When it was time for Group Product Manager John Gualdoni to choose a destination for his 10-year Trip of a Lifetime, he and his wife, Lindsey, asked their kids where they would want to go if they could visit anywhere in the United States.
Their oldest daughter, Emaline, immediately voted for Los Angeles.
“Because our kids equate LA with Hollywood and what they see in movies,” John said, “the younger two agreed that sounded like fun.”
Before soliciting their kids’ opinions, John and Lindsey had tossed around the idea of going somewhere a little more relaxing, maybe somewhere in the Caribbean. John said that as much as he and his wife love LA, they didn’t really want to spend a whole week there.
So, they decided to compromise by spending a few days in LA before continuing on to Hawaii.
“Miraculously,” John said, “everyone agreed to that.”
A few days in LA served them well, breaking up the long flights and giving everyone a chance to acclimate to the time change.
Their LA sightseeing included a Warner Bros. studio tour where they saw the Friends TV set and got a behind-the-scenes look at how movies and TV shows are made. They also went to Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center, to see the Los Angeles Lakers play the New York Knicks.
“It was our kids’ first professional sporting event, and it was fun to see their excitement as they took it all in,” John said. “Lebron James was out with an injury the night we were there, so I got to explain a little bit about how my work plays a role in making athletes healthy and keeping them active.”
Once John and his family made it to Maui, their focus shifted to relaxing on the beach, swimming in the resort’s lagoon-style pool and snorkeling with an array of brightly colored fish. Their son, Clayton, especially loved swimming with the sea turtles by the cliffs near their resort.
John said the highlight of the trip had to be either seeing humpback whales breaching right by the boat they took out to go snorkeling or the fresh-squeezed pineapple juice he bought at a roadside fruit stand their first day on the island.
“That was hands down my favorite thing I had all week,” he said.
Because no trip to Hawaii would be complete without going to a luau, John and his family spent the second evening of their stay immersed in a Hawaiian tradition dating back approximately 200 years. Their daughter, Dorothy, is in competitive dance and was fascinated with the hula dancers.
John said his Trip of a Lifetime was a great opportunity for their family to experience Hawaii’s culture, landscape and scenery. They even brought a Hawaiian shirt home for their dog, Cooper.
“I feel so fortunate to work for a company that places so much value on employee well-being and satisfaction. The memories my family and I made on this trip will last a lifetime.”
John and Lindsey haven’t put too much thought into his 15-year Trip of a Lifetime yet, but they think their kids will be the right ages at that point to consider going somewhere in Europe—assuming they can, once again, all agree on a destination (or two).
For every five years of employment with Arthrex, employees are eligible for a company-paid Trip of a Lifetime to recognize their dedication. Look for more Trip of a Lifetime highlights on the Arthrex Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.