Thanks to the past year, we came close to canceling our annual vacation to Hawaii, but patience persevered, and travel restrictions were lifted. However, travel still felt different… like, the State of Hawaii requiring Covid Tests 3 days before boarding to travel.
You register your results, and the State of Hawaii provides a code allowing you access to Hawaii. No code, no visit.
And…that code is like gold. The code works everywhere: when you land, for rental cars, hotels, etc.
Also, Hawaii still enforces mask rules. With the mask restrictions lifted months ago in Arizona, Hawaii felt like a step back in time. Undeterred, we forged ahead to enjoy paradise.
Not so fast! Apparently, those restrictions didn’t deter others visiting either as we heard many languages being spoken everywhere, more than usual. Hawaii is popular for tourists from neighboring Pacific Rim countries. So, we couldn’t get a rental car, we couldn’t get a reservation in a restaurant; basically, all popular activities were booked. And prices for everything were doubled or tripled!
Undaunted, we solved getting a car and drove to more remote island communities. Here things were quieter than the larger metro areas and beaches. We enjoyed lunch or dinner while enjoying places new to us. We lived the adage, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!”
New places included King Kamehameha’s birthplace on the Big Island of Hawaii near the town of Kapaau. Greeted by a large colorful statue of the King prominently displayed in town, we enjoyed a park, museum, quaint shops, and restaurants, and it turned out to be a wonderful new adventure.
So, as we all enjoy escapes from the past year, don’t get frustrated on your travels this summer! Lots of folks have travel escape plans too. Maybe keep it simple with just picnic to a more road less traveled destination?
Happy Trails!