I have spent the last few days struggling with how I want to kick off my blog and it hit me; write about the adventure I’m planning now! In a few short weeks we are headed to The Big Island of Hawaii for the third time and since my ultimate goal for the blog is to become a travel liaison for those who don’t like or know how to plan their own travel, this seems like a great place to start. Each time I travel, I learn more about myself and what I like to do and see when traveling, and I try not to cram too much in so I have a reason to come back. Since this is the third trip, you might think there’s not much to plan, but as with most destinations, The Big Island has a ton to offer!
We have an outline that works for us, so we are keeping to the same general itinerary, but have given ourselves more time in the Volcano area. We have also switched up our accommodations a bit and decided to save some money with a compact rental car since we’ve done the off-roading activities we were interested in before. Where to stay and how to get around are probably the most important decisions to make once you have your destination, so this is where a good chunk of research and planning is needed.
Sunset from Mauna Kea summit.
Before finalizing your accommodations, you want to think about the activities that you are interested in and make sure to plan enough time in each area. There is a lot of variety on The Big Island and it’s spread out, so look at the activities before booking hotels so you don’t find yourself driving two hours late at night when you could have stayed ten minutes down the road. It’s a very easy mistake and one that we learned the first go that we want to avoid in the future.
There are some activities that you want to book in advance, but for the most part you can book everything a day or two ahead and be fine. If you like to have your plans set or if there is a tour or activity that you HAVE to do, then make sure to book it early. For us, that is the night time manta snorkel, the rest of the day and next morning is planned around that. It’s easy to try to do too much, so come up with your “must do” items and then pare it down so you don’t get overwhelmed, it is a vacation after all!
Once you know where you’re staying and have an idea of what you’re doing, it’s important to plan what to pack. On a repeat trip it’s easy to get complacent, but how sad would you be to forget rain gear for your hike in the rain forest? (For me that answer is very, spending $6 on a plastic poncho was kind of heartbreaking since I had a nice underused rain jacket in my closet at home.)
My best advice for planning a trip to a place you’ve already been: plan like it’s your first time and your instincts can take over when you get there.
avr adventures 