What better stress buster in the world than traveling? And who hasn’t had followed what the itchy feet brings along. So we start a travel series where we talk to people from across the globe and have them share their favorite holiday experience with us. 

Stuart Nager is a professional Drama/Storytelling Teaching Artist who lives just north of New York City. We asked him about his favorite holiday experience and he had no doubts that his trip to Maui was the best. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii , USA and is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Stuart shares his travel story: 

Have you ever been in a place where the word “stress” is just not in existence?

For me, that is Maui, one of the main islands that make up Hawaii. Stress is part of the daily equation, in traveling around and often in the people.  I took my son to Maui when he graduated top honors from college. It was just the two of us, and I thought it’d be great to spend some quality time with him before he really entered the working world. The trip itself (to and fro) was exhausting, and probably the low point of the experience, as it was just so long to be in a plane.
However, once upon the island, the warm sun, the smell of the clean air, being greeted with Lei, it was already a vast difference in temperament. We drove from the airport to our hotel along the road with the sea to our right. The ride afforded us beautiful skies and panoramic views.

As to memorable experiences:

My son getting up super early to trek up the Haleakala volcano, see the sunrise, and then bike-ride down. It was something he needed to do on his own, and hearing about it later was a sharing experience.

The two of us did The Road to Hana, a 52-mile trip that has 620 curves and 59 bridges! Along the way, we stopped at a number of absolutely stunning rainforests, flower gardens, and stunning waterfalls. My son had THE best hot dog he’d ever had (one of his favorite remembrances). For me, I met Bead Man: sitting on a path, only clad in cut off jeans, tanned and so wonderfully at peace with the world. He told us he made his living being invited to international craft shows where his work is in demand, and that his office was this, sitting under the sun in an expansive beautiful garden.
I don’t think there is a bad time to go (unless it’s hurricane season), and while Maui is a bit pricey (so much has to be imported to the island), it was well worth every penny. We stayed in a suite that had a kitchen, and that helped cut some of the costs of eating out all the time.

You should, though, do a luau just once: the food was excellent and the entertainment was just plain fun. My son remarked, towards the end of our week there, that he had never seen me so relaxed. He was right: I had a feeling that week of utter calm. The beautiful landscape, the attitudes of the people, the pace of the daily life, all were calming. If I could figure out a way to make a living there (or just win the lottery) Maui would be one of the places I would consider moving to. ALOHA !!! people.