Hawaii Getaway Guide

05/18/2026

The Hawaii McDonalds that has gone viral for the prettiest backdrop has a long line with tourists taking photos today. Reportedly, some tourists have even dressed up in wedding dresses, cause there’s a lovely church in the background.

Local tip: This beautiful backdrop is Valley of the Temples, an omni? devotional cemetery. The pretty church is where they hold bereavement services and local graves dot the lovely green lawn, but there’s gravesites for different denominations from Sinto to Buddhist. It’s a testament to Hawaii’s cultural mixture . Inside the cemetery is also where you’ll find one of our top landmarks.

Helps to know the back story of what you’re photographing before jumping into a wedding dress. 😜

So as a local I’m skipping my rootbear frozen.

05/18/2026

“Lani is not just a seal to us, she is a resident of our ocean Ohana in Lahaina. … This is not the kind of visitor we welcome to Maui. Our connection to the ocean, land and creatures that call our island home is part of our culture  ” - Mayor of Maui

Additionally, Hawaiian culture views its wildlife, marine life and nature as Aumakua, ancestoral (personal and family) gods and vessels of the divine that watch over us.

Ain’t gonna lie- that video of a local boy pummeling him for shoving his girlfriend too was very satisfying in the case he didn’t get fined and jail time.

05/18/2026

It’s a federal law, but to Hawaii islanders it is much more…

Native Hawaiian culture views its wildlife, marine life and nature as Aumakua, ancestoral (personal and family) gods and vessels of the divine that watch over us.

Monk seals, turtles, owls, sharks, dolphins, even certain rocks and plants are sacred to us as ancestoral spirits guiding us.

Locals feel a deep respect and reverence towards their land, culture and wildlife. When one of this is attacked by an outsider, a deep ripple of outrage is felt through the islands.

These days tourists have been making the headlines by attempting to touch, ride, capture, harass and harm Hawaii's endangered species.

04/23/2026

I’ve been slowing down lately.
I haven’t stopped traveling. Instead, I’m shifting and hunting an overlooked definition of travel.

The collective energy of this planet right now? Intense, upsetting, kinda bonkers, a lot to hold.

If you caught my recent post on my personal account, you know I’ve been sitting with trees as medicine, practicing the art of noticing. Im resetting my nervous system the old fashioned way.
That’s the travel I’m doing offline.

The kind that doesn’t need a passport, doesn’t feed overtourism, corporate greed or high fuel prices. …Doesn’t ask my ego to use it as proof I’m worthy of living.

It’s my quiet act of rebellion.

I’m hunting “portals” - places and moments that shift my energetic frequency just by showing up to them fully. Being present and open. .

This is a tidepool an hour from home. Me, my dog, saltwater and ocean music and a strange, surreal ecosystem that slowed my nervous system down and exploded my childlike wonder and joy.

With portals, you enter one way and leave another.

…I breathe slower, see clearer, my senses awaken and …

I feel the quiet miracle of being alive and sharing this strange, beautiful planet with other forms of mysterious life.

04/09/2026

🏃‍♀️We race through life. We race through travel too.

Was needing to reset my nervous system from the craziness of the US regime, so these days I’ve been switching gears.

There’s a version of hiking I once did where I spent most of the trail staring at my feet.

Eyes down, tracking the next step, rushing to get to a waterfall or whatever the lookout view was that day.

I was efficient, goal-oriented.😎

…And I was missing *everything*. 😶‍🌫️

There’s a saying I know you’ve heard often -

“it’s about the journey, not the destination. “

Yet look at how we actually travel.

We collect countries like notches. We sprint through museums…

the checked box, the bragging rights, skimmed, “conquered”, and on to the next.

We want fast food, drive-thru convenience .

It wasn’t until I forced myself to slow down- to look around and relax into enjoying nature- that I understood what I’d been missing.

I watched an ordinary trail reveal an alien, magical and extraordinary journey.

It was like taking a trip into Middle Earth 🌍

More than a waterfall or a one-off view it was pure awakening…to curiosity, revelation, celebration of this planet.

The art of noticing, requires you to slow down and zoom in, instead of out

The journey IS the destination.

📍Middle Earth, Aiea loop trail, Hawaii, Oahu

04/01/2026

Flying from Hawaii, most all of my flights HAVE LAYOVERS. I spend a lot of time in airports... and part of the time, I sleep in them too!

Here's tips from nabbing a good sleep spot, to resources you might have available in your layover airport.

Sleep-Friendly Airports: Where to Crash for Free (or Almost Free) .Best 24/7 airports for layovers. Overnight layover guide: Best airports to sleep in

03/27/2026

Hawaii floods update - HOW UOU CAN HELP 🌧️

Hawaii is dealing with the aftermath of the Kona Low storm floods and cleanup is actively underway across multiple islands. The storm is not over. Due to flash flooding, rains come quick, hard, without notice.

See ways to help - donation drives, beach cleanups, animal rescues (fosters needed) and volunteering are all happening.

🧡FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE & RELIEF RECOVERY






🐶🐱ANIMAL RESCUES & FOSTERING



📍DONATION DRIVE & VOLUNTEER UPDATES

Waialua Sugar Mil
67-106 Kealohanui St.
Waialua, HI 96791 Opens: 10 AM

Follow
for volunteer, contractor support, donation drive requests updates.

Check for social media for volunteers requests on beach cleanups. Sorry, I’m looking for this too and it pops up randomly

More opportunities to help


✨DIRECT DONATIONS TO FAMILIES
(Community vetted list)

http://bit.ly/stormkokua

🚙TRAVEL UPDATE

If traveling Oahu's North Shore's impacted areas - Haleiwa, Waialua and Mokuleia the impacted areas are not tourist attractions. Roads are needed for relief operations.

Just recently, parts of Manoa was heavily flooded and relief is being sent there too

If you cannot donate or volunteer please send prayers for the Hawaiian Islands and families impacted. 🙏

if you are planning a trip to Oahu, check weather forecasts.

📸 Screenshot the slides to save the links. On most phones, hold your finger on the URL to open it.