How to Plan a Trip to Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands offer more outdoor recreation opportunities per square mile than almost anywhere on earth. Pristine black sand beaches, rain forest covered volcanoes, and coral reefs teeming with life all await you on the island chain known as Hawaii. Unless you have unlimited time and unlimited resources, planning your Hawaiian vacation requires being very selective about where you go, what you do and how you get there. Fortunately, the tourist infrastructure in Hawaii is the most developed in the South Pacific and there are a multitude of helpful resources at your fingertips to guide you through your trip planning process.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step 1

Check airfares. Use search engines like Kayak.com and Yahoo.com that allow you to compare airfares from all available airlines that fly to Hawaii. Then check the best prices you have found against agencies that specialize in flights to Hawaii like Suntrips.com.

Step 2

Read a couple of guidebooks. It is always a good idea to read up on your destination before you plan your actual trip. For low budget backpacking travel in Hawaii, Lonely Planet and Moon have excellent guides; while Fodor's provides a wealth of information for more luxury style Hawaiian vacations.

Step 3

Make an itinerary. Decide what locations in the Hawaiian islands you would like to visit and what activities you would like to partake in. Plan a day by day schedule of where you will be and what you will be doing.

Step 4

Research accommodations. Hawaii has a very large range of hotel options from out and out high end palatial resorts to beach side cabanas. Also check with travel agencies like Suntrips.com for flight plus hotel deals, especially if you are going for a very limited time.

Step 5

Check reviews. Many websites like tripadvisor.com and virtualtourist.com have hundreds of user submitted reviews on most of the activities and accommodations that you may be considering during your stay in Hawaii.

Step 6

Call a travel agent. Many travel agents have package deals that are not available through other sources and it is always a good idea to see if they have something that might match your travel plans and save you money.

Step 7

Get ready for paradise. Book your ticket or your package and pack your bags. Remember to bring a bikini or swimsuit and plenty of suntan lotion and enjoy your vacation in the land of Aloha.

Tips & Warnings

The Lonely Planet webpage on Hawaii has a great map and loads of info on the the different islands.

Article Written By Vincent Madrone

Based in San Francisco, Vincent Madrone is a professional freelance travel writer and voiceover artist. He has written extensively for online and print publications, including USA Today Travel Tips, A to Z World Travel and Viva Travel Guides. Madrone also writes health-related articles for various online publications.

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