Winter makes me want to go.......

Well my friends. I am back after a lengthy hiatus, and as I am sure you are all well aware, winter is coming. This always makes me think about going somewhere really warm. Hawaii comes to mind. I went to the beautiful garden island of Kauai 2 years ago and I found that, despite what some said, the island was fairly acccessible.

I started planning the trip by visiting with my travel agent to ask what hotels were might have good facilities, and be wheelchair accessible. Also what city we would like to stay in. This is important because it is where you will be leaving in the morning and coming back to at night. We chose to stay in Lihue which is the largest city and most centrally located city on the island. It is very accessible and has the hospital, community college, airport, and shopping centers.

Once I had settled on the accomodations and location, I then started planning the rest of the trip. I rented a nice convertable so we could get around the island. If you call far enough in advance you can get a car with hand controls.There are many great places to check out and a ton of great beaches that must be visited. There is a great thing about Hawaii's public beaches. Most of them have sand wheelchairs on loan from the county. Also talk with the life guards because nobody knows the beaches better than the people who work at them. I met some very nice life guards while there and got some great dining suggestions and where the snorkeling was particularly good that day so definately ask questions and make friends. You can never have enough friends in tropical places (more couches to crash on for quick escapes).

Finally (and this will seem like planning backwards) I booked my flight. Now you can get a direct flight from Alaska Airlines straight to Kauai. But when I went you had to fly to Honolulu and transfer. I will let you in on a secret though, don't wait for the disabled shuttle if you can walk short distances. The inter island flight gates are not that far from the international gates. And to be real honest you could die waiting for a shuttle. There really is a difference in time (island compared to the rest of the world). I would recommend flying Hawaian Air their seats are bigger and the service was great.

Well I am going to stop daydreaming and go get my puppy some food. Stay warm and keep traveling.