This article may include affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Mahalo for your support!
About Hawaii-Guide.com
Learn about our Purpose, Mission, Goals and Team
Founder & certified Hawaii travel expert with 20+ years of experience in Hawaii tourism.
Aloha from HawaiiGuide
Your Trusted Guides to Hawai'i
Hawaii-Guide.com / HawaiiGuide.com was developed by John & Tori Derrick, two certified Hawaii destination experts, to provide Hawaii visitors with everything they need to create the perfect Hawaii trip. This website is dedicated to being the one-stop resource for all things Hawaii.
Since 2002, our Hawaii website has virtually assisted tens of millions of visitors in the process of planning and booking the Hawaiian vacation of their dreams.
Tori and John Derrick
We strongly believe in promoting responsible travel and sustainable/regenerative tourism. We encourage our website visitors to be pono travelers and malama Hawaii! Together, as visitors and locals, it is our shared kuleana (responsibility) to care for this extraordinary place, ensuring that future generations can experience its beauty just as we do today.
Today, HawaiiGuide is humbled to be one of the leading independent Hawaii travel resources on the web. Each year, we currently help millions of travelers plan their trip(s) to the Hawaiian Islands.
Our team is committed to assisting visitors with what we refer to as ‘the four essential steps’: to Plan, to Book, to Pack, and ultimately – to Go!
Top right image and corresponding photo by Aly Dove
John & Tori Derrick - Editors
Our Story
HawaiiGuide.com began with a simple but powerful vision—helping travelers experience the true magic of the islands. Initially founded by John C. Derrick in the summer of 2000, what started as a personal passion for sharing travel insights quickly grew into something much bigger. By 2003, Hawaii-Guide.com was born, dedicated exclusively to providing free, in-depth, and reliable travel information for those dreaming of the Hawaiian Islands. Explore our complete journey/story here.
Over the past two decades, millions of visitors have trusted us to guide them on their journeys. Through our website, eBooks, email campaigns, and media offerings, we’ve built the largest independent Hawaii travel resource—one shaped by experience, integrity, and a deep love for these islands.
Our team understands the privilege and responsibility of sharing Hawaii with the world. We are committed to living and working in a pono way—honoring the islands, their culture, and the communities that make them so special. We extend our sincerest mahalo to you for being part of this journey.
Learn more about the makau (fishhook) and why we chose that symbol for our branding and website. You can also check out how we earn money at HawaiiGuide.
Hawaii Destination Specialists & Experts
Our team members are Certified Hawaii Destination Specialists & Experts with the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Hawaii Destination Expert & Specialist Badges
John C. Derrick
John C. Derrick
Editor-in-Chief / Founder
For the last 20+ years, John has been an avid fan of Hawaii; his passion for all things Hawaii began after his first trip in 2002, at age 21. A seasoned traveler, having visited each of the previous 49 U.S. states by the age of 19, the islands of Hawaii made a significant impact on John after his first visit. John says he really did save the best for last, his Hawaii trip completing his goal to visit all 50 states before turning 25.
Today, over two decades later, he continues to enjoy studying many aspects of Hawai'i, ranging from the cultural and historical to the flora and fauna of the islands. Of course, this website is also a testament to his genuine & ongoing love of Hawaii.
Having traveled within the U.S. extensively from a young age, John truly believes, 'Hawaii no ka oi' or 'Hawaii is the best.'
Before taking on HawaiiGuide full-time in 2014, John previously worked as a front-end web developer and VP of Operations for a local web firm, where he gained extensive experience with content marketing, SEO, web development & design, and business strategy. John continues to work on the editing and further development of this site, in addition to managing our web development and financial teams. John is interested in landscape photography, gardening, traveling, technology, web development, birds (parrots), and hiking.
Headshot photo by Aly Dove
Our Mission
Hawaii-Guide.com's mission is to provide Hawaii visitors with pertinent travel information about viable and sustainable attractions, thereby promoting conscientious services and contributing value to the local community so that the islands of Hawaii Nei will endure as a place to authentically experience for generations to come.
Our Objectives
To Provide information we feel necessary to empower Hawaii visitors with the best possible experiences.
To Promote local business and destinations within Hawaii.
To Preserve the ideals and customs of Hawaii so that future generations can equally experience the beauty of the islands.
John & Tori Derrick - Photo by: Aly Dove
Our Visitor & Traveler Related Services
Since 2002, Hawaii-Guide.com has been providing future travelers unprecedented ease in organizing, planning, and booking their ideal Hawaiian vacation: from activity reservations to luxury accommodations, dining to horseback riding, leis to luaus, and anything you can think of about the Hawaiian Islands.
Today, Hawaii-Guide.com publishes some of the most widely utilized Hawaii travel content in the world through our exclusive guides: Hawaii-Guide.com: Kauai, Hawaii-Guide.com: Oahu, Hawaii-Guide.com: Maui, and Hawaii-Guide.com Big Island. Our proprietary 'Guidereview' ranking algorithm also aids visitors in selecting the top tours, attractions, and lodging.
Our Hawaii destination experts want to introduce visitors to the very best activities, and accommodations, all of the incredible things to see and do, and ultimately make visiting the state of Hawaii the journey of a lifetime.
Our Business Related Services
Since 2007, Hawaii-Guide.com has had the pleasure of working with a large and diverse assortment of local businesses and vendors throughout the Hawaiian Islands, as well as a variety of accommodation and activity providers.
Hawaii-Guide.com helps promote and advertise local businesses by assisting with content syndication, destination marketing efforts, display advertising, cost per event campaigns, tourism-related research, our exclusive 'Guidelink Marketing' system, and highly targeted lead generation. A key objective of our marketing/advertising process is to accurately refer and guide potential visitors to the most optimal choice of activities, tours, and accommodations.
We are focused on generating real & measurable value for our advertisers, and we believe our extensive list of Hawaii business partners, some of whom have worked with us for almost two decades, provide ample evidence we're achieving our client's marketing and advertising goals.
Hawaii Memberships
Hawai‘i Visitors & Convention Bureau
Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association
Hawai‘i Pacific Parks
Hawai‘i Nature Center
Our Support for the Hawaii Community
As a perpetual part of our mission, a portion of our earnings is regularly provided through sponsorships to local Hawai‘i charities aiding in cultural, natural, and environmental causes within the Hawaiian Islands. Most recently, we've given back to: 'The Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF),' 'The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA),' 'The Hawai‘i Nature Conservancy,' the 'Hawai'i Wildlife Fund,' and 'Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands.'
Want to help give back to Hawai‘i? Here is a list of Hawaii causes we recommend supporting. See here for donations to those impacted by the 2023 Maui wildfires.
Our Support for Sustainable Tourism
We are also a proud member of the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawaii.
John & Tori Derrick
Feedback & Comments
As always, we genuinely welcome your feedback, comments, and suggestions. Email us at [email protected]
Support & Donations
Donations by our readers help support the addition of new great Hawaii travel content. You can donate anytime by visiting our Donations page. Mahalo for your support!
Photo by: Aly Dove
First Trip in 2002
Our 2011 Wedding on Kauai
Present Day
What Our Visitors Are Saying
See Why Travelers Love HawaiiGuide!
"Your website has been a great resource!" -Julia B.
THANK YOU for your helpful suggestions and insights
"We are just finishing our 17-day trip to Oahu/Big Island. I have been following your blog emails for 4 months. We had a safe and fulfilling time. Thank you for wanting to make many people's experiences in visiting there the best ever!"
-Dave K.
I really appreciate the emails with tips to enhance our visit.
"The best thing is each email has a link to a concise topic area. Many of these have been very enjoyable and quite helpful in planning our next trip to the Islands. Mahalo and keep up the great work."
-Ralph T.
Thank you for your emails
"Thank-you for these very informative and helpful Hawaii Guide e-mails. My wife and I just returned from 11 days there spent on two separate islands and put the information received from these to good use while there."
-Dan S.
Very useful, for planning our trip
"Been using your info for the last few months to help planning our trip. Very useful. Keeping your website in my favorites list for our next trip."
-Alain T.
Your Good Advice is Appreciated
"Thank you for all the updates that you have been sending. It’s quite the challenge to take care of all the requirements, but your good advice is so much appreciated!"
-Michelle W.
I appreciate your Hawaii updates
"I am really enjoying your Hawaii newsletter. It is keeping me updated to the latest and I am very appreciative of this."
-Judy Y.
We'd love to hear from you!
You can also sign up for our emails here...
Mahalo for your kind words and support!
Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn commissions from some travel partners (like Amazon or Expedia) which helps us maintain this site. These links are at no extra cost to you and don't impact our honest & unbiased recommendations. Remove all the ads →
