Big Island or Bust!

I am sitting here wishing I was back in the Cabana Bar, writing my weekly column while the ocean breeze refreshed me and the tropical drinks were close at hand. Those six weeks in Kauai were some of the most memorable moments of recent years. It’s hard to believe that it has been six months since we came home.

View from the Kilauea Lighthouse on Kauai

 Which it must mean that it is time for another Hawaii trip. I don’t know how I can be envious of everyone else’s current trip to Hawaii when we were gifted with that time in Kauai, but that’s the thing about Hawaii for me. The mana (energy) that I feel when I am there draws me back. I simply feel better when I live closer to the ocean and the land—the allergies disappear, the stress is almost non-existent despite the three kids we travel with, and the happiness factor is off the chart every night at sunset. In fact, Hawaii is continually rated as one of the happiest places to live, according to Gallup’s annual National Health and Well-Being Index.

 I was a stressed mess before we left on our last trip. I had quarantine backup plans and didn’t feel like I was going on vacation until everyone’s negative COVID test came through. It’s been a bit more laid back this time. In six months, San Jose now has more testing facilities (thank you Carbon Health). In fact, I booked today for next Monday and had my choice of time slots for the swab test.

 The kids are still refusing the swab, so we went with Vault again for the spit test (they are a trusted partner of the Safe Travels program). The interesting thing with Vault is that they have now paired up with local Door Dash drivers to deliver the tests. I was bugging my husband yesterday to order the tests, thinking that they would be overnighted here from the East Coast. Later that afternoon, the doorbell rang and there were the four Vault tests. I had hoped that Hawaii would allow vaccinated travelers to skip the testing, but I knew that was a pipe dream for June. We plan to actually vacation in Kauai in November and hope testing will be non-existent then.

 What? You are going to the Big Island and not vacationing? We are still embracing the work anywhere mantra. It will be a bit more challenging this time as Hawaii will be three hours behind the West Coast, but summer camp is so expensive for three kids, I would rather figure it out and be somewhere the whole family can enjoy. Plus, the next Lives Aloha kit is all products from the Big Island, and I plan on meeting with many of the makers who craft their tasty and beautiful items.

 So, if I’m not worried about testing, what am I worried about? The rental car. The good news is that I booked fairly early on, but the price of the minivan for two weeks is the same price we paid for an entire month. The reports in the various Facebook groups differ so much. Some people have no problems and others are stranded. My neighbor is a flight attendant. She and the crew waited an hour and a half to get a lift to their hotel. Because she is such a frequent flier, she has a shuttle on speed dial and had to call in a favor to get a pickup. I have no desire to be waiting hours at the airport with three hangry kids who have been up since 5 a.m. My advice is to check rental car availability before finalizing your flights.

 The rental car shortage has created complexity on both sides of the trip. As I wrote about last time, one of my favorite tricks for our large family is to rent a minivan the night before from our local airport. My inner control freak prefers not to be waiting for an Uber or a shuttle. The cost of a rental, even using Costco is 3x more than it was in November. It is crazy. Thankfully, my other neighbor who also has a family of five has offered to get up early and drive us.

 Packing for two weeks rather than a month is infinitely easier. There will be no school supplies (yea!), no cleaning supplies (fear of wipe shortage), and no special utensils (avocado knife and pineapple corer).  We will be splitting our time between a hotel and a house. I thought it was the right blend of a little vacation time with limited space and more work time with a larger space. All of the sunscreens we are packing are reef-safe. One of my favorites from Hawaii is Kokua Sun Care. Reusable shopping bags are also great to bring, but they are also fun to buy, a bit of aloha that I get to take on my mundane mainland grocery store trips.

 I will also be prepared for long waits at arrivals, whether it be getting through Safe Travels or renting the car. It will be a while before Hawaii returns to its worry-free and aloha-filled self. Until then, I just need to go with the flow.

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