Ritvi Ranka: Oahu, Hawaii

Upon arrival to Oahu, Hawaii, senior Ritvi Ranka was surprised to see a lot fewer people than she initially expected on the “touristy” island. When she visited Oahu in 2019, she says she remembers it being a lot more “packed,” with lines trailing outside of stores and restaurants having long wait times. However, aside from the number of people there, she says the experience was similar to her previous trips to Hawaii, where she visited beautiful sights and spent her time at beaches and stores. 

Her family, along with a couple of other families, decided to travel to Hawaii over Winter Break due to the deal they got on flight tickets and the relatively low number of COVID-19 cases within Hawaii. Despite this, they still took precautions on the way there, such as wearing two sets of masks on the flight, washing their hands and not eating on the flight, which was completely full. 

In Hawaii, Ranka says the state did a good job of implementing safety procedures to prevent the spread of the virus, but ultimately, she believed that her safety was in her own hands.

“[Most places] asked for vaccination cards from everyone,” Ranka said. “Especially food places where you’re supposed to take your mask off, they ask you for vaccination cards at the door or they don’t let you in. Masks weren’t required and it was very open because things were mostly outside [so] people weren’t wearing masks, but we still wore them. You just have to take your own precautions while you’re there.”