exhibition ends with CHamoru's perspectives on Guam's political status and cultural revitalization.

Tourism commercializes Guam, introduces foreign illnesses and diseases, and it's Guam's only driving economic force, Tolentino told BI.

Ultimately, Tolentino believes that the people of Guam will support tourism as long as it does not challenge the community's core family values.