Planning a Trip to Hawaii on a Budget: Vacation Time

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My husband and I are planning a trip to Hawaii with his aunt and uncle who live in America in July 2017. They told us we could join them. They sent us a list of hawaii luxury vacation rentalsthey’re interested in (and yes, they are allowing us to stay there for free). So, we booked tickets to Hawaii from Thailand and we're planning a busy itinerary that works with our budget to ensure we have plenty of fun without spending too much money.

Things I plan to do in Hawaii

We're looking forward to snorkeling at Hanauma Bay where we'll explore the southeast coast of Oahu. The activity is free to participate in and will only require us to cover the cost of renting out the snorkel gear. We'll get the chance to cool off in the water and get a firsthand look at different types of marine life while spending hours at the beach before laying out on the sand. There are also several different activities that we want to try that are available for free on the beaches with hula dancing, Hawaiian massage, and ukelele lessons. Once we're in Kauai, we're planning on riding bikes on the Koloa Heritage trail where we'll stop at 14 different locations to view various monuments that are present. We're hoping to get a look at the natural beauty of the location while learning about its rich history with the archaeology that is still present.

We're also planning on making a lot of our own food while spending time in our Hawaii luxury vacation rental instead of dining out each day. I'll be shopping at a local farmer's market to pick up fresh produce, bread, and eggs that we can cook with for breakfast, which will save us a significant amount of money and can make it easier to eat healthy during our trip.

My husband and I also plan on saving money by spending a lot of our time hiking, which will allow us to experience breathtaking views of each island that we visit. We plan to visit Diamond Head on Oahu in Honolulu and Hawaii Volcanoes national Park on the big island where we'll take photos and can enjoy staying within our budget.

Planning a Hawaii vacation on a budget also means booking our excursions and tours through an activity booker to save money by taking discount tours that are available. Although many people attend luaus that are hosted in Hawaii, we plan to pass on the experience because the feasts and entertainment are often overpriced. Instead, we plan to have a picnic in an outdoor setting where we can dine over poi, lomi lomi, and poke while watching a hula show that will be available on the beach and is free to view.

When we need to have transportation, we're looking to save money by taking public transit instead of renting a car each day. We'll purchase a four-day pass, which costs $35 per person, which will allow us to get around on each island by taking TheBus. If we need to, we'll also ride on the Waikiki Trolley while visiting multiple attractions and hula shows.

We've learned that Hawaii vacation planning will also require that we use our travel points with the airfare that we purchase when leaving Thailand for the islands. We've accumulated enough credit card points to avoid paying full price for our airfare to ensure that we don't cut into our budget for the trip. We booked a flight that has short layovers to avoid paying extra baggage fees. We also will be packing light to avoid paying more due to weight restrictions that are in place by the airlines. By booking our flight two to three months in advance, we also hope to save more money by obtaining the best deals. We'll be leaving for our trip on a Tuesday, which is known as the cheapest day to fly.

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