My trip to Hawaii is just around the corner. I leave next week and am mega-excited. I’ve always been one to get very excited about things, particularly trips. When I was a kid, my parents would put off telling me about upcoming family vacations because I wouldn’t sleep well for weeks. One time they waited until we’d left a neighborhood kid’s bar mitzvah and were on our way home to get our luggage to then head for the airport before they revealed that we were going to Florida. I was the last one in the family to know we were moving to France for a year when I was nine. Dad and Mom finally told me six months before we left. I wonder if they would have delayed even more but they’d hired a tutor to give us all French lessons.
I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii but always put off planning a trip. In May of 2011, my friend and I took an Alaskan cruise. I spent extra money to pay for a first class airline ticket because I dreaded squeezing into a regular seat for a cross-country flight. I had a wonderful time on the cruise but I was definitely hampered by my super obesity. It was difficult for me to walk around in the ports, hell, even on the ship. I couldn’t comfortably sit in the ship’s theater seats. When we planned the cruise, we knew we wanted to go whale watching and do nature stuff. Surveying the excursions, I looked for ones that were on full sized boats. My weight definitely impacted my choices.
Everything is so much different now! For one thing, I wouldn’t have even planned this vacation if I hadn’t lost weight. The first class airfare would have been exorbitant. No such worry now that I fit comfortably in a regular seat. I’ll be fine even on the long 11 hour direct flight. I keep telling my friend that we’re going to stand up every hour or so and do a loop around the seats to keep our blood moving.
Like before, whale watching is high on our priority list and I also love to snorkel. Hawaii is great for both of these activities. We have gleefully planned the water excursions with only one consideration — did the description and reviews of the excursion make it sound like something we would really enjoy? We’ve opted for two trips that involve Zodiac inflatable boats. I’m not the least bit concerned that I’m too fat for those vessels. I’m confident that I will be able to get in and out without trouble.
When deciding on an excursion in Hilo, my friend read me different descriptions. There’s a tour that includes a visit to Volcano National Park. “It has a three mile round trip walk to the crater,” she said. “No problem. Sounds like fun,” I replied.
For months I’ve had ziplining on my Promise List. I have no idea why, but I saw it on a television show and thought, “I want to do that when I lose enough weight.” When we booked the Hawaii cruise, I started looking into zip lining excursions. I knew there would be a weight limit, understandably so, and I promised myself that if I was less than the limit, I would sign up. Guess what? I am and we did! Think of me in Kauai, hanging off lines 65 feet in the air and crossing suspension bridges. Me. The formerly super obese woman who couldn’t walk a couple of blocks before she grew winded from the exertion.
I won’t have a chance to post a lot while I’m away but I promise that, eventually, I will post photos.
When packing, most people think about how many dresses or pairs of slacks they should pack. I’m debating whether to bring both my walking sneakers and my cross-trainers or just the walking sneakers. I’d like to bring both so that I can do Zumba on the cruise ship if classes are offered.
This is such a new experience, to know that I’m not limited by my extra pounds. From the overall trip to the separate excursions, even down to what goes into the suitcase, my life is filled with a wonderful variety of different choices.
Weighty Matters 
Your trip sounds amazing! One NSV after another!
It sounds like you’re going to have a wonderful adventure, although that ziplining thing is something that this height fearing person would pass on.
You may already know this, but if you get stuck in your seat for any reason, there are exercises you can do at your seat to keep the blood flowing. I do those even on shorter flights.
I worked for 32 years for an airline and one of my greatest benefits was the chance to send my parents to Alaska and Hawaii – two places they would never have gone otherwise. They loved both experiences.
Can’t wait to see your pictures. Bon voyage.
I am so excited for you. I went to Hawaii for the first time last month. It was for work, so no fun excursions. But it was still lovely. I can’t wait to hear about it all. Have a great time.
It’s like a rebirth, a second chance at life 🙂
Everything sounds so wonderful. Looking forward to pictures. It’s been twenty years since I was in Hawaii and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.
Susanne
Wow, the excitement and enthusiasm comes zinging off the screen! I am so very, very happy for you, Mary. I know you are going to have a fabulous time and come back with tremendous stories and pictures to share with us. I look forward to it.