If you follow me on Instagram or snapchat you’d know I have spent the last week in what I could only imagine is very close to paradise. And if you know anything about me at all you would expect nothing but loads and loads of photos and footage from this said trip. Do not worry… I have plenty of both and they are slowly being processed and edited as I try to catch up on life and getting back into my routines while catching up on snuggles with Leo. For now, I have a few tips for those who may be considering visiting Hawaii or more specifically, Maui.
1. The first thing you need to prep yourself with that did not cross my mind even the slightest was (learn from my mistake) bug spray. Especially after we spent the day exploring the Road to Hana, I tried to count all the bites I found on my legs but every time I tried I either lost count or found a new bite That I wasn’t sure I had already counted…. It will be there in the stores or even Walmart stores that are over on the island so you don’t have to pack it if you would rather pay for it (it will be much more expensive on the island). Either way, I would recommend a quick spray when you leave the house. The funny part was that the whole day I was bragging that I didn’t have one bite on me and was starting to think that my blood wasn’t as good to these creepy critters… That was until I woke up the next day itching ALL OVER… Great…. I’m mad haha. Just look at the back of my arm there… and that was the least of them!
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE BUG BITES ON THE BACK OF MY ARMS! AND THEY DIDN’T STOP THERE!
SWIMMER// BEVERLY SWIMWEAR
2. Good quality Swimmers. If there was one thing I got right, It was what swimmers I had packed. I have become a HUGE fan of Beverly Swimwear. I have two of her suits and although I packed many more, I ended up rotating between the two. I especially appreciate these suits because the are sturdy and good quality. None of those cheap Chinese knock of brands. If you are going to just sit on the beach and lay on the sand, you don’t need a nice quality suit. But if you plan on braving the waves and exploring the water by snorkel or boogie board, I never worried about my swimmer. Even when I got caught in the wave, flipped multiple times and ended up with a face covered in and a swim bottom full of …. lots and lots of sand. I have no doubt that if I had some cheap thin bottoms on at the time they would be at the bottom of the ocean and I would be red in the face and wishing I were at the bottom of the ocean with my bottoms.
As a former competitive swimmer, I am very serious about my swimmers. I am on the constant lookout for not only modest (without being grandma) but also durable swimsuits. When I am wearing these swimmers, I am never worried about indecent exposure (if you know what I mean) I can enjoy my time in the water and diving while exploring reefs. If you are like me, I seriously suggest you go to Beverly Swimwear and check out the million cute styles they have on their website! I think My next purchase will be the Twist & Tie or Basic Bombshell. The ones you see below are the Slice’n’swimand the poppy peplum. I got a pretty intricate tan line after spending a day in my slice’n’swim so if tan lines scare you… sunblock lots! 😉 It is such fun suit though, I got SO many compliments while on the beach!
3. Ear plugs. What?! Well, believe it or not, Maui is riddled with wild Roosters. That alone wasn’t a big issue, the problem for others is that roosters don’t just crow in the morning… its alllllll dayyy starting BEFORE the sun rises approx.. 3am- 10pm. I personally was either too exhausted to be kept up by them or got used to the noise. Others in our group found themselves very irritated with the loud birds. I thought for sure I would have gotten a picture of them but after culling through all my images I started thinking about how every time we saw one, the conversation almost immediately redirected to topics such as strangulation, plucking or dinner… hahaha. After a few days we found out that the roosters aren’t native, they were brought over originally for fights since that is legal in Hawaii so then one thing led to another and the island will never run out of chicken!
4. Sunglasses. Well, yeah no kidding. When I say sunglasses, I mean good quality sunglasses. You will be wearing them nearly 95% of your day if not 100%. I recently had finally purchased a nice quality pair of ray bans that made my trip that much more enjoyable. I tend to get headaches very easily when I wear my adorable but cheap $15 shades. I was very grateful for a good sturdy pair of sunglasses that I could rely on. If splurging on a nice pair of sunglasses is out of the question, I would bring a few pairs so you can change up the frames on your face and make sure you have a back up incase they do end up breaking.
Below, Morgan Is sporting the Oakley Batwolfs – He loves Oakley, It seems to be the store that “gets” him and his style, My store is RayBans. My favorite style is Erika – The next pair I get will be the gold Erikas from their metal collection (DROOL)
5. Shoes. If you are planning on exploring the island, go on hikes or even go on the road to hana. A good pair of water shoes but also ideal for hiking is a must. I took my Chaco’s and used them every time there was a hike involving water. If there wasn’t water involved, I was happy to have my good shoes with me. For someone who has flat feet and needs support on my feet from time to time, I needed something other than just flip – flops or flats. If this sounds like you, you will want to bring something too. Morgan is crazy and loves his feet all covered up in socks and shoes. I can’t tell you why that drives me so crazy, but I love my toes out and in the sand so we both found what works for the each of us.
Below is Chaco’s WOMEN’S ZX/2® CLASSIC shoe. (not the same color but the style is currently on sale)
6. Camera. Not only did I bring my DSLR, I brought my GoPro. Anytime I am on a beach near sand or water, I am always nervous to have my camera around sandy or wet hands and in gusts of wind etc. I LOVED having my GoPro as a quick camera to not only have around water but also IN the water! Bringing a waterproof camera or case for your camera is a must! I don’t think there is any way to truly capture your experience without some footage or pictures in the water. For some dumb reason I forgot my underwater casing for my DSLR -*sob*- but I had my go pro so really it wasn’t the end of the world, What I wish I would have figured out before hand was that when you take a video, the stills that you take from the GoPro are not good quality at all. So don’t depend on the video to get the shot. Take a picture and a video if your subject will cooperate 😉
7. Clothes. Light light light weight clothes. Coming out of a Utah winter and a wet, chilly spring, it was really hard for my brain to think “warm”. I packed jean shorts and cardigans…. DON’T DO THAT. Bring the lightest clothes you have. Most of the time, we were walking around in our swim suits and just a cover up which was bearable but for the times that we were wearing actual clothes I was sweating…. Everywhere.
{*TIP* This winter I went through a massive purge and threw out almost everything! So when I went to pack for summer weather I was stumped …. So, I went to Uptown Cheapskate and got a light weight tops or coverups for every day of the week for wait for it…. $50 and some of those even still had tags on them!}
The top below had its tags on it, was from Old Navy and originally $20 and got it for $5 -BOOYA!-
8. Medicine. One thing I severely underestimated was how curvy the roads were. I don’t get sick on boats or planes but cars are another story. When I am not in the front seat its especially bad. I thought that I was prepped; we have switchbacks here in the canyons. I have been conditioned by the Utah Mountains! … Wrong. There were a few times that I wished I had some sort of meclizine. Morgan was the smart one and was very consistent with taking it. Along with motion sickness pills, making sure that you have you allergy pills is a biggie. I don’t have terrible allergies in Utah but man I was sneezing all over the first few days until I started stealing Morgan’s Claritin.
9. Backpack. Whenever we left the house we were leaving with a good backpack filled with water, camera gear and whatever things we may need for the trip. Luckily for me, Morgan is a true gent and was the one carrying it the whole time. A good backpack is a must for day traveling especially if you are going to island hop and will need a carry on for the flight.
10. Chapstick. As an addict to chapstick, I packed 3 tubes of Burts Bee’s Chapstick. I thought that I used chapstick a lot in my everyday life but in Maui, even though its so much more humid than Utah, I was constantly applying even more so than in Utah.
Among the rest of the obvious things to pack, these 10 were the lifesavers. Although Hawaii is still in the United States, we caught ourselves multiple times speaking as if we weren’t in America anymore! It felt like we were off in a different country! But there are Walmart stores, Starbucks, Panda Express… you name it. Along with the familiar stores being able to use American currency was all the same. So if you forget something here or there, you will be able to find it. Keep in mind though… The biggest difference and slight shock came from how extremely expensive everything was. There are different ways to enjoy Maui, If you are there to relax and do nothing, Its perfect for you. Beaches at every turn only minutes apart. If you are there to explore and see amazing views, Its ALSO the place for you! I am not a relaxed traveler. I hear over and over after reporting back about our trips and everything that we did or plan to do “poor Morgan…” haha and I do have to give him credit because I always have something on my mind that we can do if there is ANY free time. This trip however, I think we found a good happy medium and took a a few days and crammed them full then allowed for more relaxed free time on others. It is the perfect place for every kind of traveler.