MarketBeat Sabbatical Sparks Quam Family's Long-Awaited Return to Hawaii

It's the big fish moment that has stuck with Ryan and Wendy Quam since the start of their marriage. 

"We honeymooned on the Big Island in 2007; I caught a blue marlin on that trip,"  Ryan Quam said.

It was one of many beautiful memories that had the Quams dreaming of returning to the island since the very beginning of their lives together as a family of two. But 17 years and two kids later, life just got too busy. 

"The hardest part was finding an opening in our busy family schedule so that we all could go," Quam said. 

The catalyst they needed to make this dream trip a reality ended up being Quam's workplace. After five years as MarketBeat's Principal Engineer, Quam was eligible for the company's sabbatical program that comes with an extra two weeks of PTO and $5,000 to spend on your dream vacation.

"We had a hard time finding even two weeks we all could be gone.  We finally just blocked it out," Quam said.

His family spent their Christmas break planning out their dream vacation; with MarketBeat's sabbatical bonus covering the cost of their flights and Airbnb, their dream family vacation was finally becoming a reality. After months of planning, the Quams took off for Hawaii, this time visiting Maui as a family of four.

"Hawaii was as beautiful as I remembered it, but Haleakala was a unique experience on Maui," Quam said. 

Waking up early to watch the sunrise together at Haleakalā National Park is one of the family's favorite memories from the trip. But the Quams packed their two weeks on the island full of family adventures.

From a cruise to Laina to snorkeling in Molokini and Turtle Town, the Quam family spent plenty of time in the ocean. 

"We had a pod of dolphins swim by the boat on our way to Lanai,"  Quam said. " While snorkeling we saw an eagle ray, yellow tang, needle fish, sea turtles and a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, a name Elle knew thanks to a song from High School Musical 2."

While they enjoyed interacting with ocean life, they might have enjoyed dining near the ocean even more.

"We were lucky to snag a reservation at Mama's Fish House, you have to book months out.  It's a world-class restaurant in a beautiful location right on the beach," Quam said. "The menu changes daily depending on what local fish are caught.  The appetizer we had was one the best things I've ever eaten. Carson, who is our pickiest eater, even decided to venture out and try some octopus."

The Quams say the two-and-a-half-hour dinner at Mama's Fish House is one of the most memorable meals they've ever shared. They also enjoyed the island's famous fresh fruit and made sure to get in a tour of the Maui Gold pineapple farm.

Another popular tourist destination in Maui was a less shiny vacation memory for the Quams. Their day on the road to Hana was actually one of their least favorite days of the trip, largely because Ryan's wild driving left half of the family feeling car-sick most of the day. 

"People pulled over because they thought I was a local behind them.  At one point, an oncoming convertible yelled at me, "Slow down, handsome!" The kids kept teasing me and saying that to me the rest of the trip," Quam said.

While not every moment was picture-perfect, Quam says the family memories made on this trip are priceless, especially as his kids are now both in High School and inching closer to starting out life on their own. 

"We enjoy spending time together, but we don't often have all four of us together at the same time and that was great," Quam said. 

Creating memorable moments with family is exactly the goal of MarketBeat's sabbatical program, a key part of the company's core value of fostering work-life balance. Building the company and office life on that principle is what makes these trips a true sabbatical for MarketBeat staff like Quam.

"I was able to completely recharge and disconnect for two weeks, which was made possible by having such a great, crossed-trained team to pick up the slack," Quam said. 

A company culture that ensures Quam has enough support at the office to feel confident and fully invest his time with his family. Quam says he's grateful for the inspiration to finally return to the island he's been dreaming about for years and that the time with his family totally blows his Hawaiian big fish memories out of the water.