My experience of how to vacation in Hawaii on a budget!

Hawaii is a great place to vacation and it doesn’t have to be terribly expensive. The following is my experience on how to vacation in Hawaii without breaking the bank. Since I am a veteran, I have included what the military bases have to offer as well, so I highly recommend that to other active duty or veterans also.

Airline tickets:

I have found that frequent flyer miles are the best way to go about booking airfare. My spouse and I use an Alaska Airlines / Bank of America credit cards in order to save up miles. Alaska Air also has an annual “companion fare” which is $99 for a companion when you book a flight to selected locations. Hawaii is included in the selected locations.

Sometimes various airlines offer bonus miles, such as 60K bonus miles for signing up for a certain credit card. They usually require you spend a specified amount within a specific amount of time. In order to collect the bonus miles, you meet these requirements but then cancel the card before they charge their annual fee. As a result, you have free miles.
In addition, Delta allows customers to pay in part credit and in part miles when booking a flight. Other airlines do not offer this option. You can earn miles on Delta if you have a Delta American Express “SkyMiles” card. 

Frequent flyer miles may take a while to save up, so this requires planning as well. However, if you are going to spend the money anyway, you may as well put it on a card that will earn you miles.  

https://www.alaskaair.com
https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles.html

Military / Veteran options:

Space A (available) or “military hops” are another option. This is very situational. It depends on the base, their flights, and if they have extra space, thus the “space A”. Schedules are not reliable and can change, so your schedule must also be flexible. Active duty gets first dibs on flights. Dependents can’t fly without their sponsor. The main advantage of this is that it is free. I have personally not traveled this way, but I know of those who have. I have only looked into this briefly.

 

Booking a place:

Hotels in Hawaii, especially beach front are outrageously expensive.  I have found VRBO as the best way to book lodging in Hawaii. Airbnb is a similar option. These are private rooms, apartments or homes for rent from private owners. Some rentals offer more amenities than others, but it is easy to enter in your requirements on the VRBO or Airbnb websites and find just what you need. Most are reasonably priced, and much less expensive than a hotel.

https://www.vrbo.com
https://www.airbnb.com

Military / Veteran options:

There are a number of options for military lodging in Hawaii. Among them are Navy Gateway, Bellows AFS (Air Force Station) cottages, Hale Koa Hotel & Navy Lodge. Each major military base on Oahu offers lodging as well. My experience with this is that these accommodations book up fast. You must book them many months in advance. Some, if not all of these may give active duty first dibs, so research on military lodging is required.  A Google search of “military lodging in Hawaii” is a good place to start.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g29222-c183135/Oahu:Hawaii:Vacation.Information.For.U.S.Military.html
https://www.dodlodging.com/html/hawaii.htm

We stayed at a cottage on Bellows AFS in 2010 and it was amazing! The cottage was reasonably priced and right on the beach! I would recommend Bellows first, but you must plan this out way ahead of time! I personally have not stayed in military accommodations since I have retired from active duty.

https://www.bellowsafs.com/
Bellow AFS has a lot to offer besides cottages. The general public can access the beaches up to the main gate, unless those beaches are secured due to military training exercises. The main beaches include camp grounds, picnic pavilions and sports courts.  Past the main gate, there is an NEX mini mart, Subway, gas station,  gift shop and an MWR gear locker.

Renting a car: Renting a car in Hawaii is a required if you want to sees the island! The source I have found to work the best for me is Discount Hawaii Car Rental at https://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/. You can save much money by booking directly through them instead of other car rental companies.

Turo is another option at https://turo.com. This is comprised of local residents who rent out their own cars to travelers. I have not personally done Turo, but I know those who have.

Food!

Eating out in Hawaii is expensive. We always get a place with a kitchen and buy groceries. Grocery store chains such as Safeway are located on the south or south east areas of Oahu. If you have a “Safeway” or “Vons” card, you can take advantage of their sales. It is easy to sign up for their card in the store but select discounts on their website before shopping for more offers for items you typically buy. Groceries in Hawaii are expensive, but it is much cheaper to buy groceries and book a room with a kitchen than to eat out every meal. We usually pack a lunch before heading out for the day, and picnic at a beach. Not only is it less expensive, but it is fun to eat right on the beach! Buying groceries instead of eating out is a great way to save a lot of money.

ABC Stores, (chain stores similar to 7-Eleven) located mostly in Honolulu, usually have decent deals also. This can be a good place to get snacks or inexpensive souvenirs.

Military / Veteran options:

All of the large bases have Commissaries! Commissaries offer hugely discounted groceries, so it is worthwhile to stop in. In my own experience, the Pearl Harbor Commissary only allows those with a military ID to enter. If you are traveling with someone who does not have a military ID, be prepared to shop alone, because they will not let them in!

The Navy Exchange (NEX), Army/Marines PX and package store (alcohol) is also an option for other supplies. Beach items, travel items or souvenirs or anything else you may need are cheaper there (no sales tax).

What to do:

When you first arrive at the airport in Hawaii, there are fliers everywhere aimed at tourists advertising tours and activities, which also include island maps and local attractions. I consider those fliers optional, but they can be useful at times. There is so much to do in Hawaii! Whether it be hiking, tours, catamarans, botanical gardens, snorkeling, swimming, helicopter tours, zip-lining, driving around the island or just lounging on the beach, there is no shortage of activities in this tropical paradise! Personally, I love to “beach hop” and be in or near the water as much as possible. There are many great beaches in Hawaii. If you want my recommendations, just ask! I used to be stationed on Oahu at Pearl Harbor in the 90's, so I am very familiar with the island.

Military / Veteran options:

Base MWR’s (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) outlets will offer tours and rent out sporting equipment at discounted prices. This is worth looking into if you need beach gear, tents or bicycles for example.  

In Summary:

You can spend as much as you want on a trip to Hawaii depending on what you do and where you stay, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. We spend approximately $2500 per trip when we go to Hawaii. This is for two of us for a 10 to 12 day trip. It helps to take advantage of military accommodations, but those may require planning many months ahead or even a year in advance. However, traveling to Hawaii can be affordable for anyone if you plan it out. We cut corners anywhere we can, and it always amounts to a great Hawaiian experience.

I have a YouTube channel where I post travel / beach videos!
Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJE0MOcIJ3cMZbd3bLijmPg?view_as=subscriber

Wilda & Liz near Kaena Point, Oahu, August 2018. 

Liz at Lanikai Beach, Oahu, July 2016.