How To Plan Hawaii Vacation On Budget
The following are a few steps to ensure you plan your Hawaii vacation on budget and hopefully help you return home relaxed, refreshed and maybe even with a few extra bucks in your pocket during these tough times. Follow the steps below to make certain that your dream trip to the Hawaiian Islands doesn’t morph into a Hawaii nightmare while on vacation.
Hawaii vacation is an unforgettable experience. People often ask me what is the best honeymoon destination in Hawaii Hawaii Island, Maui, Kauai or Big Island. They are eager to know which one to pick as their romantic honeymoon getaway. They ask me whether they can plan a budget hawaii vacation. Undoubtedly, Hawaii is one of the most attractive vacation destinations on earth and most people plan to visit it. No wonder why this island, especially Oahu and Maui are so popular among tourists from all over the world! However, if you cannot afford to spend a lot of money on your Hawaii holiday or you just want to save some money for shopping and dining in Hawaii, you have come to the right place.
When most people think of a tropical vacation, Hawaii is often one of the first places they think of. With its warm climate, beautiful beaches and diversity of activities and attractions, Hawaii is truly the ultimate tropical getaway. Whether you are planning to vacation in Honolulu or your ultimate island paradise, there are many ways to save money on your next trip to Hawaii. The tips that follow can help you plan a vacation to your dream Hawaiian destination on a budget!
What months are cheapest to fly to Hawaii?
The cheapest time to fly to Hawaii is during one of its shoulder seasons. These run after Spring Break (mid-April to June) and before Winter Break (September to mid-December.) That’s when you can book cheap trips to Hawaii for your family. And it’s a great time to visit Hawaii.
How To Plan Hawaii Vacation On Budget
Which is the cheapest Hawaiian island to visit?
You’ll find the cheapest travel deals to Oahu. That’s because there are lots of direct flights and the largest array of hotel and vacation rental options. Plus, you’ll find the most competitive rates on activities, car rentals, and attractions. Therefore, Oahu is the cheapest island in Hawaii.
How many days in Hawaii is enough?
In order to score the best hotel deals in the Hawaiian Islands, you’ll probably want to visit Hawaii for at least a week. The ideal Hawaiian vacation is usually 10-14 days. That gives enough time to adjust to the time difference, relax, and be able to do all the activities on your list.
Hawaii on a Budget: Planning your Trip
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
I had to kick off my list with my #1 piece of advice for saving money in Hawaii: Do your research!
Figure out exactly which island you want to visit, the cheapest time of year to go, where to stay in Hawaii, which activities are affordable, whether or not you’ll need to rent a car, etc.
You’ll also want to research “How much does a Hawaii vacation cost?” so you won’t be surprised at how much others pay for typical family trips to Hawaii.
And make sure to factor in tipping in Hawaii.
Reading this blog post is a great sign that you are doing your research for your next vacation in Hawaii! You’ll want all these Hawaii budget travel tips!
2. STICK TO ONE ISLAND
While it’s tempting to want to visit multiple islands on your trip to Hawaii (especially if it’s your first trip to Hawaii,) those inter-island flights can add up.
You’ll also probably pay higher rates for hotel rooms and car rentals if you are just using them a few days per island. That’s not how you do Hawaii on the cheap.
Instead, stay on one island and take advantage of free nights at hotels and cheaper car rental rates. This is my top tip for how to save money in Hawaii.
3. CHOOSE ONE OF THE 4 POPULAR ISLANDS
For a cheap Hawaii vacation, head to Oahu, Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island. These are the most populated Hawaiian islands and usually have lots of direct flights from the West Coast and tons of Hawaii packages.
Oahu is usually the cheapest island in Hawaii to visit.
There is also more competition for hotels, vacation rentals, car rentals, and activities, so prices tend to be cheaper than the less populated Hawaiian islands of Lanai and Molokai.
Plus, you can often find the right Hawaii vacation package to fit your budget.
Looking for cheap places to stay in Hawaii? Here are my top picks for Kauai, Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island!
4. GO IN THE OFF SEASON
Hawaii can be crazy expensive if you try to go during a school break. Airfare and hotel rooms can be twice as expensive (if not more) during this high season.
Summertime and the week of Christmas are peak seasons for Hawaii. That’s not how to travel to Hawaii on a budget.
Definitely avoid the last week of April. That’s “Golden Week” in Japan and the Hawaiian islands will be flooded with Japanese tourists and therefore the prices of everything skyrocket.
So, for cheap travel to Hawaii, head to Hawaii in late winter or early fall. These are my best budget tips to save you money.
We really like going in February. Our kids get mid-winter break and we can usually find reasonable airfare and lots of hotel/vacation rental options.
If you aren’t limited to school schedules, September and early October are also awesome times to visit Hawaii and find cheap airfare to Hawaii.
5. TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY
Are you getting sticker shock when looking at hotel rooms? An easy way to slash that price in half is to invite friends or family to join you for a cheap trip to Hawaii.
You can either share a hotel room (and split the cost) or go in on a larger Airbnb or VRBO, which tends to be cheaper than hotel rooms.
Traveling with more people also can save you money on food in Hawaii. You can head to Costco and get large cases of drinks, snacks, and Costco-sized ready-to-cook meals.
And you can rent a larger vehicle and split the cost when visiting Hawaii in a group.
If your group is large enough, you might also qualify for group discounts on tours.
This is one of our favorite ways to do family vacations on a budget.
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6. CREDIT CARD TRAVEL HACKING
While I have not mastered the art of credit card travel hacking, I’ve seen a lot of my friends do it successfully for vacations to Hawaii.
It sounds like the Chase Sapphire card is the way to go. You earn points on your purchases that can be used toward airfare and hotel rooms at Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG.
This credit card also offers a lot of insurance options and has a ton of travel perks to visit Hawaii.
7. INVEST IN TRAVEL INSURANCE
While we’re talking about insurance, I highly recommend getting travel insurance.
Now, it might seem counter-intuitive to purchase something you might not need in order to save money in Hawaii.
However, you have to think about how much money is at risk if you have to cancel your trip, change the dates, lose luggage, etc.
And if you are pregnant or have young children, it’s even more important that you get travel insurance in case there are medical reasons you need to cancel or postpone a trip.
Make sure to shop around for the right travel insurance for your family. We tend to use Allianz Insurance for both airfare and general travel insurance.
Hawaii on a Budget: How to Find Cheap Flights to Hawaii
8. USE SKYSCANNER FOR THE BEST FLIGHT RATES
I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I only started using Skyscanner this year to look for cheap airfare.
You put in the search parameters and it will tell you the cheapest flights from all the top airlines.
You can also request a price alert to be notified when the price goes down for a cheap flight you are keeping your eye on.
It’s an easy way to plan a cheap vacation to Hawaii.
9. CARRY ON YOUR LUGGAGE
It’s no secret how airlines are trying to nickel and dime passengers. One of the most obvious ways is with the checked luggage fees.
Before you book your flight, check to see what the checked baggage fees are for the airline and factor that into the price. What sound like cheap flights at first maybe actually cost you more due to the bag fees.
Then, figure out if you can fit your stuff in a carry-on suitcase. This is actually pretty easy for Hawaii, especially if you pack mostly swimsuits and warm weather clothing that doesn’t take up much space.
Find out the top things people always forget on their Hawaii packing list!
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10. CHECK COSTCO FOR TRAVEL DEALS
Being a Seattle mom, Costco is one of my favorite places. They have a really awesome travel department that has been having some killer Hawaii travel packages.
As long as you have a Costco card, you can visit the Costco Travel website and search for flights, hotels, and car rental packages. It makes it easy to visit Hawaii on a budget.
Costco seriously has some of the best Hawaii travel deals. including cheap flights to Hawaii.
My aunt used them recently and her car rental was completely free!
11. ALASKA AIRLINES COMPANION FARE
If you are flying from the West Coast, you might consider getting an Alaska Airlines Signature Visa credit card. They offer an annual companion fare deal where you just pay $99 plus tax on a second flight.
We almost always use our companion fare for flights to Hawaii, to save the most money. And since my husband and I each have a card, we use both companion fares for our kids and save a lot of money!
Another awesome feature of this credit card is that you and up to 6 of your guests get a free checked bag!
It’s such a great Hawaii travel deal all around! We use it almost exclusively when visiting Hawaii with our kids. It’s the easiest way to get cheap flights to Hawaii.
12. SOUTHWEST COMPANION FARE
This year, Southwest launched a bunch of flights to Hawaii. They had some screaming Hawaii deals!
Whether or not they continue to offer crazy flight deals, they do have a Companion Pass program.
To qualify, you either need to fly 100 qualifying one-way flights or earn 110,000 points in a calendar year. They also have a credit card to help you accumulate points faster.
They also launched inter-island flights at a very reasonable rate.
Hawaii on a Budget: Packing Essentials
13. PACK ALL THE ESSENTIALS
When people complain about how much everything costs in Hawaii, they aren’t exaggerating. Since everything needs to be shipped in, it costs more.
They also don’t have as many big box stores as we do on the Mainland, so they don’t always have a large selection of items.
So, what to take to Hawaii?
I recommend packing all your essentials from home when visiting Hawaii. The prices will be cheaper than having to run out and buy items when you get there.
Find out what to pack on a Hawaii honeymoon or get my Kauai or Maui packing list!
14. BRING A LIGHTWEIGHT DUFFEL BAG
While I don’t recommend buying travel essentials in Hawaii, it’s pretty common to buy stuff when you get there. I mean, everything is so cute!
We’ve made the mistake of having to buy suitcases over there on my Hawaii trip in order to bring back clothing, toys, and all the snacks.
Now, we always bring this lightweight duffel bag with us. It folds up smaller than a poncho and it can easily fit inside your suitcase. Check out the latest prices and more details.
I always stuff our dirty clothes in it for the plane ride back. That way, I can bring it as a carry on and when they ask for bags to check for free at the gate (which ALWAYS seems to happen) I have no problem offering up my duffel of dirty clothes.
15. BABY FOOD + DIAPERS
If you are traveling to Hawaii with a baby, I strongly urge you to pack your own baby food and diapers.
Baby food and formula are pretty expensive over there. I’ve seen food pouches for $3+ each!
Plus, the selection isn’t very good. If you have a picky baby or toddler, you’ll want to bring your own brands.
The same goes for pacifiers and loveys. Bring extras from home so you aren’t wasting a vacation day searching for one on the island.
Hawaii on a Budget: How to Find Cheap Hawaii Family Hotels
16. STAY IN THE MOST AFFORDABLE AREA OF THE ISLAND
Before you book your Hawaii accommodation, check the rates for all the main cities/towns on the island. This is a good indicator of how to stay in Hawaii for cheap.
There are always the pricier areas to stay in and the more affordable areas and not choosing the right spot can make or break cheap Hawaii vacations.
Kihei is a cheaper place to stay on Maui than Wailea or Kapalua. Kapaa is a cheaper place to stay on Kauai than Princeville or Poipu. And on Oahu, it’s always cheapest to stay outside of Waikiki.
Read my detailed guides on the cheapest places to stay on Maui, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and the Big Island. It’s a great way to save money when visiting Hawaii.
17. HOTEL VS. AIRBNB VS. VRBO
When you start thinking about places to stay on your Hawaii trip, don’t just look at hotels. Kihei, for example, only has condos available.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to go through Airbnb or VRBO to find cheap Hawaii accommodations.
What’s great about Airbnb and VRBO is that most of the places offer free parking and it’s easier to find places with separate bedrooms (which is so handy when traveling to Hawaii with kids!)