The last day
Our final day in Hawaii was filled with all good Hawaii things. We woke up early and caught a sunrise on the beach.
Becca had done her research, and this was supposed to be one of the best beaches for sunrises. It did not disappoint. We found yet another rainbow during our walk along the beach!
After the sun had risen and we’d wandered the beach for a while, we drove back to Honolulu, making a few scenic stops along the way.
We spent some time wandering around the Waikiki area of Honululu, a ritzy shopping district reminiscent of the Magnificent Mile, before wandering onto Waikiki beach for our last true beach experience. (When in Hawaii, in true Murphy fashion, our family went to 3 islands in 10 days and didn’t truly get into the water until day 9 of 10.)
We headed off to the airport, flying out less than an hour apart from each other after enjoying some dinner.
On my flight home, I did some homework and tried to sleep. I was back in Detroit by early Monday morning and spent the day preparing for class to start again on Tuesday.
Reflections
Overall, our trip lasted just about 10 days. It was one of the most incredible trips I’ve ever been on, with our family managing to visit three islands, two national parks, Pearl Harbor, multiple picturesque outlooks, and even some beaches during that time. We saw multiple waterfalls, rainbows, whales, and beautiful sights. We got to stand where WWII was officially ended, see lava glowing at night, swim within touching distance from sea turtles, and try a bunch of fruity drinks.
It’s no big secret that I’m not exactly the beachiest of people. When given the option between beach and mountain, I choose mountain every time. However, I could not have imagined a better 50th state! And it was all the more special because the three of us were able to do it together!
Now, that’s it! With just a few days left before my 30th birthday, I’d officially completed the life goal I set out for myself in my early 20s (and recalibrated when life got in the way). I’d visited all 50 U.S. states!
It’s an awesome moment when you’re able to complete a life goal. I’ve been privileged enough to have the means to complete quite a few life goals, including going on an archaeological dig, visiting Hadrian’s Wall and Hobbiton, and going to graduate school. I’ve also been lucky enough to have people around me support me in achieving my goals, the time to be able to complete them, and even sometimes having people to come with me as I go on these adventures.
Now that this goal is complete, it’s time to prioritize others. Obviously, I still have to finish school, and that will take priority over the next few years of my life. And travel goals will always still be there. I’ve always left a place sure that I hadn’t seen all it had to offer. I may start on a few return trips. But there are still a few new countries that I’ve wanted to visit for a while. Now that I’ve completed trips to all 50 states, I may turn my attention back to international travel for a while. I want to visit all 7 continents in my lifetime, and I may get working on that during this next decade of my life. I am also interested in visiting all the national parks, especially since my various trips to the 50 states have given me a good head start.
The wild thing is, though, hitting all 50 states before I turned 30 feels like a BIG accomplishment. I’m a big traveller. Every spare cent that doesn’t go into savings or some nerdy trinket goes into travel. Visiting all 50 states was inevitable, barring some weird health issue or absolute collapse of finances. But when I realized how close I was and set this goal for myself at 21, knowing I only had five states left, it seemed doable by 25. I hit three of the states in one trip during my spring break my senior year of college, right after turning 22. Alaska and Hawaii in two years should have been easy. But it wasn’t. I was unhappy in my life and ended up living abroad for a year as I tried to forge a new path. Once I was home, my dad fell sick, and we spent the next fifteen months caring for him. And then, three months after he died, COVID hit, just days before my twenty-fifth birthday. Those three years were gone in the blink of an eye, and while I found ways to travel during COVID, Alaska and Hawaii, with such long flights, didn’t feel like realistic options again until midway through 2023. Between navigating around my sister’s work schedule and starting my PhD, I honestly wasn’t sure I would manage it. But I did.
Seeing the goal of 50 states in 25 years in sight, having to recalibrate with the world fell into chaos, and then still being able to accomplish that goal less than 5 years later than the original goal date, given what those years held, actually feels like an accomplishment. Some people don’t ever accomplish this goal, and thanks to my parents and their love of travel, I’ve been able to do it before entering the third decade of my life.
It feels almost like I’ve done what I’ve needed to do in life, travel-wise, and now I’m free to explore and just have fun without an agenda! I can’t wait to see what comes next!
WANDERING 