I’m about to say something you might find shocking, so before I do I want to make two things clear:
- This isn’t a complaint post. The purpose is not to vent.
- I actually consider this a positive and optimistic thought process.
Okay. Ready?
I don’t like Hawaii
I’ll wait a moment for the outrage to subside.
Nothing at all against the residents or people. I’ve traveled a lot and my experience is that people, broadly, are kind and welcoming.
I’m here, right now, as I type this, having breakfast under an umbrella in Waikiki, and I have realized that this place is my definition of hell on earth.
And here’s the kicker, I think that’s a good thing. I’ve never been more happy to be unhappy! So I thought it would be worth unpacking what’s up.
Travel Preferences
I’m a creature of the cold climates. I originated in the Pacific Northwest, and I crave nothing so much as a cool drizzle in a quiet forest.
January should be the depths of winter in Hawaii. It’s presumably as cold as it gets around here. To my tastes it’s too warm. Not just too warm, but simultaneously too humid. I’ve been in a place that is both warm and humid enough times to realize that I always find this experience miserable.
- If it’s going to be hot, I want it to be dry.
- If it’s going to be wet, I want it to be cold.
- If it’s going to be hot and wet, I want it to be Disney world.
I’m willing to tolerate the climate for Disney. It’s an exception that proves the rule.
I’ve realized something I probably should have figured out a long time ago. My idea of paradise isn’t a tropical island with a fruity drink, it isn’t sand, it isn’t the ocean.
Paradise is a cabin in the woods, plush rugs, a roaring fire, and snow outside the window. It’s Estes Park, CO in February. It’s Walden Pond.
I’m having a miserable time, but I’m actually happy about it, because now I know something important about myself. And now I’m excited for all the trips I can plan with that knowledge in mind.