11 tricks & tips to make hawaii (or your dream vacation spot) wayyyy cheaper
In these uncertain times, some are postponing vacations and some are unsure when the money for a “vacation” will ever be a reality. No matter where you find yourself-if you are someone like me, who loves to travel, it never hurts to dream..or to gather good ideas for one fine day down the road.
AirBnB rental rates are not set in stone.
The average hotel room in a Hawaiian hotel or resort is above $200/night and rising. That is one room, a bed or 2 and a bathroom with no other amenities and potentially an added cost for parking your rental car.
As many of you have already discovered, you can save a significant amount of money by staying in an AirBnB type set-up versus a resort. But did you know there is actually the potential for price negotiation as well?
I can’t tell you the last time I paid full price for AirBnB, VRBO, Homeaway or the like. I find the rental unit I want the most, choose the Contact Host button and communicate kindly when and why I am visiting. The more genuinely I personalize my message by sharing a little of my story in what is bringing me there, the more they seem to consider my request. I can also point to my many positive reviews to vouch for me as a preferred guest who will take excellent care of their rental.
I mention to them the exact budget I am trying to stay close to and ask if they are willing to help me stay as close to it as possible by sending me a Special Offer. Worst case scenario they say they can’t do that and I can then decide whether that rental is worth it at full price or if I am better off to keep looking.
2. Do you love to plan ahead? Me too. But beware..
Whenever possible, I try to be actively planning my trip at least 6-9 months or more ahead. This allows me to budget a set amount per month to avoid the need for putting a large amount on credit for flights, lodging, etc. We do use one credit card and pay it off monthly in order to accrue airline miles that help toward the trip as well.
Despite my immense love for all things planning, there are considerations to take into account. At that super exciting moment when you’ve located your ideal vacation rental, it is the wisest idea to consider the question: Do I think there is ANY way our plans could change? If you answer YES, make sure you book a unit with a Flexible Cancellation Policy. If you choose one with a Moderate or Strict Cancellation policy and have to cancel or shift dates, you may only get a 50% refund or even be out the full amount! How heartbreaking for that money to just be gone!?!!
3. Mo’ airlines, less problems.
Southwest Airlines now flies to Hawaii and also between the islands for GREAT prices. As they open up dates 6 months at a time, it is optimal to look up tickets as soon as your target date is available. They also rock the heezy because their flights to/from Hawaii are NOT red eye flights. I don’t mind getting up early at home to leave on a flight if it means I am in Hawaii by mid-day and I don’t mind returning later in the evening back home if it means avoiding those soul crushing overnight flights! Ok, a little dramatic, but for real though.
We also love flying Alaska Airlines-so much so that we have a strategy we have used several times now.
As mentioned, we put items already in our monthly budget like gas, gym memberships, or large items that we have saved up for on our Alaska Airlines Visa to build up our miles.
This not only accrues miles, gives us and anyone flying with us their first bag checked for free on any flight, this particular credit card also gives us access to our Hawaii pocket ace, the annual Alaska Airlines “Buddy Pass” coupon.
We use this after we have made a series of intentional choices. Like what?
We opt for a lower priced Tuesday or Wednesday flight whenever we can, avoid holiday and peak seasons, we watch Alaska Airlines weekly flight deals for a while until they dip into the lower end of pricing and then throw down the Buddy Pass coupon which allows us to Buy One Roundtrip flight and get the second for only tax amount (approximately $125).
Couple this strategy with saved up miles when the whole family is flying and you have made a huge dent, if not covered, the trip’s travel cost!
4. Reasonably priced groceries-where art thou?
Though grocery stores on island generally have higher prices, Costco is a tried and true friend offering mainland or close to mainland prices on almost all items.
Don’t have a Costco membership? Ask a friend or family member with a Costco membership to buy the amount you want to spend on a Costco Cash Card. Venmo or reimburse friend or family members via your mode of choice and Boom! You can show the card to get into Costco on your vacation and pay with it at the Checkout.
Our first day on the island (there is at least 1 location on the four biggest Hawaiian islands) is hitting Costco for the basics for super easy, low maintenance breakfast and dinners.
Ideally, you are renting a unit with a kitchen; but even if it is just a kitchenette with a fridge and a hot plate or microwave, the amount of money you will save by not eating out for all meals is in the hundreds, if not more. Even if you decide to take a trip out to visit somewhere without a Costco, it is still very doable to think of what basics you can get from a local grocery to eat breakfast in and to have something like sandwiches or salads in for dinner. That could even be done with the help of solely having a fridge.
Then when you grab a bite for breakfast at your home away from home in Hawaii, hit the best hole in the wall for Mac Nut Pancakes w/Coconut Icing Syrup and some Kalua Pork Hash for lunch and happen to pass a farm with freshly-picked island fruit Acai Bowls on the way home after an amazing day of world class snorkeling and boogie boarding, you don’t worry about food breaking the bank because your plan is in place. I will definitely be sharing some of our go to favorites in future posts!
5. Food glorious food.
Spending some time researching the best cheap eats in the area you are staying, via Yelp or typing key terms into your favorite search engine, prior to your trip pays off in time, money and joy.
Hawaii is a food wonderland!! It is filled with great food trucks, local favorite eateries that never fail to impress in taste or uniqueness, some oddball convenient stores that have excellent fried chicken or even a kind of delicious puff pastry you’ve never heard of. I have found every little corner of the world has something fun to check out in this area. There are endless gems for those who take the time to prep a bit and get a list together so that while actually on your trip, you can just go check them out and enjoy!
When people come home saying they went out to a restaurant for every meal, drank drinks from the hotel pool bar all day and Hawaii was just “too expensive”, I am sad that they didn’t know there was a better way to roll!
Also, researching food near a beach or great hike you are day-tripping to across the island for cheap eats and fun desserts is a great idea. If I am investing in eating out, I want to enjoy it and grab some fun and memorable food that I can’t get at home!
6. Check all your favorite sites-Groupon, Costco, etc-there are often coupons and deals for the special excursions and activities you plan to do.
We have learned that less is more in Hawaii.
To us a go, go, go trip to Hawaii is missing out on the recharge and relaxation that these islands do best. Don’t get tripped up by the “What are we going to do there?” mentality. There are so many great beaches, hikes, festivals, surf competitions, snorkel spots, etc that are all free and contribute to a truly unplugged style relaxation.
For these, we are generous with our time; but for the pricey tourist activities, we do research to find 1 or maybe 2 that are worth investing in. It is these activities where coupons or promo codes can make a big difference. No matter where your destination, taking the time to see what the absolute best (think less, but better) of the special activities to invest in would be on sites like Tripadvisor or simply searching the location and “best activities to do” pays off. You can then investigate in a similar way for the fun and free ones to check out the rest of the time and keep a good balance. Read the reviews and see which ones keep popping up on multiple lists with raves about the must do activities in the area vs the mediocre tourist traps.
Note: We tend to see more expensive destinations as the best for a “vacation” meaning rest and relaxation space made for just my husband and I, but we look at separate scenarios for fun family “trips”. We have found, especially with younger kids, they are just as happy in the pool at the hotel in Any City, USA or the beach or lake close to home as they would be out on the island; thus our philosophy is to save the further away destinations for “vacations” until the kids are grown up enough to allow these places to still feel like “vacations”. We just took them to Hawaii for the first time at ages 17,14, and 13 and it was actually a “vacation” rather than a “trip” where, as a friend with littles puts it, you are actually just doing the same hard work of parenting little kids, but in a pretty location.
7. Military discounts are everywhere.
With so many bases in the great state of Hawaii, it is rare there isn’t a Military/Veteran discount available. If you qualify, always ask before you book anything from a hotel to a boat ride to a luau.
8. As briefly mentioned before: If possible, rent a unit with a kitchen or kitchenette.
No, this doesn’t mean you will sacrifice vacation to slave over cooking. Instead it means you will have coffee and food for a lazy morning on the lanai or quick dinner options at the end of the day when you are ready to shower and crash. Going Mainland to Hawaii, you arrive with your mind anywhere from 2-6 hours ahead, depending on the time of year. Evenings are best treated as winding down, chill time.
Also, a time where having bought your favorite drinks at Costco pays off BIG. I am convinced people say Hawaii is expensive primarily because of the price of eating out; and even more so, the price of getting drinks out, often $10-$15/drink.
By all means, hit the Happy Hour Mai Tai(s) or exotic Kava drink, but a drink or 2 out is much different than paying restaurant prices every time you wish to indulge!
9. Rent a unit that has beach gear to borrow.
Some units even have bikes to borrow, coolers, umbrellas, in addition to enough beach towels for your whole group. Find out prior to the trip what items you will have access to, what ones you may rent, and what ones you might want to bring.
We bring easily packable items like foldable full face snorkel masks from home. We bought them for $25 on Amazon prior to the trip. They rent for more per day from some places in Hawaii. In most cases, you can find a place to rent boogie boards and other beach gear for the week.
In addition to gear, we also look for a rental unit that has a Washer/Dryer and if we go May - August, an A/C unit too!
10. Souvenirs
Skip the pricey souvenir store and time spent looking for presents for those at home. You can get the coolest local t-shirts or hoodies at local thrift store, such as Savers or Salvation Army. This also includes popular brands like Volcom, Roxy, O’ Neill. Yep, all there.
Whether for you or for the kids left back at home, this hack saves time, money and let’s face it-does little Timmy really need another stuffed animal? Does your little girl need that pukka shell necklace that she will break or lose within a week of you returning from the islands? Spend your time being fully present, not concerned about finding presents. ; )
11. Try out Turo App.
Lastly, I ask you to imagine this, my friend..
You’ve been looking forward to this trip for months (if not years). You have just flown for the better part of a day across the big blue ocean and now you have arrived at the beautiful island paradise that is Hawaii. You figure you have just enough energy and patience to stay calm through getting your bags.
It is normally at this point, you then have to go outside with your luggage and wait on the sidewalk to catch a certain rental car company’s shuttle to then..you guessed it..wait in another bless-ed long line at the rental car counter.
It’s enough to have you babbling and rocking back and forth with your hands to your ears.
You are exhausted!! But what if there is a lesser known, better option?
What if you rented a car from an individual instead of a rental company? Through this newer app, you have read the car owner’s excellent reviews, you have been able to easily arrange for insurance coverage, and still you have saved a ton of money and so much time!! It’s kind of like AirBnB, but with cars.
While the rest of the gaggle of passengers from your flight head to get rental cars, your host can meet you right there with the car or can give you a pin code and location for your rental car already parked and waiting for you in the parking garage and on with your vacation you go!
Traditional rental cars can be great on some trips-especially when the rental counters are actually located in the airport terminal and the shuttle part is taken out of the equation. For Hawaii, having an alternate plan, like trying the new Turo App, can save time, money and your sanity!
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.”
Mark Twain
