And we might as well add beautiful to that. Look at these guys and
girls. No, they're not body doubles for this year's group of road
warriors. These people are the real thing. And no, that's not a
nicely painted backdrop. That's a real live Hawaiian sunset on a
real live Hawaiian beach.
Yep. It seems 90 percent of you think
Hawaii is the ultimate
destination. So what better place to shoot our Ultimate Road
Warriors? Thanks to the Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kona on the Big
Island, we had the perfect setting. Some might even call it
posh.
In addition to our five winners, we had 15 final-
ists and almost 9,000 other pretty fabulous entries. And because
everyone offered so many great suggestions, we've dedicated almost
this entire issue to sharing their stories with you. So if you're
on your 100th trip of the year, read up on what some of your fellow
warriors had to say. It will make you feel like you're not
alone.
GRAND-PRIZE WINNER
ANDY KNIGHT MITCHELL
HAPPY VALLEY FILMS
Job: Documentary Filmmaker
Home: Burlington, Vermont
Age: 31
Number of Days Traveled in 2004: 180
Despite how natural he looks here, Andy Mitchell is much more
comfortable behind a camera than in front of one. As a documentary
filmmaker, he travels all over the world filming lions, tigers,
bears, sharks, giant squid, and whales, and the list goes on. And
he had plenty of stories to share about the many gross and unusual
things he's come across, eaten, and been eaten by, and the
less-than-pleasant places he's had to work and sleep in. But
despite the makeup, lights, gawkers, and mosquitoes gnawing at his
ankles, there was nothing we could do to make Andy complain.
Perhaps that's because we were shooting in the less-than-harsh
conditions of Kona's Waipio Valley, and Andy knew that, at the end
of the day, he'd be retiring poolside or barside at the luxurious
Hilton Waikoloa. "Roughing it" has never been so nice. Here's a
look at Andy's life as a road warrior, in his own words: