October 4: Trip Planning

I've been spending a fair amount of time on trip planning lately, as we have five planned between now and April.  I keep two sets of files for each trip, one online and one on paper, and each trip gets its own folder.  A bit of overkill but it works for me. 

We head to the Big Island later this month, traveling with our friend Lotus who toured Sicily with us five years ago.  That was a great trip, and for the Big Island we've booked "side by side penthouse condo units" connected with a shared lanai offering an ocean view which I'm very excited about.  With any luck, the first of the humpback whales will be arriving!

In December we're spending a weekend with John and Dawn in downtown Denver to have some holiday fun.  And then before Christmas Ben and I are using some United benefits for a 4-day stay Las Vegas.  I think being on the Strip will be festive and the weather warm enough to enjoy some hiking at the nearby  Red Rocks park.   

In January we're traveling with John and Dawn to the Napili area of Maui, several miles north of Lahaina, for a week of whale watching, good dining, and hanging out in the sunshine.  The fires were heartbreaking and we hope to avoid seeing any of the aftermath while spending a lot of money to support the local economy. 

And then in April Jean and I are going to visit the 49th state on our quest to visit all 50 by the end of 2024.  After great deliberation we decided to tick Arkansas by being there for the big solar eclipse on April 8 and then touring the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site.  

It'll all be great, but my goodness, most trips involve a lot of details to work out.  But I've learned that spending the time up front makes for smooth sailing (usually!) once the trip is underway.  I remembered that this morning as I spend an hour or so picking flights to Little Rock and reviewing our Big Island itinerary.   

Having done that work, Ben and I are now off to enjoy a pretty hike up at the top of Flagstaff Mountain.  The fall colors are coming in and maybe we'll see some up there.