There's No Place Like Home: Weekend in Hawaii

So roughly two weeks ago, American Airlines put it's Salt Lake City to Honolulu route on sale for $277 total roundtrip. I have never seen it that cheap to fly between Hawaii and Utah before, so I had to find a time to use that deal to go home and visit my family. It was great timing because my mom's birthday was this past Sunday and I was able to book one of the cheap tickets for that weekend. The best part is that she didn't know I was coming.

I had my older sister pick me up for the airport and stop by Foodland on the way home for some of the best poke (a delicious sort of sushi bowl dish) on the island. We got home and completely surprised my parents! It was the best thing ever! I haven't seen them since last May when I went home for my little sister's high school graduation ceremony. It was nice to just be home and hang out with my family. And since I was home, it was a trip where I didn't have to feel rushed or obligated to do any particular activity or visit with any particular friends.

My little brother, mom, and I

Because I am from Hawaii, a lot of times my friends will ask if they can come home with me. It's sometimes nice to have an excuse to visit some of the more touristy places on Oahu like Pearl Harbor and I'olani Palace, and to hike some of the coolest trails on the island, but sometimes I just want to go home and enjoy just being home. I still stand by the idea that everyone should take advantage of a spare bed or couch a friend may have to offer you in a place you want to visit. Staying with locals is the absolute best way to travel, especially if they are already your friends.

Chilling at the beach near Ko Olina

I was home for just over 48 hours (due to my lack of vacation time), and it turned out to be a really nice family weekend. We went to Ala Moana, sat at the beach near Ko Olina for a while, swam with some turtles, went to church, and ate lots of good food together. I could not have asked for a better weekend!

It was a great trip, and I think a common pattern of my favorite travel memories is that they happen when I have a lot of unstructured time for doing whatever the heck I (or my friends/family) feel like doing. While there is nothing wrong with planning to do specific activities on a trip, especially if there is a particular activity or event you really want to attend, unstructured time allows for more spontaneous adventures to happen. And those often end up as some of the most memorable experiences anyone could ask for. Like how I got to see turtles at the beach near my parents' house for the very first time! :D As much as I travel, it was really good to be home for a couple of days.
#lucklyilivehawaii


Another post on what to do when airlines screw you over (based on this trip) will be coming shortly :)