Travel tips

We are going to Oahu! This was a completely unexpected trip. Pat's office asked him last week if he'd like to go over and take care of a job for them. They also said they'd send me, so we couldn't pass it up! As I was getting ready for our vacation I had some thoughts about things that we do, or could do, to make our trip better.

Here are a few of the things I thought of:

1) I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a difficult time remembering which room we are in! My thought, that I will be doing on this trip, is to take a picture of the room number with my phone. That way I won't forget!

2) Research! When we go away and make reservations I check for the best prices everywhere I can on the internet. Sometimes I even call the hotel and see what they can do for me. Usually, the best prices are found on their sites, or on AAA. We generally stay in the Marriott chains because they have smoke free hotels and their beds are comfy. A comfy bed can go a long way on a trip!

3) Try to stay someplace where breakfast is included in the price. That way you save a decent amount of money, and don't have to end up at McDonald's feeling sick after you've eaten. (though they have oatmeal now, I'd try that)

4) Figure out what you are interested in seeing/doing before you leave. For this trip, since it was so sudden, we had some ideas. One of the things we would have liked to do is revisit Pearl Harbor...however, with the government sequestration they don't have as many people working, so we wouldn't have been able to see it until mid August! While I'd love to go back, that isn't going to happen! What we did find, through research, was a ranch where we can do a jungle tour of the places where TV shows and movies were made: like "Lost", and "Jurassic Park"! I'm excited about that one! We will also be going to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We haven't been there in nearly 25 years!

5) Another thing we do, which isn't really about being organized, but I still enjoy it, is that we try to go to at least one place where "Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives" has been. I have two such places slated for this trip. I know we will at least make it to one, we'll see about the second one. I also have several other places in mind for us to go, but we shall see!

6) Finally, if you know someone who is familiar with the area, ask them for suggestions. Our friends, the Neula's, know the islands, so I contacted Lisa and she gave me a few tips.

Aloha!