By Jeffrey A. Rendall
What do you think of when someone mentions Hawaii?
The answers are many. Beaches, warm weather, hula dancing, and depending on your age group and powers of recollection, movies like “Six Days, Seven Nights” or “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” – or any number of Elvis-era non-classics that became synonymous with The King during his movie-starring phase in the 60’s. And Don Ho. Don’t forget him.
Face it. A lot of people in decades past probably matched Hawaii with what they saw on TV shows such as Hawaii Five-0 or Magnum P.I.
There are other things associated with the islands that aren’t so welcomed, of course. The purpose of this vacation recap is to help future travelers avoid the pitfalls that we encountered on our recent escape to the 50th State. Hawaii can be and is beautiful. But traveling is a pain no matter the location. Some of the following observations and tips are exclusive to Hawaii. Some apply to practically any travel. Take it from a practical guy. The best way to avoid a mess is not to make one. Therefore, don’t make a mess of your days in paradise.
In no particular order:
You can take all age groups to Hawaii. But…
One pearl of wisdom I’ve repeatedly heard about Maui, the island we visited on our recent trip, is that it is for “Newlyweds and Nearly Dead(s).” Yes, honeymooners will love Maui because of its quiet atmosphere, plenty of adventure (for those who seek it) and lots of down time.
Similarly, retired folks enjoy Maui simply because there’s not an over-abundance of drinkers, revelers, active-duty military members on leave or emphasis on hanging-out and mixing with others of like age. It’s my impression that you can find those things on Maui – or the main populated islands – if you want them, but there’s not going to be a plethora of Las Vegas-like trailers for sinful stuff like you might find in Honolulu or Waikiki.
Maui is for what I call serious vacationers. You go for the “stuff” that’s there, not necessarily to discover something on your own.
“It’s an island, babe. If you don’t bring it here, you won’t find it here.” – Quinn Harris in “Six Days, Seven Nights”
We went to Maui with both super-seniors and little kids in our group. All can have a good time. Prepare yourself for scenery and downtime at the pool or the beach. And if you’re in a room fronting the ocean, get ready for your own personal whale watching show. Bring binoculars.
Do yourself a favor in advance: Don’t overpack
If you’re the type of person who enjoys packing everything but the kitchen sink, and then misses the kitchen sink when you get somewhere, then Maui probably isn’t the place for you.
I’ve traveled enough where I’ve ascertained that it’s probably better to pack too little than too much. Why?
First, airline fees have become insane. The strongest discouragement for over-packing these days is the cost – literally – of doing it. My adult daughter and I tried to save on the number of bags by including our clothes in one suitcase. When we got to the airport, we found that it weighed 59 pounds. The airport attendant politely informed us that we’d owe an additional $100 over the $40 it cost to take it in the first place.
Some frantic maneuvering shortly after, the suitcase went on a crash diet and lost a dozen pounds in about three minutes. The savings were a relief, but our carryon bags became stuffed and heavy because of the switch, which took its toll getting on the plane and disembarking from it. Do yourself a favor – leave the excess at home to begin with.
Ask yourself when packing: “Do I need the extra shirts/clothes/shoes?” If there’s any hesitation, don’t take the item. Pack one shirt per day, plus a couple more. Bring a bathing suit. One. Flip-flops. Underwear. And leave the footwear fashion to when you get home.
Other ways to get around the over-packing instinct: One, if you plan to golf, bring one set of clubs and share. The course will lend you a bag for the extra person. Or rent a set at the destination, though it won’t come cheaply.
Two, renting is always better than hauling for water sports, snorkel equipment, etc. These too will not come cheaply, but plan for the additional expense and save your space in your luggage – and your back – from not needing to carry it there.
Three, save some room for the unknown. From experience, when traveling to Hawaii, you figure you’re going to be buying things when you’re there. Souvenirs, clothing, knickknacks, local artwork, etc. Temptation abounds everywhere. Don’t overpack to start out – it’ll only make things worse.
I took this thinking into our Hawaii trip and still overpacked. There’s always something left over. Find a way to economize and you’ll thank yourself later.
Rental cars in Hawaii – Bigger is better
I just got through cautioning against over-packing from your trip to Hawaii, but when it comes to renting a car for when you’re there, the opposite wisdom holds. Even if you don’t think you’re going to need the extra room, you should plan for possibly wanting it.
Scrimping is fine. More than fine in many instances, but if there’s one area where you should probably think about spending a little more, it’s in booking a rental car. Our party included fairly normal-sized adults and a couple big guys. If you’re going to be taking sight-seeing tours on Maui, save yourself gripes, aches and complaints by providing adequate elbow-room to enjoy the surroundings.
One mandatory perk most folks probably don’t consider until after they reach the destination is the size of vehicle it will take to get them from the airport to their hotel/home rental. We arrived in Maui and quickly discovered that we didn’t have sufficient storage to even transport us from the airport to where we were to stay. We squeezed – again, literally – to fit people and stuff into every nook and cranny of the vehicles. Because we had to. The rental car businesses were out of cars. There was no possible alternative to try and make a last-minute supplement.
Options shrink when you face necessities. And stress is added. Don’t get caught in the trap. Make sure you have all the car you’ll need to begin your stay. Bigger is better, though it should be said that Hawaii parking lots aren’t overly accommodating to full sized cars and above. It’s a give and take.
Whale watching advice; you don’t necessarily need a boat, but you could regret not doing it
Like we’d done in Alaska during a recent trip there, we decided to take a whale watching excursion so that we could encounter the large mammals up close in their home environment. There’s no better habitat, right?
If you’re going to do a whale watching tour, book early. Waiting until the last-minute deprived us of our chance to watch the whales… from a boat. We also didn’t get our viewing tour with Mai Tai’s and drinks. Or snacks. But we found that we could see plenty of whales from the balcony of our timeshare unit. With a pair of binoculars and a camera with a decent zoom lens, you can still enjoy all the benefits you would otherwise derive from floating on the water. And you’ll be able to save the money for other activities. Or food.
We visited the Maui Aquarium on our trip to Hawaii and learned about the abundant sea life there, which included seeing sharks up close – and information about Humpback whales. It was fascinating!
The whale exhibit at the aquarium helped deaden the pain from not being able to book a tour. But so did the abundance of whales visible from our living quarters. As mentioned above, taking binoculars with you to Hawaii is beneficial in several ways. You should bring them on your sight-seeing jaunts as well.
We even saw a few whales “breech” from the balcony and along the road from the airport to Lahaina. Drivers watch the road – but the rest of you, keep your eyes fixed seaward. And kids, put the phone down and look around!
Note: Upon returning from Maui, I surveyed each member of our party as to their disappointments regarding the vacation, and one matter that came up a couple times was our failure to book a whale watching tour. Perhaps it was the Maui Ocean Center’s exhibit that peaked their desire to view the big mammals in close proximity – or maybe it was the fact that we saw so many whales near the shoreline – but they wished they’d at least had the opportunity to try a whale watching tour.
This was a fair observation. We’d planned on going, just waited too long to make a reservation, preferring to hold off until we knew it would be a nice weather day. Something to keep in mind for those planning a trip to Maui in the winter months in particular. See a chance… and take it!