Three Ways of Getting around Guam

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Getting to Guam means getting into a long flight from anywhere in the world. Since it is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, you have no choice but to take that 12 to 15-hour plane ride. You will enter the country through the Guam International Airport, and from there, everything else is short and quick since the island-country is only 210 square miles. Getting around Guam on land is easy with the many tourist buses, public transport and rental cars available.

Tour buses are nifty, but that means you have to join a tour package. While joining one is fun, safe and educational, it could be costly and won’t take you to places that are not part of the tour. In other words, you pay them to limit your mobility: not a good bargain. But if you decide to get one anyway, try Grayline of Guam. They offer very good tour options.

Then there are public bus services that go around the island on a fixed route. They pass through popular tourist spots and major hotels to make sure tourists won’t have a hard time locating all the important places they need to see while in Guam. There are three sets of buses that pass along the major streets from 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM Mondays to Saturdays. One operates following a route from Hagatña to Agat, another is from Hagatña to the University of Guam, while the third is from Hagatña to Tamuning, Tumon Bay and Micronesia Mall. They sell tickets that are good for a day or a week. Public commute is cheap, but as with the tourist buses, public buses have limited routes.

The best way of getting around Guam on land is with a rental car. There are rental cars at the international airport that could get you started. Don’t worry about getting lost. This is a tiny island-nation where you basically end up driving to the main road after a few turns around the back roads. In fact, the airport is only 10 minutes away from the beach and hotels. The enormous K-Mart in Tumon is hard to miss. Also, the locals are very friendly, so you can stop to ask directions and for sure you’ll get them with a smile.

Here are the car rental companies waiting for you at the airport: Avis (telephone number: 646-8156), Hertz (646-5875), Budget (647-1446), National (649-0110), Toyota (642-3200), and Nissan (632-7300). If you didn’t get one at the airport but later decided to rent one after all, you can call any of these companies and they can send a car to your hotel. There are hotels, though, that run their own rental cars, such as Tamuning Plaza Hotel and the Harmon Loop Hotel.

Some operators offer older cars, which they call “island bombs”, for only $25 a day. Expect the newer ones to cost much more.

When driving in Guam, be warned that traffic can be bad. Expect to spend long periods of time stuck in traffic. Keep in mind also that locals tend to ignore the traffic signs so watch out for at least two to three cars typically trying to beat the red light.

Finally, if none of these modes of transport attract you, you can always just walk. Getting around Guam by foot is no sweat. You can walk the entire island, which is only 32 miles long and 8 to12 miles wide, in about 8 hours.

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