Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
residents smile and laugh at your baby
or talk to your kids. People in Hawaii
feel like aunties and uncles to all kids.
SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE
In addition to all the logistics of trav-
eling with kids (from all the parapher-
nalia required for your infant to the
sandwich bags of Cheerios and juice
boxes for the preschool set to special
items your 7-year-old cannot live
without), here are some tips on how to
make your trip happier for everyone.
•
Plan ahead.
It will help to have
your time mapped out ahead; you
can always adjust your schedule.
Some activities must be booked in
advance, and if you wait until you
get here it may be too late. You'd
be surprised how quickly your
vacation can fly by until you only
have a couple days left and a long
list of activities you and your kids
want to do.
•
Don't try to do too much.
The
whole idea of going to Hawaii is to
slow down, so don't ruin your trip
by trying to do everything and see
everything in the time you have.
Plan to see no more than one
island a week (otherwise, you'll
spend your time visiting the inter-
island airports). Don't jam-pack
the days with activities; one activ-
ity or outing a day will be a good
pace, with time off to do nothing
(or to return to an activity that
your kids particularly enjoyed).
•
Allow twice the amount of time.
This will not only save your trip,
but also your sanity. You're
unlikely to get the kids up and
going as quickly as you do at
home. Restaurants in Hawaii
move at a slower pace. You'll be
driving to unfamiliar places, so
allow extra time to get lost, look
for parking, or stop on the way
because a beautiful rainbow has
bloomed across the sky and the
kids want a photo.
•
Expect traffic.
Yes, Virginia, we
do have traffic in Hawaii (with the
exceptions of Molokai and Lanai):
From 6 to 9am and 3 to 6pm, the
roads will be filled with cars. Plan
your outings accordingly or have
plenty of “car games” at the ready.
•
Eat a good breakfast and plan
your meals.
As my mom used to
say, “You need breakfast for fuel.”
Feed your kids a good breakfast;
then use this guide to figure out
where you'll have lunch and din-
ner that day. Make it a game to
look up restaurants and plan your
meals. Otherwise, you may be
stuck driving around with hungry
kids looking for a place to eat in
an area that has no restaurants,
diners, fast-food places, nothing.
•
Watch your kids' energy level.
The climate change may make
them a bit more tired than nor-
mal. Also, they may be hyped up
and so excited that they crash
sooner in the day than they usu-
ally do. Don't try to push them or
you'll end up with very cranky
children.
•
Be extra careful in the sun.
Put
sunscreen on your kids (and your-
self ) first thing in the morning
(the sunscreen will adhere better
after a shower). When they are in
the sun, apply a tablespoon of
sunscreen to each limb every hour.
Be sure that the keiki always have
hats and sunglasses before you
leave in the morning. Avoid direct
sun from 10am to 3pm, the most
intense part of the day. I'd suggest
you always carry a bag with extra
sunscreen, insect repellent, and
plenty of water. Make sure your
kids are constantly drinking water
(even if it means a bathroom stop
every hour).
•
Set aside some time for yourself.
Plan to spend at least one night
out on the town doing adult
things without the kids—they will
