Hawaii came exactly when I needed it…

Travelling across the USA was amazing but exhausting. It drained me in so many ways. Physically, emotionally and financially. Arriving in Hawaii was like landing in paradise. Not only because of how beautiful it was, but also because of the amazing family we stayed with there.

I loved the US. But the way I planned our trip we moved way too fast for way too long. It was exhausting. This was my first time travelling full time so it was a steep learning curve for me. I now know that to really enjoy anywhere as a traveller and not a tourist you need to slow down!

Since the US I have spent 6 weeks in Australia, 4 weeks in one place. It’s so much more manageable as a mum, running a business and home schooling at the same time. I mean I’m not sure if I thought I was actually a superhero but I discovered somewhere around Atlanta that I am 100% human.

I started to develop major anxiety around what I was doing in my life and my business. I got majorly overwhelmed by all the gurus out there telling me what I should be doing. I started trying to work with anyone and everyone doing anything. And it totally burnt me out. I started to realise I needed to take some time off. I actually said I was going to take a break from social media whilst I was in Hawaii.

When I landed in Hawaii I took the photo below. And I think that pretty much sums up how it made me feel. I then dropped my phone in the sea and it didn’t work from that point so I had very limited access to the internet for the whole of the rest of my time in Hawaii. Our amazing host took all of these photos for us and I got some much needed down time from all the craziness of social media.

The place just made me feel calm and at peace. After a crazy couple of months trying to site see everything in the US and constantly moving around I was exhausted and overwhelmed.

The Ocean

I didn’t realise just how much I needed to be by the sea. The sounds of the ocean, the sea breeze. I just loved it. To me “travel” and “holiday” mean being by the sea. I didn’t realise it until I spent over a month inland. Getting to Hawaii was like arriving in paradise.

The Turtles

On our last day in Hawaii, we went to a secret bay with our amazing hosts. One of the many benefits of staying with locals was definitely getting off the beaten track. Although we did check out Waikiki, we spend the whole day at this tiny little hidden bay where there were 3 turtles swimming around. We got to swim right along with them, although you aren’t meant to touch them.

We spent the whole afternoon snoorkling, we were so in awe of them! The only downside was we both got really bad sunburn on our backs! Ny especially… Ouch!

The Landscape

The landscape in Hawaii took my breath away! I was stunning. They have forests and mountains and ocean all so close to one another. One day we went for a hike up one of the mountains and got the most amazing view looking out over the ocean.

There were also some really cool caves which we got to explore…

Nature

One of the most amazing things about Hawaii is its nature. From trees to sea life there were amazing things to look at all around. There had been wildfires just before we arrived and some of the mountains had been blackened. The volcano on the other island had not long erupted and there had been a hurricane forecast just days before we arrived.

Beach Life

The laid back beach life is my kind of vibe! I just love it. Sunbathing, swimming, surfing (not that I actually surf yet!) and cocktails. I love all that! I love the kind of lifestyle where the kids can just play in the sand, you can chill on the beach, take a picnic. Its just such a great lifestyle. Hawaii was all of that for me.

The Sunsets

Hawaiian sunsets are just some of the most stunning I have ever seen. We were lucky to be on the right side of the island to see them go down over the ocean and I could watch them happily every day.

The People

As I mentioned our hosts in Hawaii were amazing! The Hawaiian people, in general, are amazingly friendly too. So this is one of the main things that made our experience so amazing. We had such fun hanging out with another worldschooling family. Learning about their reasons for choosing to educate their son in an alternative way. Nyneave loved having someone to play with. We also got to try some yummy vegan food!

The Hawaiian people are so laid back and welcoming. Part of their culture is about welcoming people and it really comes across with everyone you talk to. We even got to meet the real Maui from Moana!

All in all I have to say it’s my absolute favorite place I have visited so far. I am really looking forward to visiting more islands in Asia and the Caribbean because I do think there is something special about island life. Hawaii came to me at exactly the right time, when I needed peace and beauty around me and I will always have amazing memories of the beautiful place.