What You Need To Know
Hawaii Travel Guide
Hawaii Unveiled
Hawaii Travel Guide for the Ultimate Tropical Escape
Even though Hawaii is part of the U.S., it feels like an entirely different world! Located about 2,000 miles from the mainland, Hawaii is the only U.S. state outside North America. Most people might think of Honolulu when they hear Hawaii, but Hawaii is actually made up of various islands, each offering its own unique personality. From volcanoes to rugged coastlines, beautiful beaches to gigantic surfer waves, Hawaii has a bit of everything for everyone.
Hawaii officially recognizes 137 islands, though there are 8 major islands to visit: Hawaii (known as The Big Island), Kauai, Maui, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe. The most popular islands are the first four I mentioned. When I went to Hawaii, I visited Maui, Kauai, and Oahu only.
Initially for my trip, I was planning on backpacking Hawaii for 2 weeks for my birthday. I ended up loving it so much, I extended my trip a few more weeks! In total I spent about a month in Hawaii. There is SO much to see and do in Hawaii, and with the relaxed, laid-back lifestyle, it’s very easy to want to stay forever.
Which islands to go to and how many to see on your trip depends on how much time you have. In my opinion (after all, you do you) if you have a week, I’d recommend only sticking to one, maybe two islands. More than two weeks, and you can definitely continue to island hop and hit the other islands!
Experience The Islands
My Recommended Itinerary for Hawaii
I started off my Hawaii backpacking trip by first flying into Maui. I stayed a total of one week and while I loved it so much, it definitely was enough time to see all the sites. Please note that with the devastating Maui fires, I am not sure how accurate my Maui travel guide will be, as I do not know what is currently open to tourists. I will write my guide based on my experience when I went and will update when I know more information. On that same note, I would caution going to Maui at this time, as the island is still healing from those fires.
After Maui, I hopped on a quick 45-minute flight to my favorite Hawaiian island, Kauai. Island hopping around Hawaii is easy and honestly inexpensive – you can book a flight the day before for $75-$100! I only used Hawaiian Airlines and had good experiences with them. I ended up visiting Kauai two separate times on my trip. Words cannot express truly how beautiful this island is! It’s very green, with lush rainforests and a coastline that leaves you speechless. I would say 3 days is enough to see what this island has to offer –the first time I stayed for 5 days; the second time I stayed for about 4 days.
My last planned stop on my Hawaii backpacking trip was the island of Oahu. From Kaui, I took a quick 30-minute flight with Hawaiian Airlines. Oahu has LOTS to do. In my opinion, more than Maui and Kaui. For that reason, I’d say you need the most time for this island. I would say a week is enough time to see the island – the first time I stayed a week; the second time I stayed another week.
For those wondering, after I did my initial Maui, Kaui, Oahu trip, I had to head back to the States for a weekend trip I had planned with friends, from there I actually returned back to Hawaii and went back to Kaui again and then Oahu!
As I mentioned before, Hawaii has a ton of islands. The Big Island is another popular island to go to. Ultimately, I didn’t go because after doing thorough research, I felt there wasn’t enough there that really caught my attention. It’s filled with volcanoes, and I’ve seen hundreds of them in my lifetime – the downside of traveling so much is you get to a point where it’s hard to impress you! But I encourage you to do your own research and check it out for yourself.
Vanessa's Insider Tips
My Travel Tips for Hawaii
- Visa Requirements: It might seem like another world, but Hawaii IS a part of the U.S., so no visa required for U.S. citizens.
- Local currency: Local currency is the U.S. dollar.
- Language: Hawaii has its own unique Polynesian culture, so the local language is Hawaiian, but everyone also speaks English.
- Plugs: Hawaii uses the same power outlets as the U.S. so if you’re coming from the mainland, no need to bring a converter or adapter.
- When to Go: Generally, rainy season for the Hawaiian islands is November – March. The best time to visit is between March – September. I went in June and July and had perfect weather every single day.
- How to Get Around: You can easily travel between the various islands by flying (flights are fairly inexpensive and frequent).
- Hawaii Solo Female Travel: Hawaii has a huge backpacker population, meaning it will be very easy to meet people and make connections. Hawaii is used to tourists, so it’s an easy place to visit and get around because it caters so much to tourists and backpackers. If it’s your first time backpacking, this would be a good destination, since it’s still a part of the U.S. I also always felt safe in Hawaii – one night, I was walking alone and a man on a bicycle stopped me. It was dark, so all I saw was he raised an object in his hand – I thought it was a gun!! My heart almost fell out of my butt. It turns out though, he was giving me a flashlight because he said it was so dark out. Whew. Anyways, the point of that story was to say I feel it’s a very safe place for solo female travelers! I will say though if you are a backpacker though, it is a very expensive place for a backpacking trip!
