After an absence of nearly 15 years, our family decided to travel back to Hawaii. We used to go fairly frequently, but raising a family can place other demands on discretionary income! The islands were calling us back again and Waikiki is the perfect family destination with something for everyone to do.

We were traveling with five different families actually with an age span of almost 70 years. Finding activities that would not be to stressful for the older group, but interesting enough for the young go-getters took some planning. Waikiki allowed us to keep everyone happy. The key was not making everyone do all the same activities.

One day the teenagers took surfing lessons while the younger kids played in the ocean. The non-surfing adults supervised, enjoying the trade breezes and a cool libation.  A perfect way to spend a day in Hawaii and we found a little steak shop nearby. We finished the day by eating teriyaki steak and salad while watching a beautiful Hawaiian sunset.

Another day we all took a bus tour around the island. Easy going for the older ohana in the group, and interesting enough for everyone. There were enough stops on the tour to let the kids get out and burn off a little steam, but not so many that moving the wheelchair became a burden. The scenery was breathtaking and the guide was very informative.

One of highlights of the trip was going to Pearl Harbor. We had a WWII veteran in our group and it was very meaningful to visit Pearl with him. While we were there, a group of Pearl Harbor survivors were also there and it was very interesting to just listen to the old veterans tell stories.

The USS Ronald Reagan was in port right next to the gathering area for the Pearl tour. What an impressive sight to see. And as an added benefit a band from the Australian Navy was playing music as we waited our turn to view the film and board the memorial. It was the perfect day to visit Pearl Harbor.

We did not rent a car for this trip. We took a couple of tours and used public transportation. I was a little worried about traveling on TheBus with two wheelchair bound people. It was incredibly easy to us TheBus on Oahu. Getting on and off was very simple and the drivers were incredible. They made sure that their “uncle” was well taken care of.

On that note we also went to Hanauma Bay. If you have never been there you simply must put it on your “bucket list”. It has to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. They also have sand wheelchairs available at no cost. What a blessing that was. Be sure to arrive early if you are going to need one. There are a very limited amount and they are available on a first come first served basis.

My advice if you are traveling with multiple families is to relax. Make a list of possible tourist destinations you want to see while you are on the trip. Let everyone decide what will fit their family needs and then match up groups from there. We split off one day and part of the crew went to the beach, some of us went to the zoo, and others went to play golf.

That was perfect, everyone got to do what they wanted and then we came together that night to watch the sun set and discuss the day. There is nothing like the smell of the ocean, the cooling trade winds on your face and watching the sun set on another fun day in paradise to bring out the best in a family. Go ahead and plan that family vacation, it will be fun. Aloha

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