Travel Tips

We've listed some travel tips below. Click on the bold teal text to go to the website mentioned in the text (the link will change to blue once you have visited that site).

Getting Here

The best way to get to Hawaii is by airplane, because it's a long way to swim.

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaskan Airlines generally have pretty good deals, or you can search on Kayak.com or Google Flights.  Flights are generally cheaper if you purchase them in the middle of the week, rather than on weekends.

Make sure to get a car big enough to
fit all your luggage!

Getting Around

Although Hawaii has a bus system, it can be time-consuming and sometimes unreliable. Renting a car will give you an easier mode of transport. We usually rent our cars on hotwire.com and pick them up at the Honolulu Airport (HNL).

Where To Stay

For longer visits (3+ days), it is usually more comfortable and more affordable (especially if 4+ people are involved) to rent a vacation rental. We usually rent vacation rentals via the websites homeaway.com or vrbo.com. Homeaway can be a little easier to use, because it allows you to search by availability, which VRBO doesn't do. Some rentals are only available monthly or weekly.

Waikiki at night

For shorter visits, hotels are generally a better option. On Oahu, most hotels are located in Waikiki, although the north and west sides of the island.  For Waikiki, we generally book the hotels through hotwire.com, but kayak.com is also a good alternative if you want to know which hotel you will get before you book it! Of the hotels in Waikiki, the only one Alexis has personally stayed at is the Aqua Hotel, which she liked.  Alexis' parents have stayed in the Equus Hotel, which was also good.  The Ala Moana Hotel, which is near to but not inside of Waikiki, is another good alternative.

If you are staying in a Hotel in Waikiki, you should be aware that you will probably have to pay another $20/day for parking at the hotel.

What To Do

Before you visit Hawaii, we recommend buying a guidebook about Oahu. Amazon.com has a good selection of these, or you can visit your local bookstore or library.  There are tons of interesting things to do on Oahu, from swimming to hiking to visiting museums about Hawaiian history, so you won't be bored!