Woo, so you are planning a trip to Hawaii? Must be quite exciting! However, just like any other undertaking, preparing for a trip can quite be overwhelming especially when you are visiting a place for the first time and want to get the best experience out of that trip. This, however, doesn’t have to be the case, and that is why we have prepared this guide to ensure that you consider all the important factors when preparing for that upcoming trip to Hawaii.
1. Pick Your Destination Island
Start by picking your preferred island. You probably have not been in Hawaii before, and so you really don’t know what each Island has to offer. However, you are lucky since we live in a digital world where everything can be found just by the click of a button.
The thing to note here is that each island is unique and boasts of unique landscapes, experiences, and flavours. It is therefore crucial that you take your time to find out about the most popular islands in Hawaii and select the one that resonates with you. You can start your search by checking out the following famous islands;
· O’ahu- The Gathering Place
· Maui- The Valley Isle
· Hawai’i- The Big Island
· Kaua’i- The Garden Isle
2. Accommodation
Now that you have decided the places you will be visiting, the next thing to think of is accommodation. If you choose to travel during peak times, you might have to book a place up to almost a year in advance.
Although you can always find a place even if you wait up to the last minute, booking a place early in advance ensures that you consider all the options and you don’t have to pick a place just because it is the only one available.
There are several factors to consider when it comes to accommodation. Do you want to stay at a condo? Are you looking for a luxury beach resort? Can you take a vacation rental away from the beach? These are some of the questions that you must answer which will mostly be determined by your budget as well as the experience you are looking for.
Depending on your answer to the above questions, you might have to stay at a specific part of the island which has the facilities that you are looking for.
3. Booking the Flight
Try and book your flight at least four months before the trip. If possible, start monitoring the available flights six months out to ensure that you get the best deal.
There are two things to consider when it comes to a flight; convenience and budget.
If you are looking for convenience, then it is best if you can avoid LA. This is because the airport is enormous and for some crazy reason, you have to keep switching terminals and rechecking your bags (esp. when you are travelling to Hawaii!)
To avoid all this trouble, just book a direct flight from major hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas, etc. to your final destination. Although these flights are always pricey, they more convenient and less overwhelming.
If you decide to go the cheap route, you might just end up in LA (unfortunately), from where you will connect to your final destination. A flight from LA to Hawaii usually take about six hours.
4. Car Shipment
The next thing you should consider is shipping your car to Hawaii. As you probably already know, Hawaii has so much to offer, and it would be sad if you could pay all that money only to end up spending all your time at the resort.
Although you can rent a car while in Hawaii, nothing beats the luxury of having your own car. This is especially important when your car has some special features or provisions for your kids or pets such as infant car seats. Remember that, when it comes to rental cars, you are sometimes forced to pick what is there and not necessarily what you would fancy.
The good news about shipping cars to Hawaii is that now you can find companies specializing in this field ensuring that you don’t have to worry about how your car will find its way to Hawaii. Because of the high demand, however, it is crucial that you contact your company early in advance to ensure that your car lands in Hawaii before you.
5. Plan Your Daily Itinerary
Coming up with a schedule ensures that you stay on track and that you don’t miss on some important activities. If possible, try and book for activities of interest before you even arrive. The most popular activities such as snorkel and helicopter tours are always booked for even a month earlier, and if you are not careful, you may end up missing out.
It is advisable that you plan for one major activity/day and use the rest of the time engaging in some minor activities. For instance, you can start with a snorkeling trip in the morning and then go for a hike in the evening.
However, some more involving activities such as a tour to the Volcano National Park, a hike in Haleakala, etc. may just take your whole day, but the experience is always worth it.
6. Choose the Right Time for Your Hawaii Trip
One thing that makes Hawaii unique from other world destinations is its summery weather experienced all year-round. This means that Hawaii can be visited at any time of the year.
So what do we mean by choosing the right time for your trip?
Hawaii experiences its high season from December to mid-April. During this time tourists are running away from the cold winter weather in their countries and hence flock the Hawaiian Islands. Because of the high demand, prices are very high at this time.
If on a budget, the right time to visit Hawaii would be from September to mid-December and from mid-April to mid-June. At this time of the year, there is no much competition on facilities such as accommodation, flights, etc. and you can get services at some discounted prices.
As you can see, there are so many factors to consider when planning your trip to Hawaii or any other destination for that matter. Try look into these factors and have that amazing Hawaiian vacation that you have always been planning for!
Image Credits: Hawaii from aines /Shutterstock