I can close my eyes and be transported back to the exact room when I first made the decision that this thought wouldn’t be a thought much longer, we were going to turn it into a reality. You see, I’ve always loved to travel. Growing up, we didn’t travel a ton but whenever we did, it was THE best thing ever (even a trip to the Wisconsin Dells where we all shared a hotel room at the Shamrock Hotel!) I had this vision of Drew and I taking time for rest, a sabbatical of sorts for people who never seem to slow down. It started as a vision but with a little research and some work, this vision is turning into our reality come February.

We made the choice

Choosing to spend an entire month in Hawaii was the easy part, figuring out how to make it happen was where the work came in. This trip was two fold: setting aside a good chunk of time to just be present, away from work, and together. It was also somewhat of a ledge that was necessary for Drew to be pushed off of in order to really make some big moves in his life (leaving his job, starting his business.) I knew that the security of his job would be too appealing and if we didn’t go big or go home, we would likely continue on the loop we’ve been running these past five years. It was time to break the cycle – what better place to do that than on the beaches of Hawaii?

The truth around cost

Let me break it down and be entirely candid about what a month in Hawaii truly looks like (warning: this might surprise you!) I want to also tell you this: traveling requires sacrifice, saving, and a lot of planning. In having almost a full year to make this dream a reality, the daunting numbers didn’t seem as scary as we got closer to booking things!

Flights: 2 x $924 = 1,848.12

Car Rental for 30 Days: $314.88

Airbnb for 30 Days: $3948

Total output for 30 Days in Maui: $6,111

Now, just a year ago we spent 10 days in Maui. We stayed at a 5 star resort, ate out almost every meal, did all the excursions including the helicopter tour and drank the drinks! We spent almost $7,500 in those ten days (and it was certainly worth every penny!) So when we thought about spending a month we quickly freaked out thinking it was impossibly out of reach, but in realizing that our flights were a big chunk of the budget and finding a place to stay would be the next large expense, we realized that if have a place with a full kitchen, we can cook in a lot, buy groceries, and enjoy Hawaii for almost the same cost (but for triple the amount of time!)

How to make your dream a reality

Is there a dream you’ve been dreaming but are too afraid to figure out if it will ever become a reality? (No judgment, we’ve all been there!) We hit a point in our lives where we stopped and said, “Why are we waiting?” After some research, we realized that we could make it happen NOW. The truth is, nothing is promised. What would it look like for you to set aside a few hundred dollars each month? What would it look like if you sat down and ran the numbers to see if you could make that dream happen? What would it look like for you to budget so that these dreams could become a reality?

When you hear we will be in Hawaii for a month, instead of wondering how we are making it happen or questioning if we won the lottery and didn’t tell anyone, understand that when you learn how to budget, save, and spend carefully, you are granted opportunities that might not be within reach otherwise! We can’t wait to spend February 1 – March 1 resting, enjoying the sun, and becoming Hawaiian locals. We hope this won’t be our first month long rendez vous together… where to next?

Heading to the big island?

Check out my very own curated travel guide to Maui here!