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From Colombia to Honolulu: When Plans Change, Adventure Finds You
By Rosabel Zohfeld
We had been looking forward to this trip for months—our long-awaited family vacation to Colombia. We rented a beach house near my hometown, planned to visit family in Barranquilla, and mapped out a road trip to Sincelejo, Coveñas, and San Onofre. Our flight was scheduled for June 12, and we were beyond excited.
But then, just a few days before departure, everything changed.
On Saturday, June 7, devastating news reached us: Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe, only 39 years old, was the target of an attempted assassination. His life was hanging in the balance, and the political climate quickly grew unstable. After careful thought and heartfelt discussions, we made the difficult decision to postpone our trip to Colombia.
With time off already scheduled and our bags mentally packed, we knew we needed a Plan B. My husband, ever the spontaneous adventurer, said, “Let’s go somewhere… anywhere.” We considered staying local—maybe Florida, maybe a lake in Oklahoma—but then he looked at me and said, “What about Hawaii?”
I paused… “Okay. You’re in charge.”
And just like that, we swapped one coast for another. He booked us a beachfront room at the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu—neither of us had ever been to Hawaii before, but we were ready.
We left Austin on Sunday, June 15 at 5:30 a.m., arrived in San Francisco four hours later, then caught a flight to Honolulu, landing around 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Exhausted but excited, we made our way to baggage claim… only to find out our luggage had gone to Denver. Yes, Denver. A city we hadn’t even flown through!
Meanwhile, check-in at our hotel wasn’t until 4:00 p.m. The kids, oblivious to it all, ran straight into the ocean wearing the only clothes they had. Sand and saltwater everywhere. We looked like extras from a stranded-on-an-island film—sandy, frizzy, and laughing through the chaos.
I dashed across the street to buy emergency clothes for the kids and my husband, hoping my suitcase would magically appear. Spoiler: it didn’t.
That evening, I tried to make a dinner reservation, but honestly, we didn’t feel very presentable. My husband trekked to Ross for backup clothes, returning around 8:30 p.m. “Let’s just order room service,” he said—only to discover there wasn’t any. So off he went again, walking to a nearby Target to grab something—anything—to eat.
Eventually, the kids passed out, worn from sun and travel. And there we were, jet-lagged, hungry, but together. Still waiting on our luggage… still laughing.
This morning, a strange alarm jolted us awake at 3:30 a.m., but then I realized—it’s actually 8:30 a.m. back in Texas. Our internal clocks are still adjusting. I can hear the waves crashing outside our window, and I’m looking forward to a warm breakfast and a peaceful walk along the beach.
Sometimes the best trips are the ones that don’t go according to plan. This wasn’t the vacation we envisioned—but it’s turning into an unforgettable adventure.
I’ll keep you posted. Aloha for now 🌺
#LifeUnscripted #FromColombiaToHonolulu #TravelDiaries #RosabelUnscripted
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4 Comments on “From Colombia to Honolulu: When Plans Change, Adventure Finds You”
Execelente ❤️🩹, espero que sus maletas estén de vuelta pronto.
Hola Maria, Te cuento que recibimos las maletas al dia siguiente! wow, una experiencia inolvidable… because it rains, even un paradise, but again is not what happens to us is what we make out of it. The key is to enjoy life in the midst of setbacks! Thank you reading my blogs! I appreciate your support very much!
Hola bendiciones, muchas veces programamos paseos, y no mentalisamos , y nos imaginamos lo que vamos hacer, pero en un segundo todo cambia, nos molestamos, pero no nos damos cuenta de que nos libro Dios, lo que hay que hacer es disfrutar y lo importante es que están en familia, y que están juntos. Disfruten del paseo, un abrazo desde Corozal-Sucre Colombia.
Hello, blessings to you too! You are so right—many times we plan trips and imagine how everything will go, but in just a second things can change. We may feel upset at first, but we don’t always realize that God may be protecting us from something. What truly matters is that we are together as a family. Thank you for your kind words. We will definitely enjoy the trip. Sending a big hug from Hawaii to Corozal-Sucre, Colombia!