Kauai, 1993. It was late at night when I landed from California, and rain was coming down in
a torrential, impossible-to-see kind of way. I was 18 years old, too young to rent a car, so I had to have someone
else rent it for me. When I finally got in and read the directions on my paper map, I saw that after 30 miles
of winding, unlit roads, I was supposed to find the address written on a pine tree. Okay, the entire island is
covered in pine trees. There is even a beach called Pine Trees! Why had I decided to do this to myself? Well, I
had thought traveling alone would prove I could be independent. I have been coming to Hawaii most of my life,
and I am so fond of it. The mere word Hawaii puts me in a trance. But none of the islands’ poetry found me at
this moment of panic. I took a deep breath, cranked the gearshift, and drove into the pitch-black night. An hour
later, between the rain and my tears I had zero visibility and was contemplating just pulling over and sleeping
in the car until dawn. “No!” I screamed. “I can do this!” According to the map, my pine tree was approaching. I
kept getting in and out of the car to check different trunks. I must have looked like Rambo—soaked and deter-
mined, with crazed eyes. Finally, I found it! I literally danced! I shouted like a caveman who had just invented
fire! My map said to park the car and walk half a mile. I grabbed my suitcase (no wheels and a muddy path) and
trekked through the forest, imagining all the terrifying things that could be coming up behind me. At the house
I MacGyvered the lockbox and went inside, flipping on the lights as fast as I could. On the kitchen counter was
a giant avocado, a size you can only find on these precious islands, and next to it was a note that read, “Welcome
home.” I smiled. I have been an independent traveler ever since, seeing places around the world without fear.
So go ahead and get lost. It’s the only way we can find ourselves.”Going
Solo in
Hawaii
The author in
Kauai at age 18Drew
Barrymore on
102 CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER APRIL 2020
PHOTOGRAPH: DREW
BARRYMORE
a traveler’s tale