Sweden - Hawaii Non-stop

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Ok, first of all, the title is very misleading. Sometimes the journey is half the fun of getting to your destination. Other times the journey is nothing shy of a cumbersome and strenuous way of getting from point A to point B. As much as I would have wished for a non-stop journey that time, it was clearly the opposite.

I like airplanes - they take you where you want to go faster than any other means of transportation. However, by no means does this always equal a smooth and relaxing trip. The concept of stop-overs effectively spoils this idyllic idea.

With a two hour car ride to Copenhagen, the trip has not even started. The two hour flight between Copenhagen and London goes well. It’s with the five hour stop-over at Gatwick airport that I’m starting to realize that this is going to be a very lengthy mission.

GameBoy is truly the traveling man's best friend. Until batteries go dead, that is. To my great satisfaction, regular AA batteries are a commodity available in most shops, so also at the airport. To my surprise I need to show identification in order to purchase a pack. Fully understandable that a twelve-pack of Duracel require the purchaser to prove his identity. After all, battery abuse is huge problem in society.

The flight between London and New York goes smoothly. Afternoon flight, arrive in New York in the evening, well planned. The mere idea of spending 15 hours at Newark airport is appalling though, something you wouldn’t wish your worst in-flight neighbor. The only way to make this stopover tolerable is to do a hit-and-run to Manhattan. Shuttle bus in, walk around Broadway and Times Square for the first time and gaze at the wonders of NYC, and then shuttle bus back.

After two flights and a total of some 20 hours waiting time, I've only reached halfway to my destination. New York-Honolulu is another 10 or so hour flight. Already exhausted, it’s a tiresome journey. But at least I take comfort in knowing that I have a pick-up waiting at the airport. Or at least that was the agreement with my new roommate. Arriving at the Honolulu airport, I find no ride with my name on it, I don’t have a phone number to call, and an Internet connection is nowhere to be found. In Hawaii you surf the waves, not the net. I end up having to take the airport shuttle to Waikiki.

After about 50 hours from door to door, eventually I’m able to put my bags in my new apartment. Firmly determined to not make this trip a frequent occurrence. There are many reasons to go to Hawaii, but the deed of getting there is not one of them.

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