We just completed our first vacation away from the mainland US since 2019. We went from flying 200,000+ miles a year to almost none. It was a big change for our family.
We have spent so much time in Montana over the last 3 years dreaming and planning our life there. So, this year we asked the girls where they would go if they could choose anywhere in the world for a family trip.
Unanimously, they chose Hawai’i.
Of course, as the islands often are, the cost to get to and stay in Hawai’i was absolutely insane in 2022 ($15k per night more expensive than the last time we went. Nah.) After we recovered from sticker shock, we convinced the girls to give St. John a try in the Caribbean. A beach is a beach, right? I like Hawaii, but I don’t like it 6-figures worth. 🫠
We convinced them (and ourselves) up to 5 days before we were scheduled to show up at our AirBnB in St John. That was when the homeowner just cancelled the house we had rented months before. No reason. Just cancelled it (kept our insurance money, no chance for us to review the place, and zero chance for us to find another place to stay). Total scam and AirBnB did nothing to help us. They lost me as a customer for the rest of forever for that BS.
So we looked again at Hawaii for a last-minute make-up trip and what do you know, the costs had come way way down — by over half the cost. 😳
So we ended up in Maui for 9 days. 🌊🏝️🌺
And I gotta tell you, it was nice, but it wasn’t Montana mountains nice. 🏔️🎣🏕️
Give me a pair of overalls, a tiny cabin, and some time in a hammock over the beach any day. I cannot believe I just wrote that.
I’ve found my place in this world, and it’s ruining travel for me. More proof that life has changed in a most blissful way over the last 3 years, despite so much perceived disappointment in the moment.
Here’s to rediscovering what thrills us, what brings us together, and what makes us feel alive as a family. And here’s to understanding that what worked for us at one time, doesn’t have to always be the case.
I’m counting down the days to June 20 when we make our way back out to Montana: my permanent vacation adventure spot.
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