For many Americans, Hawaii is considered “the original vacation destination.” Its beautiful beaches and exotic attractions host over 8 million travelers each year, and that’s mostly because it’s a lot less expensive than you think.
The most expensive part of your trip, depending on your luxurious tastes in hotel suites, is going to be the flight. For people on the east coast, you’re paying for a trip to the other side of the country, plus the flight from the Pacific Time Zone to the only state made of exclusively islands. Don’t let that hold you back. With flexibility in your dates, a willingness to change a flight or two and lack of loyalty to a specific airline, you can still have the Hawaiian vacation of your dreams without breaking the bank. Here’s how to get the best deals on your trip:
Tips to Save
Tip #1: Just because it’s the largest city with the largest airport, you don’t have to fly into Honolulu. Flying into Kona International Airport on the Big Island will often save you a few dollars. Also check out the prices for Kahului Airport in Maui. Figure out what you really want to do on your vacation and book the correct airport accordingly.
Tip #2: Package the vacation. If you’re visiting a friend who has their own place, great, you’re saving a ton of money right there. For the rest of us who don’t have friends in Hawaii, we’re going to need a hotel and a car. Check out deals that are available on places like Expedia and Priceline.com. We found deals where the flights to Hawaii dropped by more than 50% if they were packaged with a hotel room.
Tip #3: Phoenix and San Francisco are consistently the least expensive airports for flights to Hawaii. The airlines can explain why that’s the case, but if you can drive to one of these airports, you’ll save a lot of money. Also, if you’re coming from the East Coast, find out what a flight to one of these cities plus a flight to Hawaii will cost. In our search, we were able to get a cheaper price about half the time.
Tip #4: Go now! Tonight! Tomorrow! Hawaii is not one of those locations that people plan last minute flights, so when there are empty seats on certain flights, the airlines tend to release them for dirt-cheap prices. If you’re just traveling over a long weekend and can be spontaneous, this can save you a lot of money. Do watch out for special long weekend sales, too — you can save significantly on holiday weekends if there are open seats available on any Hawaii-bound flights.
Tip #5: Book far in advance. We know you’re looking for the cheapest flight to Hawaii, but can you wait until the very end of summer or the beginning of Autumn? If you can book 4-5 months in advance, you’ll save a lot of money and have more options on flights.
How to Find Travel Deals
We have provided you with just a few tips to help you save on a dream vacation, but did you know that there are tons of online travel deals to help you save even more? It’s not always easy to find these deals, because companies don’t always make them available to the general public. However, now that you know these deals are waiting for you online, all it takes is a bit of searching to uncover them. Then, you can island hop throughout Hawaii on your next affordable vacation!
If you’re interested in finding the latest deals on Hawaii flights and travel, here’s how people are starting their search:
