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Inter-island travel tips, a super memorable day trip while visiting Kona on the Big Island, and more tips are featured in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Our question of the week deals with inter-island travel.  Have you ever island-hopped the Hawaiian islands?  And, if so, what do  you prefer most?  Do you like to visit one island per trip or hit multiple islands?  We would like to hear from you.  Scroll down to the comments section of this episode’s show notes and let us know your thoughts.

INTER-ISLAND TRAVEL TIPS

If you have the time, visiting an additional island on your Hawaiian vacation doesn’t have to bust your budget.  On our recent trip, we picked up tickets from Oahu to Hilo on the Big Island for about $80 per person. Continue reading “Inter-Island Travel Tips, And A Fun Day Trip While Visiting Kona: Show 17” »

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Some useful tips on how to visit Maui on a budget and two great lodging options while you are in Hilo on the Big island and more are featured in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast.

Question of the week:

Our question of the week this week deals with lodging.  Where do you prefer to stay while traveling to Hawaii?  There are so many great choices ranging from hotels, B&Bs, condos, and vacation rentals by owner.  Which do you prefer?  Scroll down to the comments section below and let us know your thoughts.

LODGING OPTIONS IN HILO ON THE BIG ISLAND

M.L. in Louisiana sent us an email.  His question is about where to stay in Hilo.  He writes:

Hi guys. Quick question. On the past two episodes of the podcast, you made reference to how hard it could be to find lodging on the Hilo side of the Big Island.  Any tips on places to stay?  We heard that renting a condo for a few days may be an okay option, but it depends on the person who owns the property and how well it is maintained.  So, now we are trying to decide between a B&B and a hotel (if we can find one that is clean).  PS, Jennifer, my wife and I also don’t enjoy cockroaches.  Any tips?

On our recent trip to Hilo, we were lucky enough to stay at both a hotel and a B&B, and we loved both of these options.  In this episode, we gave in-depth reviews of both.

An amazing hotel…
Dolphin Bay Hotel
Continue reading “Maui On A Budget And Hilo Lodging Options : Show 16” »

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Priceline Survival Tips, A Really Fun Waikiki Water Sport Adventure And Two Oahu Food Tours And More Can Be Found In This Episode Of The Hawaii Travel Podcast.

WATER JETPACK FUN IN WAIKIKI

Our first question came in via email from Jesse in Fort Lauderdale—just days before our trip.  He wrote:

Dear Dan and Jennifer,  I hope this email isn’t too late.  You asked for idea suggestions for possible activities to review on your upcoming trip to Hawaii.  Would you be willing to try the water jet pack device?  It looks very fun and a little scary at the same time.  My wife and I are taking bets that you won’t do it–I know you are both afraid of heights.  Both my wife and I think Jennifer would strap one of these on her before you would.  Let me know if you will do it.

We were lucky enough to try the JetLev water jet at H2O Sports powered by SeaBreeze at Maunalua Bay near Diamond Head.  Because Jennifer is pregnant, she couldn’t participate in the actual JetLev experience–so Dan did it and loved it!  Jennifer watched Dan fly by as high as 12 feet from water.  According to Dan, learning to fly was an exhilarating, a once-in-a-lifetime experience–and he felt safe the entire time thanks to expert guidance of his instructor Tony. Continue reading “Priceline Survival Tips, Waikiki Water Sports And Oahu Food Tours : Show 13” »

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Advice on how far in advance to book your trip to Hawaii to ensure you get the best flight and hotel deals, where to see zoos, aquariums and more on Oahu, some tips for people looking for swap meets and flea markets on Maui and more can be found in this episode of The Hawaii Travel Podcast.

BOOKING STRATEGIES

Jeff from Detroit called in with this voicemail…

Hi, I just found your website/podcast and it looks great. I’ve got a question for you. This is Jeff in the Detroit area. And, I’m planning a Hawaii trip–my first Hawaii trip–for this September–my wife and me. And I’m curious at to when would be a good time to book a trip to Hawaii for September, how soon should it be done, in order to not book it too early and maybe overpay because some rates may go down, but not book it too late and risk being shut out of good rates or good hotels of what I might want. So, if you’ve got some general guidelines for that, that would be great. Thank you.
Continue reading “Booking Strategies, Meet A Monk Seal, Maui’s Swap Meets : Show 12” »

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Horseback riding on the beach in Maui, the best snorkeling locations in Maui, things to do on Oahu’s North Shore and more are featured in this episode of The Hawaii Travel Podcast.

HORSEBACK RIDING IN MAUI

Listener Kelly called in with a question about horseback riding in Maui:

Hi Dan and Jennifer, This is Kelly from Phoenix. I’ve got a group getting together going to Maui in late July, and I’m wondering if you have any tips on the best places to go horseback riding. We are all pretty experienced riders and would love to ride along the beach. So, if you have any information on that, I look forward to hearing from you.

It is not easy to find a place where you can actually ride horses on the beach in Maui, but we found one that actually does. The Triple L Ranch offers a wide variety of rides–including two types of beach rides.

There are many ranches, however, that offer to get you close to the beach with a coastal view–such as the Mendes Ranch.

Fancy an alternative to riding a horse on a beach?  How about horse riding in the crater of a volcano?

Continue reading “Explore The North Shore, Maui Snorkeling & Horseback Riding: Show 10” »

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Have an exciting skydiving adventure over Oahu and Kauai, explore a few Pacific palaces fit for royalty, and, coffee snobs rejoice–check out this map of Big Island coffee hot spots. All of this and more in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast.

SKYDIVING IN HAWAII

Our first question came in via email from Lawrence and Kim in New York, and it reads:

Dear Jennifer and Dan. My wife and I are big fans of the TV show The Amazing Race. In at least two seasons of the show, the teams end up somewhere in Hawaii skydiving. It looks like an extremely fun thing to do and it looks like they have companies specifically set up to offer skydiving services while in Hawaii. Can you recommend any and share prices? It can’t be cheap! I don’t know why I am even considering this because we are not big extreme sports people, but everyone who skydives seems to look at it as a life changing event. My wife and I have talked about this for years and we are planning a Hawaiian vacation sometime in August. Thank you. Lawrence and Kim from New York.

There are quite a few options for skydiving in Hawaii. Prices are not really as expensive as you think, and they range from about $125 to $225. You should note, however, that each company has different weight limits. For example, there is a $2 per pound charge for tandem students over 200 pounds. They may, for example, have a weight limit of 240 pounds. Make sure you do your research! Continue reading “Skydiving Adventure, Pacific Palaces, Big Island Coffee Map – Show 9” »

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Cool technology gadgets and travel apps for your Hawaiian vacation, ideas to make a long plane ride bearable, and ideas of what you can and can’t bring home are featured in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast.

HOW TO ENJOY A LONG FLIGHT

 

Listener Jay shared a money saving tip and asked a question.  Jay’s tip could save you money.  He suggested that if  a you can fly with a layover–0r multiple layovers–you can save a lot of money.  He is flying non-stop from Atlanta to Honolulu and his ticket is $995.  He could break his flight into two legs and could save almost $600.  That is a good tip.  If you have the time and/or are short on money, having an extra $600 in your pocket when you land in Hawaii is a definite plus!

Next, Jennifer and Dan answered Jay’s question.  His flight from Atlanta to Honolulu is over 10 hours long. Now that is a long flight. So Dan and Jennifer tackled his question of how to make that flight more bearable. Continue reading “Hawaii Travel Tech, What To Bring Home, Make A Long Flight Bearable : Show 8” »

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Get up close to Lava flowing, Swim With Sharks, And More can be found in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast.

WHERE TO SEE LAVA FLOWING AT NIGHT

Irene from Portland called our voicemail and asked for advice on where to see lava flowing at night. Her son loves science and she thinks this would be an amazingly unforgettable experience. We couldn’t agree more!

The Big Island offers spectacular views of lava. First, visit the National Park Services page for a map and updated volcano and lava flow information.

Continue reading “See Lava Flow At Night, Swim With Sharks, And More Tips: Show 6” »

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Hawaiian foods to try, Hawaii in just 5 days, and more can be found in this episode of The Hawaii Travel Podcast.

HOW TO COVER THE BIG ISLAND IN 5 DAYS OR LESS

Steve had a question about how to see the “Big Island” in a limited amount of time. Jennifer shared her “split base camp” method for covering the most amount of ground in a short amount of time. Jennifer recommends flying into Hilo, staying there for a few days, and then moving to the other side of the island to explore that area.

Jennifer and Dan also share a 5-day, make-shift itinerary for some fantastic, fun things to do on the Big Island in just a short amount of time. You’ll be able to cover the island and get a good sense of everything the Big Island has to offer.

Continue reading “Top Hawaiian Foods To Try, Hawaii In 5 Days” »

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Budget Hawaii travel tips, bringing a dog to Hawaii, and more can be found in this episode of the Hawaii Travel Podcast!

FUN THINGS FOR KIDS TO DO IN MAUI

Maui offers a lot of fun things for kids to do. For instance, you can visit Whalers Village in the Kanapali area to learn how to hula dance and learn to play the ukulele. You can also learn how to make leis and lahala. Also be sure to visit the Cannery Mall in the Lahaina area to watch the children’s hula show on weekends and hop aboard the Lahaina Sugar Cane Train for a fun-filled ride. And, if you want to listen to the whales, we recommend visiting the Pacific Whale Foundation (HINT: the best time to visit the Pacific Whale Foundation is November through May!).

IS IT RECOMMENDED TO BRING A DOG ON VACATION WITH YOU TO HAWAII?

Continue reading “Hawaii On A Budget, Taking A Dog And More” »