Notes from Marvin Singer, a volunteer with Travelers Aid, and member of GT’s Globility Board.

Aloha! My wife and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Maui. After two years of being homebound and communicating on Zoom, it was really wonderful to get out into the world.

We both have been vaccinated twice and boosted, and at the end of January we ventured out into the world for the first time. This was a trip to New York City, where we treated our granddaughter to seeing five shows in four days. The New York theaters had just opened again, and the actors and theater attendants were excited to be back to work. At the end of one performance, one of the lead actresses urged everyone to take out their cell phones and photograph the cast while they took their final bows. For the most part, theaters were full.

Most impressive was seeing almost everyone in New York wearing masks; this included people on the street as well as in the theaters and restaurants (except while eating!). New York City has a handy app, NYC COVID SAFE. You can download it to your iPhone and then upload pictures of your COVID cards and your photo ID. In New York City, all the restaurants and theaters asked to see our COVID cards and picture ID, and this was a handy way to show them.

We traveled to New York from Washington by Amtrak. Both going to New York and returning to Washington, our car was mostly empty, so there was no problem maintaining a six-foot distance from other travelers.

Our trip to Maui was a contrast in many respects. Most notable, of course, was the weather. Temperatures in New York were mostly below freezing. It was 10 degrees F when we went to breakfast the first morning we were there. By comparison, the temperature in Maui during the day was almost 80 degrees.

If you’re planning a trip to Hawai’i, United Airlines has helpful instructions for registering your COVID vaccinations and photo ID with the state of Hawai’i before you leave. Upon check-in for your Hawai’i flight, you can get a wristband from United indicating you have registered. When you land in Hawai’i, you bypass the Hawai’i Department of Health inspectors. That saves a lot of time. When we were going to the gate to leave Maui, the line of arriving people waiting to be cleared by the health department stretched a long way down the corridor. When we arrived, we just bypassed that line and went directly to baggage claim.

Here is some helpful information if you are planning a trip to Hawai’i:

There is an app for your cell phone called GyPSY. It is available for Maui and also for other islands. It’s extremely clever and helps you find your way around the island as well as suggesting places for sightseeing. It works with GPS and will sense where you are and suggest places to stop and look, or visit. It also gives information about the culture and history of Hawai’i.

We used the app on previous trips there and found it informative. We used it this time to guide us to Haleakala National Park. It gave road directions as we drove. The last time we were in Maui ,we tried to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain. Well, that was a complete bust. It was raining with high winds and fog, and after driving to the summit we saw nothing but the inside of the small hut.

This time we drove to see the sunset. We stopped at the ranger station at about 9,000 feet — just below the 10,000-foot summit. The ranger had suggested not going to the very top because there are observatory buildings that block the view to the west. The weather was a bit cloudy and foggy — but at Mt. Haleakala the weather can change fast. And it did. Just before sunset the clouds and fog cleared. The sky was deep blue and the sunset was spectacular. And speaking of the weather, if you visit the summit or the ranger station just below, be prepared for a sharp temperature drop. The temperature at the base when we were there was about 70 degrees. At the top of the mountain it was in the low 40s. My down jacket was very handy.

I would suggest going to see the sunset rather than getting up at an ungodly hour to chance the sunrise. Note that you need to make reservations to enter the park to see the sunrise.

One additional piece of advice:

The restaurants and hotels in Hawai’i will ask to see your COVID card and photo ID. The New York City app referenced above was handy for that purpose. I recommend putting it on your phone!

Aloha for now.

— Marvin Singer, Globility Board member