Task 1 - Visit Hawaii

Task 1 - Visit 1 New State or Country: Oahu, Hawaii

While I have not yet gone to Hawaii the trip is booked and I am excited to go. I used money made from my part time job to finance this incredible adventure and I can't wait.

Step 1: Pick the Island: After researching where to stay I settled on Oahu and particularly Waikiki. I picked Oahu because it has many of the attractions that I feel are must see's while in Hawaii. It is also the state capital and home to the majority of Hawaii's population. I choose Waikiki because of its notoriety as the place to visit. Usually I prefer to be off the beaten path but for this trip I thought I would follow the herd.

Step 2: Pick the Dates to Travel: I know a few people who have or do live in Hawaii and asked what time of the year did they think it was best to travel there. They all thought that the fall was the best time because it was before the busy holiday season but after the kids all go back to school.  That left me traveling sometime from late September to early November.

Step 3: Pick a Hotel: I looked at alot of hotels on Waikiki from the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, to the Sheraton Waikiki and the Moana Surfrider. My critera was simple I do not want to have to cross Kalakaua Ave to get to the beach. I also didn't want to be right smack in the middle of the beach either where the majority of the crowds would be. As such I settled on the Sheraton Waikiki. Its ideal because I can get to the beach easy enough but also have the option to swim in its incredible infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

Step 4: Plan the Activities: Once the dates and hotel were locked down the fun part of planning what activities I wanted to do began. I decided that I wanted to do a few guided tours to to compliment the free time I would have on Oahu.

1. To acclimate to the island I thought that an island tour would be ideal as an opportunity to see what was on the island and what we might want to go back and explore more.  I settled on Discover Hawaii Tours Ultimate Circle Island Tour.
2. What vacation to Hawaii is complete with out visiting Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial. To maximize seeing everything we opted to include that in addition to visiting the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center with an included Luau. Discover Hawaii Tours Pearl Harbour, Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center with Luau
3. Being an avid fan of kayaking, hiking and anything really outdoors I picked a tour that would allow me to do all the things I wanted to do without torturing my travel companions. We would visit the film location for Jurassic Park as well as hike above the Kualoa Ranch fish ponds before kayaking to Chinaman's Hat. Discover Hawaii Tours - Chinaman's Hat Experience
4. One final tour we have yet to settle on is a big one and would add a good deal of expense to an already pricey vacation. It's an opportunity to visit the big island on a fly away tour to visit the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and rainbow Falls. We would get to see the most active volacano in the world and walk thought the Thurston Lava Tube. Discover Hawaii Tours - One-Day Hawaii Volcano Eco Adventure.

The rest of the vacation would be spent with out any planned tours or trips and we would get the opportunity to relax, enjoy the beach, and explore as we see fit.