Hi, my name is Melissa and I have
always loved to travel. I downsized my life and moved from a four-bedroom house
in Fargo, North Dakota to a two-bedroom apartment in Bellevue, Washington. I am
a wife of almost 30 years, married to my high school sweetheart and mom to
three grown sons.
With the new stage of my life, my
travel dreams are coming true and my bucket list is growing as I discover new
and exciting places to travel. Because I am 50, I travel a little different. I
like a king-sized bed and air conditioning, but I also like a good deal. I
splurge on some things and I am thrifty on others. Please follow along as I
share my tips and lists of must do things.
Keep in mind to be able to travel
as much as I do I always like to travel during shoulder season. I consider
shoulder season the off season. It is the season when kids are in school and
you typically find lower prices.
First up is MAUI!!! I have been to
Maui twice, once as a solo traveler in 2018 and once with my family of 7 in
2019. Both VERY different trips. But traveling by myself I did the research I
needed to save money when we went as a family. So, all of you planning a family
trip, tell your S/O you need to go by yourself first to “research!”
I planned a surprise vow renewal, but then it didn't happen.
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Now, get ready to slow your life
down once you step off the plane. The hot humid air will hit you and you just
smile and high five your family as you are amazed that you survived the long
flight without killing someone. This is the place where the pace is go slow and
that is just what we all need in this crazy life. Don’t try to get everything
done on your list, find a beach and get yourself under an umbrella and relax!
You did the hard work of finding some deals, now it is time to make memories
without going bankrupt!
Here is the PLAN of ways to save
some money and some must do things!
1. Find a cheap flight: I am loyal
to Delta airlines but for the rest of my family I look for the cheapest
flights. Use Google Flights to look for your best options. Our first family
trip to Hawaii I had two of us on Delta with a Hawaiian airline connection, one
on United and one on Delta. I was thrifty in order to get us all on the island.
(Ask my kids the time three of us flew to Puerto Rico on travel vouchers from
Delta and we got bumped to first class and my other two kids had delay after
delay on United!)
2. Find an inexpensive place to
stay: Maui is the most expensive of the islands to travel to. You need to do
your research before you go. I look on Priceline for hotels and for space for
more of us I look at sites like Home Away. Not gonna lie, I often pack an air
mattress to put one of the kids on! Be creative! I get free checked bags so it
is a no brainer for me to pack that air mattress. When I went as a solo
traveler, I stayed at a client’s guest house…that was so awesome and as thrifty
as you get!
3. Rent a car: Maui is a place you
more than likely will need to rent a car. I usually turn to Priceline for our
best options. When in Hawaii, and it is the two of you, splurge for a
convertible. For our family trip we rented a huge SUV, my husband was a champ
driving this beast! We may even have had an issue of a cracked tail light and my husband searched over the island to repair it before we turned it back
in 😊Once in your car download the GyPSy Guide to Maui. This is a great GPS guide that will tell you what you are driving by in
real time! We learned a lot from this fun little app.
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| Our crew of 7! |
4. Make a Costco run: Buy some
essentials at Costco once you get to the island. Depending on if you have a
condo with a kitchen you may want to stock up on the essentials to prepare some
small meals. This is also a great place to fill up your car with gas, the lines
are long but the savings are worth it! Take a look around Costco and see if you
can find some items that are unique to a Hawaiian Costco. This is a also a
great place to buy some chocolate covered macadamia nuts to take back as gifts.
5. Find a Rainbow: They will pop up
when you least expect it, driving down the road, standing at a beach, walking
out of a restaurant. Hawaii often has short bursts of showers and the benefits
are worth it as you will see some memorable rainbows.
6. Try the local food: There is
something special about the shaved ice: It’s a thing of beauty when you get the
perfect shaved ice. I like mine with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. The
variations are endless. Eat at a food truck. This is the place to get a great
meal for under $15 a person. You will see them dotted along the roads. The portions
are often huge. Poke is a must try at the food trucks. I always find the ones
where I see locals lined up at, I ask them what they suggest and then I order
that. They are totally safe to eat at and you often can try the local food on a
budget.
7. Find a beach: Maui has amazing
beaches. Some are great to lay out at, and you may need to go early to get a
good spot. I like to take an umbrella and a chair to sit with, cause I’m old
and like comfort! Our favorite beach as a family was near our condo we rented next to Whalers
Village. Oh, and don’t try to bottle the sand and take it home with you because you could get in trouble! But
don’t worry it will come out of orifices on your body for days and weeks to
come! Once we find our beach we like to walk into the ocean and jump the waves.
It’s a trick to walk in and out of the water, be careful or the waves may knock
you down and your kid will stand and laugh at you and not help you up while you
are dying trying to stand up! That kid was mine, what a jerk 😊
8. Find a meal with a view: I have
found three favorite spots on Maui. Be warned, often with the view comes a
price tag, but we usually eat these once or twice on the trip only. Save them
for special occasions.
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| Mama's Fish House |
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| The Mill House |
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9. Drive the Road to Hanna: The
first time I did this I was with a guide in a professionally driven van. He was kind of a jerk. The
second time, my husband drove and he wasn't a jerk. Both for me were interesting, but my poor husband
didn’t get to enjoy the view like the rest of us did. Because I did this drive
with a guide, I knew the spots to stop for banana bread. If you do the drive
with a guide it is an expensive trip, I think I paid around $130 for it...but
it was just me and I was fed meals and snack, so I thought it had some value.
But if there was 7 of us, I would never pay for all of us to take the tour.
Aunt Sandy's, the Best Banana Bread in the world on the Road to Hana
210 Keanae Rd, Haiku, HI 96708
10. Do everything else:
· We
love to snorkel and took a tour to do this, even though I am deathly scared of
sharks. Plus I also get claustrophobic and must hold onto my husband’s hand
while in the water. It is a cross between cute and pathetic 😊 but
I found some deals online. So if I die by shark attack everyone can say how
much money I saved taking seven of us on a snorkel trip!
· We
also took a tour whale watching, again deals online. We had an exceptional
scientific tour and the guides on board who have been doing tours for 20 years
were amazed at the show the whales gave us. Whale watching to me is very
difficult and a bad idea if you have young kids. Unless the whales are
breaching and doing tail slaps, it’s kind of boring for them (and me) You fight
to see the gray lumps in the water and when you find a pod, they may dive and
not come up for air for a very long time.
· We
drove up to Haleakala to enjoy the sunset. If you can wait to see the stars it
is simply mesmerizing. However, it is a commitment to get up here and then find
a parking spot. I may have gotten out of the car and directed traffic at one
point. If I didn’t have to leave to go to the bathroom we would have stayed
longer, and it is cold up there…pack your winter coat…it is to remind you of
the winter you are going back to!
What I hate about a lot of travel
blogs and reviews I read is I feel the pressure to do and see all their
recommendations. Some of the recommendations may not be current and the place
may have closed down. I feel frustrated. Or I even feel disappointed when I go
to their “must see” place on their list. We all have our own experiences and
life that goes on vacation with us. I might have a headache when I go and visit
a place on my list, or I may have limited funds and I don’t have nearly the
experience the blogger had when they had the five-course meal with the bourbon
pairings. So what I want you to do is to create your own experience, don’t try
to recreate mine or anyone else’s. Do your research and find your bargains and
enjoy!
Here are some sites and even a book
I used when I was dreaming of Maui. I read reviews and reviews and reviews and compare prices from site
to site. I only like to book a few things as I want us to have flexibility to
head to the beach or just stay inside on a rainy day.
Dream Big!
MS. Simplicity
Hey, want to hear more from MS Simplicity? She wrote a book on Kitchen Organizing and you can order it here!
