The Hawaii Traveler

Honolulu Airport, 1969
When you’re getting dressed after going through airport security, do you ever wonder if there was another way?  When you open your carry-on to place your Ziplock-clad fluids and gels into their place on the assembly line, does it look like you’ve just overturned a Liliputian Sephora into the bin? Or do you tend to, like me, pack in such a way that causes everything to jettison from your bag the second you open the zipper? (In other words, do you suffer from ejectile dysfunction?) Until teleporters are invented, maybe there is another way.
I just saw an ad …read more

Comments Off

If you’ve ever toyed with the travel bug, or even if you’re a seasoned travel veteran, you’ll be delighted to know that there are three more travel blogs entering the b5 blogosphere soon. Here’s the scoop:

Travel Product Guide, written by Sports Channel Editor Kori Ellis and Travel & Culture Channel Editor Mary Jo Manzanares.  It’s a travel-related product blog, for all of you who like to stay in the know about those products that make travel, “more comfortable, simpler, and fun!”
 

The Phoenix Traveler,  by Jackie Dishner.  Focuses on the great city of Phoenix and its sister towns and suburbs. If …read more

Comments Off

With the volcanoes on the Big Island still making a ruckus, the vog in Hawai’i is becoming kind of a big deal. With some full-time residents fleeing the island due to health concerns, there’s a lot of head-scratching going on in the islands about what’s what and how much vog is too much.
No matter who you are, I think it’s safe to say that one should never have to pack a canary for his/her vacation. (You won’t get it through security anyway.) Here are few of the ways you can get a virtual handle on how big and …read more

1 Comment

On my way to BlogHer, where I met some b5 media beauties, I was delayed for four hours in Salt Lake City due to a mechanical issue. Oy. Ordinarily, I would have been disappointed and a little put out by the whole thing, but despite wondering what I was missing at the conference, I was sort of happily passing time alone. Such is a rare delight for most parents, and I was just happy that I was alone, instead of trying to placate a three-year-old for eight hours in a big glass building full of germy things …read more

Comments Off

If you haven’t heard the term “babymooning,” you may know it as the “last hurrah.” Whatever you call it, it’s the rejuvenating trip expecting couples take before the arrival of what is sure to dramatically change the family travel plans for good. Babymoonfinder.com lists resorts and vacation plans that cater to the babymooner, but there’s no harm in winging it.
We took our last hurrah to Kaua’i during my second trimester, where we made some mistakes, such as trying to do too much, and got some things right, like eating at the Noodle House every day …read more

1 Comment

A few years ago I was asking my cousin about her trip to Maui. Her face fell. “It rained the entire time,” she said, “we were so disappointed.”
Although it’s possible for a rain-out during an island vacation, most of the islands are big enough that tourists can drive to a dry side in a matter of an hour or so. But my cousin said that, with the whole island socked in with clouds and rain, the trip was a bust. There was nowhere to go but back into their condo unit, which wasn’t that interesting, especially with two …read more

Comments Off

Are you going to the islands, or to an equally sunny climate? If you don’t have a pair that you love already, you’re going to need some, even if you think you don’t or plan to wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Why do you need sunglasses?

UV Protection. The sun’s UV radiation can cause cataracts, cancer of the eyelids and skin, photokeratitis (or snow blindness, which is a temporary but painful sunburn of the eye’s surface.)
Blue-Light Protection. Prolonged blue-light exposure is a risk factor for macular degeneration, especially in individuals who are “sun sensitive.”
Comfortable vision. The sun’s brightness and …read more

Comments Off

For decades, the only way to travel among the islands was by air. But with the closure of Aloha Airlines, and the skyrocketing costs of jet travel due to the oil crisis, having to take a flight left an estimated 1.3 million residents and tens of thousands of tourists with interisland designs high and dry.
And then in 2007, Hawaii Superferry Inc. began running the first passenger-vehicle ferry service between the Hawaiian Islands; however, protesters in Nawiliwili Harbor on Kaua’i suspended operations last August.
Today, however, Hawaii Superferry offers daily inter-island ferry service between Honolulu, Oahu and Kahului, Maui, with plans …read more

1 Comment

From the Put on Clean Underwear Before You Go Out files: Identify the urgent care centers near your island destination before you leave home, and keep the information with your other important travel docs and itinerary information. (I can’t tell you how many times I have needed this information, especially when we began traveling with a young one.) Wouldn’t your mother be so proud of you for taking your health and safety into consideration?What is an Urgent Care Clinic?
It’s a medical treatment facility in which doctors and nurses treat acute illnesses and injuries that are not …read more

Comments Off

If you’d rather go hunting with Dick Cheney than make your pilgrimage to the mall to buy a swimsuit, take heart. You’re not alone.   This age-old source of agony, low self-esteem, and frustration was the inspiration behind the iVillage Trauma-Free Swimsuit Buying guide.  I’ve added a few of my own pointers below, in the spirit of commiseration and empathy.  After all, we’ve all been there.
First off, it’s cut, not color that makes the difference in a flattering suit. (Are you a summer or a winter? The answer is: Who cares?) Although it’s true that black is slimming, what’s most …read more

Comments Off