Those of you who read my trip reports are probably used to seeing things like Angola. North Korea. Congo. Afghanistan. Or maybe Iraq. Well, as Monty Python would say, now it's time for something completely different.
Late 2013, when United screwed up big time and offered $0 fares around the US, I just happened to be looking for tickets and was one of the first to discover it. The pleasant side effect was that I got 11 of these deals booked, most to California and Hawaii.
During my last HNL ticket in November, United screwed up...royally. I won't give it away too much, since that'll be the background in post number one. That allowed me to rebook the trip. Originally these were all 3-4 day weekends, due to not knowing if I could get time off work for anything longer. By November that was clear and I managed to convert one to a full 9 day trip to Hawaii...and a chance to check out some other islands.
I tried to do relaxing, seriously I did, but three days on one island is about as much relaxing as I can do. Most normal people would have spent 7 nights at a resort relaxing...I just had to see more islands.
This report will be full of my usual plane geekery, lots of new airlines for me (flyGo!, Makani Kai, Island Air, and Mokulele), as well as at least one new plane...the Piper! It will also feature untold drama, rebookings, and reschedulings...as well as flying somewhere without an actual ticket.
Rough plans for this report:
I. Prelude - how did this trip come about
II. IAD-SFO-HNL on United and HNL-KOA on flyGo!
III. 3 days in Kona at the Sheraton Kona and King Kam's Beach Resort
IV. KOA-OGG on Mokulele Airlines
V. Sheraton Maui and three days on Maui
VI. OGG-MKK on Mokulele Airlines
VII. MKK-LUP-MKK on Makani Kai and tour of Kalaupapa Leper Colony
VIII. MKK-HNL on Island Air...maybe!
IX. Overnight at the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu
X. HNL-LAX-IAD on United... or maybe not 
If you'd like to see my other trip reports:
I. London to Iran and Afghanistan in a mix of C, F, and LCCs
II. Above the Arctic Circle with UA/CO/LH and SK in whY, C, and F
III. Around the World in 40 Days for 40 Years
IV. 8 Places People Who Are Right in the Head Do Not Spend New Years
V. 12 Countries, 10 Airlines, 4 Islands, 27,080 miles, 11 Days
VI. 6 Countries in 6 Days - Caribbean Island Hopping and first AA Experience
VII. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana with an unexpected sidetrip to Caracas!
VIII. To Haïti - for vacation and a milage run!
IX. Around Senegal and West Africa
X. 4th Annual New Years in Dangerous Places - Libya Edition
XI. Kosovo and FYR Macedonia - Milage Run in United Business + TK/LH
XII. Washington to Peru and Machu Picchu on COPA and TACA
XIII. To Johannesburg...for 36 hours!
XIV. Here a Stan, there a Stan, everwhere a Stan Stan....
XV. Air Burkina, Air Cote d'Ivoire and 7 countries in West Africa
XVI. Turkey for Thanksgiving....with a side of Tajikistan, Serbia, Montenegro, and Moscow
XVII. Into the Heart of Darkness... Congo, Angola, Gabon, OH MY!