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BY Nancy Mueller 22 Comments ON April 29, 2012

Top Travel Guidebook for Hawaii

Whenever two or more seasoned travelers are gathered, you’re bound to hear the one question on everyone’s mind: “Where are you going next?” or “What’s your next trip?” Wanderlusters love to share their travel tales, for better or worse, and inspire each other to keep on moving.

We also love to talk about our recommended guidebooks.

For my recent trip to O’ahu, I browsed through the selection at my favorite travel bookstore in Seattle, Wide World Books & Maps, before settling on two: DK Eyewitness Travel Hawaii (in the hopes that I’ll be visiting the other Hawaiian Islands in the not-too-distant future) and DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Honolulu & O’ahu, which also comes with a nifty fold-out map in the back pocket.

The store employee suggested I might also want to consider O’ahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond. I took a quick peek but stuck with my first choices. I love the compact size of the DK Eyewitness series and their photos are second to none. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of packing yet another guidebook in my carry-on bag.

A few days later a friend offered to loan me her travel guide for O’ahu. The title? You guessed it. O’ahu Revealed. Okay, fine. I decided to take another look. Boy, am I glad I did.

This became my guidebook of choice for the entire weeklong stay on Hawaii’s most famous island. Here’s why:

  1. The author, Andrew Doughty, provides a candid, personal assessment of attractions, restaurants, hotels and activities. You know you’re in good hands when the guidebook writer “lives” his book as he tell us in the introduction.
  2. I appreciated (and needed) the highly detailed maps with suggestions of best routes to local destinations, despite what the road signs say.
  3. The author’s vivid descriptions of specific locations on the island tell it like it is. Here’s one example any of us could relate to describing the difficulty of capturing an aerial photo of Turtle Bay Beach & Resort on the Northshore due to wind turbulence:

“Trying to hold the camera steady and flying the pitching aircraft while screaming and crying for mama is a bit awkward . . . “

Once on O’ahu, we found copies of O’ahu Revealed everywhere, outnumbering any other guidebook, including the popular Lonely Planet series. Having referred to the guide throughout our stay on the island, I can highly recommend it for your future travels to Hawaii. The good news is the series extends to The Big Island, Kauai and Maui. My hopes were dashed, however, to find that the series only extends to Hawaii. The rest of the world will have to wait.

What’s your favorite guidebook to the Hawaiian Islands, Wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Hawaii, Shopping, Travel Books Tagged With: DK Eyewitness Travel, Guidebooks, Hawaii, Hawaiian islands, Honolulu, Lonely Planet, O'ahu Revealed, Oahu, Travel Guides, Waikiki, Wide World Books & Maps

BY Nancy Mueller 12 Comments ON April 27, 2012

You Know It’s Going to Be a Great Day When . . .

.  .  . your day starts out like this.

There’s a reason the word “Hawaiian” is most often followed by the word “paradise.” I took this early morning shot from our ninth floor room of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. After a flight delay that got us into Honolulu close to midnight, we woke to the sounds of waves breaking on the shore below and birds tweeting “Aloha” from our balcony.

Time to rise and greet the day!

Can’t get enough rainbows? Be sure and check out my other two posts, Chasing Rainbows and March 17th: A Day for Rainbows.

What memorable morning wake-ups have you had in your travels, Wanderboomers?

Filed Under: Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Hawaii Tagged With: beach, birds, flight, Honolulu, morning, Oahu, rainbow, rainbows, tweeting, Waikiki, waves

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON April 2, 2012

5 Fun Ways Seattleites Beat the Rainy Blues

If you have never lived in the Pacific Northwest, you might wonder how Seattleites cope with so much regional rain. We who do live here ask ourselves the same thing, of course, especially by the time January and February roll around. But true Seattleites find a variety of ways to ward off the seasonal blues. Here’s our survival guide:

1) Go climb a wall.

If the seemingly endless gray skies make you feel like climbing the walls, why not do just that? Visit the REI flagship store where you can Climb the Pinnacle for a mere $7.00 (members) or $20.00 (non-members). Just be sure to make a reservation first and prepare to sign a waver of liability.

Or head to Vertical World at one of several locations where you can sign up for a range of classes or packages from “Intro. to Climbing” to “Lead Climbing.” How better to test your strength and resolve before tackling mountain climbing in the Northwest? Of course, if you’d rather simply stop by and climb the walls, you can do that, too.

2) Hop on a ferry.

When you’re ready for a short skip out of town, Washington State Ferries are ready to be of service. With so many routes available, your only challenge lies in choosing where to go. For a quick getaway, you can board a ferry to several nearby destinations: bucolic Vashon Island, the artistic community of Bainbridge Island, the town of Bremerton on the Kitsap Peninsula for a visit to one of the world’s largest U.S. Navy repair yards, or Whidbey Island, for saltwater beaches and hiking trails. For longer visits, the San Juan Islands (Lopez, Shaw, Orcas and San Juan), Alaska and British Columbia beckon.

3) Make a museum date.

One day you feel like viewing the paintings of renown artists, another day exploring your fascination with dinosaurs. One day your mood runs more to rock n’ roll, another day to aviation, natural history or sci-fi. Whatever your inclination or budget, Seattle has a museum for you.

4) Embrace the rain.

That’s right. If you can’t beat the gloomy weather, you might as well get out and enjoy it! Just don a waterproof hat, jacket and pants and you’re all set. You’re not going to let a little drizzle dampen your spirits, are you?

5) Follow the Sun.

When all else fails,  Seattleites start planning their escape to the Sun Belt – Arizona, California and Florida are popular destinations. But sooner or later visions of tropical paradise, swinging hammocks and island living spring to mind. And when they do, Hawaii lands at the top of the list. Honolulu and Waikiki, Kaua’i, Maui and “the Big Island,” are perennial favorites with Seattle locals.

What about you, Wanderboomers? How do you beat the winter blues? What’s your favorite place for sun n’ fun?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Seattle Tagged With: Alaska, aviation history, Bremerton, British Columbia, Climb the Pinnacle, dinosaurs, Honolulu, Kaua'i, Lopez Island, Maui, mountain climbing, Museums, natural history, Orcas Island, rain, REI, rock n' roll, San Juan Islands, sci-fi, Seattle, sun n' fun, the Big island, the blues, U.S. Navy, Vashon Island, Vertical World, Waikiki, Washington State Ferries, waterproof, Whidbey Island

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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