Here’s another blast from the past post, that’s worth reviewing again. This post, Tips for Planning Your Trip to Hawaii, was first published September, 2007.
As a former industrial engineer, I can be a bit of a planning nerd. 🙂 I’ve found that by investing a couple of hours into research and planning, the effort has paid off with some perfect vacations in Hawaii and elsewhere. If you use the tips I’ll be sharing here I think you will agree that the planning investment is well worth your time.
1. Purchase a Travel Guidebook
I have personally used the Wizard Publications Ultimate/Revealed guidebooks. The authors and I have the same approach to reviewing any activity, resort, restaurant, etc. Neither of us gives advanced warning and we don’t ask for discounts or kickbacks. We don’t even tell businesses that we are there to review them. That way you know the reviews are honest and trustworthy. The Ultimate/Revealed guidebooks are not your normal dry read, they’re entertaining with bits of humor thrown in. Just bear in mind no guidebook is going to be 100% accurate and up to date. (Please see my follow up discussion on the truth about guidebooks
.)2. Purchase a Driving Map
Another advantage of having a map before you go is that you can use it along with the guidebook to find the places you want to see. It will help you determine what is logistically possible for sightseeing. It’s a good idea to highlight or mark the points of interest that you want to see. Sometimes, I might even make a note on the map of the page number in the guidebook that describes the site.
3. Plan Where to Stay
If you don’t already know where to stay, reading the guidebooks along with referencing sites like Go Visit Hawaii will help you. Each island tends to have dry regions and wetter regions. During winter months, you should probably pay more attention to where are the places to stay to avoid rain in Hawaii. Some regions are remote, such as Hana on Maui and some regions are more lively and active, such as Kaanapali and Lahaina on Maui and of course, Waikiki Beach on Oahu. By reading about the regions in the guidebook, you’ll get a better idea of which areas best suit what you want in a vacation.
4. Plan Your Basic Itinerary
Okay, here’s where my true nerdiness comes to light. I have found time and time again that planning out a simple itinerary helps me to have a more fun and relaxing vacation. Now, I’m not talking about planning out every hour, but to have the basic must see and do’s identified and planned keeps me from having to worry about it when I’m actually there.
Make a list of all the things you want to do. Consider:
Use the map to see what makes the most sense to combine on the same day to minimize your driving time and maximize your enjoyment time. See this article for ideas on planning your Hawaii vacation itinerary.
As far as restaurants go, if there is a special place you want to go for sunset, then make your reservations one to two weeks in advance– the earlier the better. (See more sunset dining tips here.)
Let’s really reveal my nerdiness now. As you plan your itinerary, make up a basic chart or spreadsheet to have a central list of all the necessary information. The basic idea of it looks something like this:
Date | Plans | Comments/Reminders/etc. |
Friday, Sept 28 | Flight to Maui, Flight Numbers XYZ. Arrive Maui at 4:30 p.m. Rental Car with XYZ Company Check in at Super Swank and Uber Chic Resort and Spa 😉 | Reservation # 654321 Reservation # 123456 |
Saturday, Sept 29 | See Haleakala Sunrise Breakfast at Kula Lodge Back to Swank Resort for Pool Time Sunset Dinner at Plantation House Restaurant | Don’t forget to bring print out of directions and warm clothes Reservation at 6 p.m. |
Notice in the example above that I say to bring a print out of directions to Haleakala. Spend a few minutes anticipating the vacation spots that you might need directions. Haleakala is a prime example of destination that you’d be wise to print out directions from your hotel the park. You’ll be driving in the dark, so it would be helpful to have your driving directions set so you’re not navigating on the fly. Another example of where you might need to print directions is if you are staying outside of Waikiki/Honolulu area of Oahu and you want to drive into the city to check out the sites.
Create a folder to gather directions, confirmations, your itinerary, and flight details, etc. It is so useful to have all that key information in one spot.
5. Pack and Get Ready to Have Fun
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When I came to Hawaii in 2006 to study for a semester at HPU I bought the O'ahu revealed.
It is the best guide out there!!!
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http://twitter.com/stelten
For many who actually don't know what to be done at those places, they really go for a good travel guide. And I hope this blog serves better in that purpose.