When I saw that my time at the Banana Bungalow would include a Saturday, the day of their famous Haleakala hiking trip, I briefly considered changing my dates. Yes, it’s true, I’ve become somewhat of a hiker lately, but this was another beast entirely. And while obviously the free tours aren’t mandatory, there’s no way I…

My stomach flipped a few rounds as I dragged myself out of bed and towards the tour vans, regretting my last few drinks the night before. “There is no way I can do this trip unless I’m in the front seat,” I said to the guide Isaac, partially hoping for a swift return to my bed…

When I began planning my trip to Hawaii, it was entirely based around the generous hospitality of family and friends who live there. Frankly, I didn’t know there was any other way — I pictured nothing but endless rows of high-end hotels, far out of reach of my teeny tiny budget. And then, in my research…

If I ever return to The Big Island (which I truly hope to!), I’ll do things a little differently. I’ll rent a campervan and take a week to circumnavigate the island slowly and leisurely, rather than hopping around like a madwoman and logging millions of hours in the car. To be honest, I was a little…

I’ve said it before — and this is pretty groundbreaking stuff guys — but The Big Island is big. So big, in fact, that Heather and I often felt our butts go numb from hours logged in the car. While we were staying somewhere between Volcano and Hilo, we quite literally drove all the way around…

I had seen The Big Island from deep below sea level, I had seen it from the ground, I had seen it from the mountain-top. But I wanted to get higher. When Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours invited me on their Circle of Fire Tour, I didn’t need much convincing to say yes. But it certainly didn’t…