Part Two:Planning
Your Trip

As you can guess, being in the middle of the ocean, traveling to Hawaiʻi takes several hours. This means that the travel can take a toll on you and jet lag can be tiring. That's why we always tell people to take your first day and just relax. Try to limit yourself on the number of sightseeing activities you have planned. Luckily, with all the beaches, relaxing in Hawaiʻi shouldn’t be a problem. Just be sure to plan for this time before you go!

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Flying to Hawai'i

Now, let's plan on how to get to Hawai'i. The vast majority of visitors travel to Hawaiʻi via one of the many airlines that fly here. Travel from the United States west coast is approximately 5-6 hours one way depending on if you are coming from Los Angeles or Seattle. Travel from Japan, Australia, and similar distances are typically a 12-13 hour flight. The biggest airlines flying into Hawaii are United, America Airlines, and Delta.

Like we mentioned in our previous section, The Islands, its a good idea to choose one or two islands to focus on. If you do, we recommend finding flights that go straight through to your destination and not switch airline carriers to save money.

Cheap flights to Hawaii

When it comes to cheap flights for Hawaii, its good to research when to go and which airlines fly there. This is where you have to do a bit of research and investigation. First, start with a cursory search of major flight aggregation sites like Hipmunk or Google Flights. I like these because you can see multiple flights and dates that could work for you. If you are looking for cheaper flights, it's a good idea to see where the major hubs are for flights to Hawaii, like Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. You can then check flights to that hub and then hop on direct flights to Hawaii. Weigh all your options and be sure to check direct airline websites like JetBlue to find airlines that don't use aggregation sites.

While every trip is different, here is some rough numbers for the area of the country you live in (Note: these can change dramatically depending on the time you go): East Coast to Hawaii – $900 per person. Mid-West – $750 per person. West Coast – $475 per person

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Hotels and Accommodations

Where to stay, where to stay? Don't you wish you had a friend who had a house right on the beach you could use for your trip? Don't we all, finding accommodations can be tricky, but we've tried to add tools throughout the site to help you find a good place to stay. We recommend making a list of things you want to do and then finding a hotel that is convenient. As you'll find out in the next section, Getting Around, while the islands are small, it can be a pain or take extra time to get to various locations.

Quick Tip: As you explore our site, check out the interactive maps. We have added hotels, food, and other sights that are near each location. This can help you find areas on the island that will be ideal for your vacation.

When selecting a hotel, we swear by Booking.com. They allow you reserve a room at a guaranteed rate and cancel anytime before your trip for no charge. This makes planning your trip easier and you don't have to worry about anything if some unexpected change of plans happens. Prices for hotels can range from about $150 to as much as $550 or more. This all depends on how much you want to spend and where you want to be. The average statewide cost in Hawaii for a hotel is about $252 per night to give you a rough estimate on cost.

Alternate Accommodations

If you are looking for cheaper or unique accommodations, be sure to check out HomeAway. They allow people to rent out their home or even just a private room. From exotic tree houses to mansions, you can find a unique experience right on the island. When using a service like HomeAway, you can relax and spread out in a home, cook dinners, and enjoy the island life. And what's amazing is that usually a price of a home is cheaper than a hotel. Check out some of the unique places on the islands below:

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Alright, so we have the island(s), flight, and hotel squared away. The trip is starting to come together. On the next section, we'll go through the limitations and ways to get around the island.