Ah Hawaii. It’s not really hard to see how Hawaii has become a synonym for paradise. Fascinating geology, pink-hued sunsets over turquoise-colored waters, the Aloha spirit, hula skirts, and the all-year-round ocean breeze: Hawaii is not just a destination you travel to, it’s a mood.
A way of life.
And – record scratch- very expensive.
This tropical destination with its ideal year-round temperatures and grand beaches doesn’t come without a price and traveling to Hawaii on a budget isn’t easy.
The islands of Hawaii are very far away from almost anywhere in the world (so no matter where you’re coming from, you will be spending a hefty amount on plane tickets) and it’s teeming with tourists.
And well all know what that means: insanely expensive prices. The isolated archipelago sees high costs of food, expensive activities (mostly tailored to tourists) and very expensive accommodation.
So how do you really say aloha to Hawaii without saying goodbye to your money?
I am not going to lie to you and tell you that Hawaii is a cheap travel destination. It most definitely isn’t.
The good news, however, is:
With very careful planning, a few savvy tips and tricks (that I’ll be overwhelming you with now), and a detailed budget plan, you can have a budget Hawaii vacation.
It won’t be the ultra-luxurious trip you often see in movies, but it will still be an unforgettable experience.
Now let’s get right into it. Here are some of my top tips that you can use when it comes to traveling to Hawaii on a budget.
Flights
The Hawaiian islands are actually some of the most isolated islands on Earth and the nearest continent is 2500 miles away.
That means that before we even start, you need to know that traveling to Hawaii on a budget is usually hard mainly because of the flights.
There are a few tips and tricks that you can use that make the flights a little bit less prohibitively expensive. Looking for flights should be your first step in your Hawaii vacation budget planning process.
Use budget airlines to Honolulu.
If you’re traveling from Asia specifically, I highly recommend budget airlines like Air Asia or Jetstar. You won’t get food or a lot of luggage on the flight, and you’ll barely get any inflight entertainment, but you can get at least half of your ticket price off.
Use a flight comparison website before booking your trip.
Use websites like Kayak or Skyscanner to compare multiple different airlines before booking your trip.
Be as flexible as you can with the dates.
I am a huge fan of Google Flights and Skyscanner solely due to the fact that they give you the prices across all days across the entire month. As you can see below, you can save up to EUR 600 depending on the day you’re traveling.
Here are a few Hawaii-specific tips to keep in mind:
- Try to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
- The flights on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are the most expensive.
- If you’re looking for affordability over comfort, choose a flight that arrives in Hawaii in the evening since they’re significantly cheaper. Traveling to Hawaii on a budget means you’ll have to sacrifice a few things and in this case, it’ll be one less day in paradise.
Book in advance, but not too far in advance.
On average, 54 days in advance is the best time to purchase a flight. I recommend booking your flight anytime between 3 to 6 months in advance. This will guarantee that your Hawaii trip is within a budget-friendly range.
Avoid peak seasons.
This goes for everything. Flights, accommodation, and entertainment. It’s really important to avoid the peak seasons and travel during the shoulder season. This will guarantee you at least 20% cheaper prices when it comes to flights and discounted hotel rooms and accommodation.
- The high season goes from December – March with January being one of the most expensive months.
- The off-season where the best prices could be found runs from mid-April until early June or from September to December.
- While June and August are not necessarily high-season, they are the prime-time for family travel so prices tend to be high.
- The best discounts are found in October and November.
- The best months for offseason prices + good weather are May and September.
Accommodation.
Most people out there associate Hawaii with glamorous resorts, infinity pools, and five-star hotels. While that may be true, I have good news for you.
You don’t really have to stay at any of these resorts if you can’t afford it. And the cherry on top is the fact that you can still get an incredible experience nonetheless.
Yes, you won’t be sitting by your infinity pool sipping on a mojito enjoying hilly views of Hawaii, but you still will be in Hawaii and that’s enough!
Prioritize your needs.
I get that you’d want an ultra-luxurious room if you’re going on your honeymoon. However, if you’re traveling to Hawaii for tourism purposes, then I suggest prioritizing your needs. How much time are you actually going to be spending in your room?
Book accommodation with a kitchenette.
Booking a room with a kitchenette may be a bit more expensive than one without but it will save you at least $300 on food during your trip.
Stay at hostels.
If you don’t mind compromising a bit on quality to be able to afford to travel then hostels should be one of your top choices. You’ll get to mingle with fellow travelers, save a lot of money and have a more interactive experience altogether. Bonus points if your hostel has a kitchen.
Beds in a hostel dorm can cost as low as $20 per night.
Some hostels I would recommend include:
- North Shore Hostel Maui.
- Hilo Bay Hostel – the perfect hostel for budget travelers and is located right in the center.
- Waikiki Beachside Hostel
- Lahaina Inn
- Arnott’s Lodging and Adventures
If you’re staying at a hotel, avoid the ones close to the beach.
If hostels just aren’t your thing, then make sure you focus on your hotel’s location as much as possible. The further the hotel is from the ocean, the cheaper.
If you’re staying at a hotel near the beach, ask for a lower room floor.
If you feel like the proximity to the beach will make your trip better, then choose one of the ground floors that don’t offer expensive sea views.
If you’re traveling as a family, get a suite.
If you’re traveling as a family, it’s often cheaper to get a suite with a pull-out sofa than it is to get two bedrooms.
Check out local bed and breakfast establishments.
Bed & Breakfasts are the perfect balance between hostels and hotels. You get the prices that’ll actually make traveling to Hawaii on a budget possible and you get the comfort and luxury of the hotel. You can generally save money if you’re planning on sharing a bathroom.
For the uber-frugal traveler, camping is always an option.
If you just cannot afford any form of accommodation, then campsites could be your next best bet. You’ll find a lot of campsites that come with a tent and portapotties for as little as $18 per night.
Find hotels/hostels that come with freebies.
Even if it’s something as simple as breakfast every morning or free coffee in the morning, freebies usually positively add up. I usually like to stay at hostels that have a mixture of:
- Fun pizza or beer nights (free food, free drinks, and free entertainment? I’m down!)
- Free tours.
- Entertainment night.
- Long-day tours at discounted prices.
- Transportation.
Food
Look for locally grown food.
If you’re planning on traveling to Hawaii on a budget and you just don’t know how then I’ve got good news for you. While Hawaii does have a reputation for being very expensive, especially when it comes to food (after all 90% of its food is imported), you can still be much more frugal than you think.
Try to purchase food that is locally grown since it’s cheaper. This includes fresh seafood, coffee, and guava. As the Hawaiians call it, the “ono grinds” (good food) are easy to find.
DIY food will cut your budget in half.
Here’s a little plan to help you cut your food budget in half:
- On your first day, stop at Costco. This is where you’ll find the cheapest groceries including easy-to-pack ready-made foods that you won’t need to cook.
- Stock up on coffee, breakfast snacks, ready lunches, and dinner.
- Get salads and sandwiches for as little as $7.
- Voila!
If you’re keen on having a budget Hawaii vacation, then you should be keen on putting the effort in. By cooking at your hostel/hotel/Airbnb…etc you will be saving yourself at least $80 per day.
Avoid resort areas if you’re eating out.
Of course, you’ll want to treat yourself a bit. If you’re planning on eating out, stray as far away from resort areas as possible.
Score those early bird specials.
Go on Yelp, go to Find and check all the restaurants offering early bird specials. You can easily score a nice 30-40% discount.
If you’re going to splurge at an expensive restaurant, choose the lunch meal.
For some reason, lunch prices are much cheaper than dinner prices at finer restaurants.
Never pass up the opportunity to eat at Fast Food Trucks.
Fast food trucks are Hawaii’s best phenomenon. You will find all types of foods – from Hawaiian to Mexican to Arabic to Puerto Rican. And the dishes usually range from $5-20.
Protip: Every last Friday of the month, there is a food truck gathering at Honolulu called Eat The Street with over 35 trucks serving all types of delicious affordable food.
Visit the local markets.
You cannot pass up the opportunity to visit KCC Saturday Farmers’ Market. You’ll get to hit two birds with one stone: try out some of Hawaii’s best local food and save up on money.
Pro-tip: Make sure you try the Volcano wines.
Transportation.
Do not rent a Jeep 4X4.
Not only are they very expensive, but you will pay insane amounts for the gas.
Use public transportation to get around.
Your best bet to getting around the island cheaply is definitely not by renting a car. You could use the local bus service that costs about $2.50 per trip. The best thing about it is the fact that you can use the same ticket twice.
Pro-tip: Try the Waikiki Trolley Bus which will take you through some of the top attractions and costs $2 for a ride.
Live like a local.
Use Groupon for discounts.
There are a lot of incredible deals on Groupon, specifically when it comes to activities, attractions, and restaurant.
Skip souvenirs.
You’d think that this would be a given, but I am always surprised at the number of people who spend their month on souvenirs when they’re on a budget.
Spend your time by the beach or having a picnic.
Use how the locals live as a benchmark to how your budget Hawaii vacation should be like. Do the locals go on $200 whale watching tours? Nope.
Instead, have the full Hawaii experience by spending your day by the beach, shopping for food at local markets and having a picnic amongst the greenery.
Activities.
Book the USS Arizona Memorial in advance to get in for free.
There are usually 1,300 free tickets every day and while may that sound a lot, those tickets usually get sold out mid-morning.
Waikiki Beach is free. And a must visit.
The renowned Waikiki Beach is free and one of those places you just have to visit. Grab some food from a nearby market, grab your swimsuit, a beach mat and you’re good to go!
Hike to the Diamond Head State Monument.
Hiking to the summit is for free and will give you some unparalleled views of the ocean. You will only have to pay a $1 entrance fee.
Go on a free beach crawl.
Maui is known for its unreal picturesque beaches. Spend some time by Kaanapali, visit the beaches near Paia or even take a day trip to Molokini.
Explore the great outdoors.
They say the best things in life are free and it couldn’t be truer in Hawaii. The islands are teeming with lush greenery, the world’s finest national parks and one adventurous hike after the other. Take advantage of that.
Opt for free entertainment.
Everyone will tell you that you need to visit a luau. Trust me, you don’t need to spend a hefty $200 to watch a performance in Hawaii. Instead, there is the free Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting & Hula Show held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in Waikiki.
Bring your own gear with you.
If you’re planning on spending some time snorkeling, I recommend bringing your own gear with you instead of paying $15 for gear every time.
Misc.
Sit through that timeshare presentation.
No, I am definitely not suggesting you pay for a timeshare at Hawaii. That is the opposite of saving money here!
However, a lot of sales agents ask you to sit through their time-share presentation in exchange for a free day-trip.
Yes. Yes. Yes. As long as you can promise yourself that you won’t be sucked in, it’s definitely worth it. Those day-trips they usually offer for free cost from $200-$500 and you’ll get it for free!
Stick to one island.
There are plenty of unique islands in Hawaii and you’ll feel like it’s a waste not to visit them all. While the islands are quintessentially unique, teeming with gorgeous views and diversity, it’s very expensive to go island-hopping.
The intra-island flights are not too expensive (they range from $140-$200), however, you’ll spend a lot of money on driving to and from the airport, transportation in general, and more attractions. It’s also not a good idea if you’re tight on time.
I know how hard it will be to let that FOMO go, but you will have to do it if you’re planning on saving money.
Pick a populated island.
As a rule of thumb, the more populated the island = the more options you will have = the cheaper the prices will be. It’s a great way to save on accommodation and food. Honolulu definitely makes sense in terms of budget-friendliness and things to do.
Oahu is another great option with plenty of free things to do including:
- Hike Diamond Head.
- Climb the Aloha Tower.
- Explore the rainforest and Manoa fall.
- Watch the surfers at North Shore.
So yes. You can experience Hawaii in its full majesty, with its vast stretches of sands, sprawling greenery, and mind-boggling geological formations without spending your whole life’s savings. Traveling to Hawaii on a budget is much easier than people think, but it does need dedication, careful planning, and budgeting.
