Founder of HawaiiGuide & certified travel expert with 20+ years of experience in Hawaii tourism.
Planning Your Hawaiian Vacation
Hawaii 101 - Get Started Here
So you're thinking about Hawaii and here you are at our website. Now what? If you're still on the fence about Hawaii, then hopefully we'll convince you along the way it's one of the most amazing places you could ever visit.
If you've already decided Hawaii is your next vacation stop, then the following steps and articles should help you better start to plan your trip and understand the layout of our site. There's a lot of useful and professional information here, so pull up a chair and let us get to the good stuff.
The Hawaiian Islands
1.) Select Your Island(s) to Visit
Six Unique Islands - Which one is for you?
You've got several options here, so how do you go about choosing that perfect island for your own trip? In fact, why choose just one?
You might want to take our Which Hawaii Island to Visit quiz. Once you know which island (or islands) best suit you, then you can really begin to plan.
2.) Determining When to Visit
Selecting the Best Time of Year
Honestly, there isn't a 'bad time' to go to Hawaii. Visiting Hawaii is a dream come true for many visitors, and who can blame them? It's a remarkable, unique, & beautiful paradise.
If you're like most visitors, you're probably asking, "What is the best time of year to travel to Hawaii?"
Be sure to read over each of those two articles, and then try the quizzes. Doing so will help if you're still not exactly sure about the Best Month to Visit Hawaii.
3.) Choose your interests
Sights, Beaches, Trails, Activities, and more...
If you've decided on the island(s) your going to visit, then you're set to begin your planning. The next step is to consider your interests. One could spend years in Hawaii and never see everything, so carefully narrowing down your favorites is worth the time and effort now, ahead of time.
We'd suggest you go ahead and click on the tabs in the top navigation corresponding to the islands that you're planning to visit. Here you'll see that under the Attractions drop-down (in the sub-navigation menu) that we've gone ahead and categorized all the best spots in general categories: Sights, Beaches, Trails (Hikes), Regions, and Towns. We also have travel Articles and Facts for each island, plus a listing of Activities you can book on the island in question. On some islands, like Maui, we've even split of the Hana Highway into its own category - since so many places fall into that popular scenic drive. Our Hawaii Must See and Do for each island may also be a big help for some folks by presenting the top-rated attractions on our site.
4.) Learn beyond the basics
Educate yourself on Hawaii's history, weather, our Safety tips, & more
OK, once you've nailed down a list of your favorite places you can get to the nitty-gritty of 'Beyond the Basics.' Some of this may seem irrelevant, but we highly encourage visitors to read as much as they can on the islands before visiting. Hawaii is like no other places in the United States, and quite honestly, is very much like visiting a foreign country. Check out topics like our Hawaii Safety page, our Rental Tips, and our Accommodation Tips.
You might also want to read up more on Hawaii Weather, Hawaii History, and the Geology of Hawaii.
5.) Packing your bags
What to pack & What NOT to pack...
Regardless of how much you've traveled in the past and where you've been, there is one good rule to follow when coming to Hawai'i, leave as much as you can at home! Seriously, bring only what you'll need during your stay and nothing more. Chances are a pair of shorts, and a nice Aloha shirt is all you'll need for even some fine dining. Leave the formal wear back home. And please don't bring your passport if you're a U.S. citizen (you'd be surprised how many folks do).
A light jacket and a long pair of pants might also be helpful for those visits to higher elevations around the islands. You'd be surprised at how many "chilly" people there are in Hawaii each day. Sure it's tropical, but not everything's at sea level either. On the other hand, don't overdo it and bring your winter coat to Hawai'i unless you feel you need it for visiting the summits of Haleakala or Maui or Mauna Kea on the Big Island at sunrise or sunset. If you're visiting Kauai or Oahu, add your larger coat to the list of do NOT bring.
With the motto, 'less is more' in mind, here are a few other items to bring. Sunblock (the UV on Hawai'i is typically 14+ in the spring, summer, and fall), a backpack (for any hikes) and a water bottle, slippers (flip flops, shower shoes, zoris), mask, snorkel, and fins (or rent locally instead), two bathing suits (one to wear while the other dries) and a cover-up, camera and film (or digital cards), lightweight raincoat or poncho (it's tropical here), bug spray with DEET (for any forest hikes), flashlight (for just in case), hiking boots / hiking rods (even if you're not a hardcore hiker, it's not a bad idea to bring proper footwear for some trails), and most importantly a list of all your troubles to leave behind. Seriously, we enforce that last one! For more tips and suggestions, visit our What to Pack page.
Hawaii Know before you Go
The most important & pertinent information to read before you head out on your vacation to the Hawaiian Islands.
