HAWAIIAN ISLANDS -- As the saying goes, "Here today, gone to Maui." And for Bob Dorsa, president of the American Credit Union Mortgage Association it is the place he goes to exhale, de-stress and re-energize for that next series of conference planning.

"It really is a paradise unto itself," said Dorsa. "First, it's miles away from everywhere else. You have to pick the Hawaiian Islands as a destination unless you're in transit to Australia or the South Pacific. But that's a long way to fly if you only have a week or ten days. But you can get to Maui from just about anywhere in the continental United States in one day. And once you are here the relaxation sets in."

Dorsa will not stay at a hotel when he comes here, either. "I spend so much time in hotels as part of running conferences that it still seems like work. It's too transient for that total easygoing aura that I crave." So he rents a house, does some simple food shopping and that's it, he added. He stays in Paia, a small town just outside of Kahului where the locals barely notice a Haoli except for his paler skin tone.

"When I've got to unwind, this is the place I come to. It's so peaceful here that I just let go. It's funny, but when I get relaxed, it seems that I get more ideas about business. I suppose it's because the creative juices can start to flow once you strip away from the day-to-day things and the trivia that can block it. It never seems forced; I don't think that would work," he said.

Dorsa said he's been to Europe and most of the places Americans want to visit on one or two-week vacations. "Trying to cram all this sight-seeing and cultural stuff into such a short time doesn't always allow for a traveler to just relax. Too many people come home needing a vacation from their vacation! I like the idea of doing nothing, and I mean nothing."

Dorsa admitted that he sometimes does check his e-mail ("I'm not totally incommunicado, but it's usually only for emergencies.") and makes a few phone calls to the mainland. "I've learned that there's not much you can't do, but I've also learned that you must choose to do them." Now, when he comes to relax, visit the local beaches, restaurants and hangouts, he lets the day just drift by. Maybe he'll barbeque today; maybe he won't. "And there's nowhere you can't go here in shorts and sandals; I love that."

He sleeps like a baby, he said, just listening to the Pacific breeze pass through the palm trees. It restores his soul, he said. He's ready for another series of conferences now...

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