One of the biggest surprises for us was how affordable our Hawaiian vacation was. Kelly and I both assumed it would be a cost-heavy trip, and this is why we waited so many years to go.
We were wrong. Making a few simple choices as you travel has a huge impact on your overall spend. It is possible to have an incredible Hawaiian vacation that’s also affordable.
Fly smart.
We went to Hawaii before Southwest Airlines started flying there and still found it very affordable. Prices are even better now. How did we do it? We didn’t travel during tourism high season (holidays, summer or spring break) and we didn’t check any bags.
Stay smart.
If you choose to stay in a resort, you might as well kiss your budget goodbye. Instead, we stayed our entire trip in Airbnbs. They were great! One of our bookings was 2 minutes from Waikiki Beach. Another was kitted out nicer than many 5-star hotels we’ve stayed in.
Eat smart.
Tourist-friendly restaurants. Dairy-heavy foods. Big chains. These are all unwise choices for the budget-friendly traveler.
Instead, eat like a local. Stick with foods that are readily available and grown in the islands – fish, fruit, rice and vegetables. Who wouldn’t want this anyway?
Transit smart.
Depending on where you stay, you may not need a car for any (or all) of your stay in Hawaii. We found most things accessible via foot, Uber and public transit in Oahu. For the first two days of our stay on the Big Island, we didn’t need a car because we were running a race. The rest of the time we did use a rental car – just 3 days out of our 10-day trip – to get around Big Island. We did a lot of online price shopping before we rented and as a result saved hundreds of dollars off our car (no SUV for us because we didn’t plan on any off-roading).
Play smart.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on sight-seeing activities in Hawaii. It’s a beautiful place! We were able to see waterfalls, black sand beaches, historic landmarks, National Parks, humpback whales, sea turtles and much more. And not one of those things cost us any money.
With just a little planning, it is possible to a wonderful, affordable trip to Hawaii. We won’t be waiting 20 years to go back.