Celebrating an adventure of a lifetime

February 1st, 2008 by Missy

When you work in the travel industry, you suddenly take on a dual career of being your family’s travel agent. So, when it came time for my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary, guess who was in charge of the trip?

Believe it or not, I was honored and excited to help in the planning process. After all – my mom and dad did survive 25 years of marriage, seven homes, three dogs, a cat, me and most impressive of all – my brother! They deserved an unforgettable getaway to celebrate this milestone.

After a quarter century together, my parents have cultivated many of the same interests. As I asked them questions about their traveling preferences, they were aligned on almost every topic.

First and foremost, they didn’t want to be sequestered to their hotel. My parents are relatively young, so they prefer to be active and moving on a vacation. This ruled out a destination such as Jamaica or the Riviera Maya where most travelers relax in the luxuries of the all-inclusive resort.

Also, when I asked them what kind of activities they like, many of their top choices related to the outdoors. They expressed interest in hiking, water-sports, golf, sightseeing, whale watching, and other things along those lines. I decided they needed a place that gave them access to a rugged, beautiful terrain, and also user-friendly surf.

At this point, my mind was almost set on a destination, but I had to check one more thing…travel time. My parents don’t like to be in transit for more than eight hours, so I knew Europe and Asia were out. I also knew that once they were grounded, they wanted to make this trip a long one. This meant the destination had to be a place where they could find something new and exciting to do every day for over a week.

So, it was confirmed - the only destination that would provide the adventure my parents were looking for was Hawaii. Once I told them where my research pointed, they were thrilled.

My mom and dad spent a romantic, action-packed week on the island of Maui. They took a bicycle tour down the Haleakala volcano, drove the Road to Hana, swam in pools underneath waterfalls, sailed the Pacific waters next to humpback whales, and so much more. They said it was the experience of a lifetime and they can’t wait to go back and visit the Hawaii Big Island, Kauai, Lanai, Oahu, and Molokai.

My parents couldn’t have been happier with my choice. They were rejuvenated and ready to take on another 25 years…even if those years include my brother.

Technorati Tags: vacation