Sailing Solo In Hawaii

2018

I made the choice to visit Hawaii during my birthday because I was turning 22 and I was, as they say, feeling it. Now usually I don’t care much for birthdays because I don’t see the need for a day just for celebrating yourself when the only achievement involved was something you couldn’t even claim an ounce of credit, but I digress. My true reason for visiting the island of Oahu was to undertake another photographic adventure and grow my skills for it had been too long since my last opportunity to capture this beautiful world. I was just lucky that my birthday happened to be during our fall break, giving me almost a week to explore what paradise had to offer.

At first I was hesitant to set out on this trip alone for I didn’t want to be seen as a loser traveling the world without company. However, over time I had grown tired of waiting for people to commit. I understand it can be hard for people to commit to a 5 day trip to the middle of the Pacific Ocean with all the costs and complexities involved, so I decided to go alone because like Russell says, adventure is out there. I booked my flights, packed my bags, chose some lodging options, and set off without a plan because thanks to my friend school I had no time for such luxuries. Since winging it was also my forte, I wasn’t too worried that every little thing was going to be alright.

I have this habit of planning things on the literal fly during the flight to my destination, a method of planning that I understand isn’t for everyone. However, that’s one of the many delightful perks of traveling alone: I have the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want. Now of course there’s a list of things that I will prioritize, but other things are flexible depending on the circumstances of each day. While there are inevitably some things you will miss, other things can also leave you pleasantly surprised by how much you enjoyed them. Also, anything you miss will only be a detriment to yourself and nobody else. All the activities and places of interest I found on Oahu were assembled throughout the trip as I went from one day to the next, and honestly, that just adds to the thrill of travel.

Upon landing at the airport, I impulsively decided to rent a car, something I had not previously budgeted for because I forgot Hawaii was a US state. After being slapped with a “young renter fee” for being a child, I drove my silver Hyundai to the northern shore of Oahu for my first Airbnb. One thing I was advised to do was to stay on different shores around the island during my time there in order to maximize my time doing the activities in that area. However, all that foresight was useless because I was not even fully aware of what I was doing with my 5 day trip which just turned into a 6 day trip because I discovered I had booked the wrong return flight home. Thanks school.

Hawaii is a place that I most likely will never get tired of visiting because it has a bit of everything for every type of traveler. Whether you want to relax on Waikiki Beach, take a stroll in a garden, drive along the coast, hike up a mountain, or get involved in adventure sports, Hawaii can offer all of those things and more. I won’t go into detail here with every place and activity I did, but I will share some of my favorite experiences. Hawaii also happened to be the first place I ever started curating travel highlights on social media, mostly for myself as memories, but also to share the world with people and inspire them to see it for themselves.

Out of all the experiences I was lucky to have in Oahu, going skydiving, watching a sunrise in the air on a hang glider, ATV off-roading, attending a luau, and a sunrise hike to the top of Koko Crater were probably the best of them all. If the trip had been properly planned I could have hiked up a few more mountains, learned to surf, or go paragliding, but I’m grateful for what I was able to do with the time I had. Despite the difficulties with my trip and the lack of companionship, this birthday gift to myself was still one of the best times of my life. That’s including when I threw up after my first skydiving experience in the morning.

I had scheduled my first ever skydiving experience to be on the morning of my birthday. The plane that would get me high was to take off at Dillingham Airfield on the north shore, so I got up early and drove about an hour to prep for my graceful descent at around 120 mph. That was my falling speed, mind you, not my driving speed. I’m not a lunatic. Now despite how much the small plane shook and wobbled when ascending, I was completely fine and enjoyed every moment of it. Even the skydive itself with the air resistance flattening my face was absolutely delightful until the guy suddenly decided to deploy our parachute for some reason.

Despite what the tabloids out there might say, I’m not actually that dramatic. Vomiting is a completely natural response to motion sickness, it’s just that the location and context was inopportune. Upon deploying the parachute and being jerked up in the harness, I was given the opportunity to steer using the steering lines. That’s when it no longer became fun and games. I was unaware that when the horizon shifted sideways, similar to a plane doing a barrel roll, I would completely lose it. Having been aware of my displeasure with roller coasters that go in loops, one would imagine that I would understand this about myself. I’m just thankful I didn’t release my contents while we were still in the air. Imagine how that would have gone. I wonder if it would’ve landed on anyone.

Once I was finally free of the parachute I stumbled straight to the locker where my belongings were stored, hoping to gather them quickly and leave in case I couldn’t hold it in. I got to the car and sat in the driver seat, but my body was too stiff to drive and my head was about ready to detonate, so I decided to try and sleep it off. With the headache not passing, I headed back inside to ask if they had any pain medication, but was told to go to the drink stand and “try a ginger ale” instead. Disgusted with their attempt to profit off my demise, I devoted 500% of the 12% brainpower I had remaining to drive to the nearest CVS, the location of my untimely projection. I shakily stepped out of the car, then immediately turned around to face the bushes and make my deposit. Right at that moment, the automatic door of the minivan next to me slid open to reveal a concerned, and likely disgusted, family of five. Charming.

While it definitely would have been nice to have someone with me during my struggle to keep my chunks from blowing, I still believe that undertaking a solo adventure in Oahu was a fantastic idea. I had a lot of time alone, sure, but I was able to learn many of the benefits of traveling by myself and just take everything in. Once you get over the fear of being alone, the worry of what others might think, and/or the anxiety of having to deal with everything yourself, it’s really quite a rewarding experience exploring the world on your own time, at your own pace, as you see fit. I’ve been lucky to have opportunities to do that time and time again, and I hope someday soon you will too because, as always, there’s a whole world out there — let’s go and see it.