First, the planning. I went through a travel agency that was recommended by my boss. He uses them every year to go to Cancun with his family. He stays at all-inclusive places. I wish they had all-inclusive places in Hawaii!! Going through the travel agency made things a little less stressful with planning the hotel, booking the airfare, etc. The only thing is -- I'm a bit of a control freak, so I was double checking everything. So not sure I actually saved "time" in going through a travel agency! But I did like that she was able to show me different packages depending on the airline/hotel combination. Overall, I enjoyed going through the travel agent and will probably use her again for my next trip.
I get good rental car prices through work corporate perks. This I will continue to use on trips going forward. So, I'll book this separately from the travel agent. Next time, I will look more into HOW to get to the rental place (need to take a shuttle or if it's part of the airport, etc).
Second, the packing. I always over pack. It's just my thing. I'm a "just in case" type person. Overall, I over packed for Little Guy - had a lot of options. He still had half his clothes left that were clean! BUT his clothes don't take up a lot of room. My clothes - I packed JUST right. I used almost everything I brought. There were some hair accessary items I didn't need for Hawaii, like my curling iron. What I know I over planned for was the "in flight toddler entertainment." Almost none of it worked! I still need to do a "review" of the things I brought. Knowing what I know now - I will not bring as much stuff for Little Guy. The things that entertained him the most were a cup from the plane and a straw. Really!
Third, attending events where I'm not really "welcomed". OK. So, not that I wasn't welcomed. But it wasn't a "we're happy to see you" type feeling that I got. Next time, I will not plan a trip around something like that where I will feel uncomfortable. I do have a wedding to attend next month with the same group... but that's ONE event and there will be more people I know to keep me company.
Forth, the trip was a day too long for a toddler. You can only ask so much from a toddler! You can't expect them to just adjust and be ok with it. Considering we were in a hotel, I think I would prefer to stay in condo/apartment-type hotels when having little ones. Better to have a fridge and food at the ready. Plus, a bigger place to explore. I enjoyed our Florida trip where we rented a condo on the beach. Big enough to explore so it didn't feel like we were on top of each other.
Fifth, traveling solo with a toddler is TOUGH. It's not like this is my first trip with Little Guy... but it is my first trip with him being a full fledged toddler! It was exhausting trying to get things done, carry everything, stay on schedule, keep a nap schedule, not to let him get over tired, not to let him get too far away, make sure he was eating, make sure he was drinking enough water, expose him to new things, etc. It's tiring. I'm tired! One day too long for both of us!
Overall, I had a great time on this trip! I got to see most of the island, I got to experience things I haven't done before with the Luau, Botanical Gardens, North Shore, and just exploring Waikiki. There was equal chances to relax and explore.
I love Little Guy and enjoy his company so much. Seeing things through his eyes is nice. But all he really wanted was to point at airplanes and play with his cars! Oh, and run around exploring without me saying "no-no"! I did a lot of research on "toddler friendly" places on the island. I'm sure he enjoyed himself, as much as a toddler can.
Though it was fun and we got to do a lot -- it was also exhausting! Hoping for a nice relaxing weekend... then onto our next adventures:
- Next Week: Road trip to Southern California + Disneyland! I'm finalizing the plans for that one. This is to attend my God Daughter's High School Graduation! I'll have both toddlers for this trip and my friends' teenage daughter will be coming along.
- Next Month: Road trip to Southern California for the wedding. Will just have Little Guy for this one.
- December: Trip TBD. This will be dependent on TTC and adoption finalization.
No comments:
Post a Comment