The Best Things in Hawai’i are Free

As my brother-in-law Adam likes to point out, the best things in Hawai’i are free. As we noted in one our last posts, Hawai’i isn’t a cheap place to travel or live. At the same time, it is helpful to keep in mind that some of the best things in life don’t have to cost a lot, Hawai’i has plenty:

• Sunny 80 degree weather with fabulous tradewinds
• Rainbows galore
• Amazing views
• Incredible sunsets
• Walks on the beach
• Many fabulous trails
• Swimming with exotic turtles and fish
• Sand in your shorts, and the rest of your body, is also free and bountiful :-)

While there are certainly many great things to experience for free while traveling, it is also important to keep in mind some ways to save money while on the road.

As my mother-in-law’s parents used to say, “Whenever you leave the house expect to spend money.” This is certainly the case when being away for extended periods. Here are a few tips to save while on travel:

• Consider switching up meals a bit. If breakfast is included with the hotel then perhaps you can get away with one larger meal later in the day.
• You can also go to a nicer place for lunch and a cheaper place for dinner, as you’ll pay less over all then if they were reversed.
• Look at available activities and priorities to pick a couple of items rather than doing every helicopter-bungy-parachute-scuba opportunity that comes your way.
• Look around to see what good free events are happening where you are.
• Talk with locals to see what ideas they might have. Many of them would have great suggestions but might not offer them up unless you engage.
• Accrue frequent flyer miles for your plane tickets.
• Priceline is great for car rentals.
• Make sure you are signed up for points with the hotel you are staying at if possible.
• Ask what freebies you can get, you never know what you might find.
• Visit family and friends on vacation to make the most of time and money.
• Don’t buy tchotchkes for every person you know. These add up!
  

Most of all, enjoy your vacation. It can be helpful to set a budget before you leave to make sure you know what to expect. You are less likely to stress about every dinner bill if you’ve thought ahead to make sure you can afford your vacation. If you are just putting all of your expenses on your hotel bill without thinking, you will likely not enjoy the checkout process. Make the most of every moment and appreciate the opportunity to relax!

Enjoy!

Miel