Veteran travel advisor Jennifer McPherson returned to Hawaii's Big Island with her family and came back with the kind of hard-won, firsthand knowledge that no guidebook can offer.
At a Glance
Hawaii's Big Island rewards active, curious travelers seeking adventure beyond resort pools. The island offers dramatic contrasts—from Mauna Kea's near-freezing summit to Kīlauea's glowing volcanic rim, black sand beaches with nesting sea turtles, and rainforest hikes. Day-tripping from Kona to Volcanoes National Park maximizes experiences while skipping less rewarding overnight stays in quieter towns.
There are travel advisors who recommend destinations, and then there are travel advisors who live them. Jennifer McPherson, co-founder of Turnkey Travel, belongs firmly in the second camp. On a recent ten-day adventure through Hawaii's Big Island and Oahu, McPherson traveled alongside her partner and their adult children and their partners, turning a family trip into a masterclass in what it means to truly know a destination.
For McPherson, this was not a first visit. She and her partner have returned to Hawaii multiple times, drawn back by the hiking trails, the snorkeling, and the layered richness of Hawaiian culture and history. But familiarity, it turns out, only deepens the reward. Each trip peels back another layer, revealing something the last visit left unexplored.
Beyond the Beaches: The Adventure Island
Ask most travelers where they have been in Hawaii and the answer is almost always Maui, perhaps Oahu. Big Island rarely tops the list, and McPherson believes that is precisely its greatest asset. "Most people experience Hawaii in Maui and maybe Oahu," she notes, "however, to us Big Island, being harder to get to, offers so much more to experience without feeling you are on the coast of mainland United States."
That sense of something wilder, something less manicured, defines the Big Island experience McPherson is eager to share with her clients. She describes the island not as a place to unwind with a cocktail in hand, but as a destination that genuinely surprises. "Hawaii is not just another fly and flop destination," she says. "It is a sun and adventure destination where you can experience all of it independently and safely, but it still feels exotic and a little bit wild."
That wildness comes into sharp focus at the summit of Mauna Kea and along the glowing rim of Kīlauea volcano. McPherson recounts the surreal experience of driving from 30-degree warmth at sea level to near-freezing temperatures at the peak, all within the same afternoon, before watching Kīlauea erupt beneath a sky dense with stars. It is the kind of moment that reframes what a Hawaiian holiday can be.
A Sunset That Earns Its Place in the Memory
After a long hike through the Honua'Lua rainforest, McPherson led her group to what she calls a favourite restaurant, Sunset Kai Lanai, perched above the ocean with an unobstructed view of the horizon. The evening unfolded over fresh seafood, shared stories, and a sky that turned the Pacific into something luminous. It is the kind of moment that travel advisors spend careers curating, and it landed exactly as hoped.
Equally treasured is a quieter ritual McPherson has claimed as her own: happy hour at On the Rocks in old town Kona. The bar sits directly on the lava shoreline, where waves break against the volcanic rock and, if the season is right, whales breach just offshore. "It is located right on the rocks with waves crashing, whale spotting and amazing sunsets," McPherson says. "This is Kona to us." It is the kind of insider detail that a traveler could spend a week on the island and never stumble upon without a little direction.
Learning to Skip What Doesn't Serve the Trip
One of the more practical insights McPherson brings back from this trip involves a common itinerary mistake. On her first visit, she booked an overnight stay in Hilo to allow extra time at Volcanoes National Park. The logic seemed sound. But Hilo, she discovered, is a government town, quiet and short on adventure. On subsequent visits, she reworked the approach entirely, departing early from Kona and making the park a full day trip, with stops at the black sand beach to watch sea turtles nesting and a picnic lunch along the way. The result was two hours on the Kīlauea Iki Trail, a frozen lava lake that McPherson describes as a hike that "must not be missed," with no wasted overnight in a city that didn't add to the experience.
It is a small adjustment with a significant payoff, and it illustrates a philosophy McPherson applies across every destination she works with. "In general, we find that you get more out of any experience when you go in with a plan," she explains. "Whether that is done by you or by an experienced travel advisor, you run the risk of missing opportunities or wasting precious travel time when you visit any place and 'wing' it."
A Culture Worth Protecting
Beyond the landscapes and the logistics, McPherson keeps returning to something less tangible: the endurance of Hawaiian culture itself. Despite the steady pressure of tourism and development, she finds the islands holding firm to their identity in ways that genuinely move her. "I am always surprised at how well Hawaii has managed to retain its Hawaiian culture and roots," she says, "and the pride of the young people to retain it." For a traveler who values authenticity above almost everything else, it is a quality that elevates Hawaii far above a simple sun destination.
Who Big Island Is For, and Who It Isn't
McPherson is generous with her enthusiasm for Big Island but equally honest about its limitations as a destination. It rewards the curious, the active, and the independent-minded traveler. It suits families across generations, couples seeking something beyond the resort pool, and anyone who wants their holiday to feel like a genuine discovery. It is not, she is clear, the right fit for travelers seeking a seamless all-inclusive experience. The island asks something of you, and in return, it gives back considerably more.
At Turnkey Travel, McPherson and her team have built a model around exactly this kind of immersive preparation, developing Select and Signature packages that handle every detail from flights and ferries to private guides and villa bookings, all informed by trips they have taken themselves. It is a philosophy rooted in the belief that a travel advisor's greatest credential is the ground beneath their own feet.
With Big Island now even more deeply understood, McPherson is already looking ahead. She and her team are set to host a group for nearly three weeks across Spain and Morocco, a trip she describes with unmistakable excitement: "immersive experiences, connections with locals, authentic food and wine, all in the safety and camaraderie of the TurnKey Travel family." If her approach to Hawaii is any guide, her clients are in exceptionally good hands.
