Hawaii Eco Budget Travel Guide: Introduction
Whether you travel on a shoestring budget or are interested in a Hawaii vacation that is enriched with eco adventures, such as encounters with Hawaii dolphins, kayaking, diving, and Oahu nature tours, this guide will help you make the most out of your Oahu vacation.
If you're interested in exploring other islands, you will be able to apply much of what you learn in this budget guide, along with the Resource chapter's links to visiting other Hawaiian islands as well. While I wrote this in 2004, I keep updated on hotel, camp and airfare rates, even groceries (I'm moving back this fall) and nothing much has changed since then. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
This Hawaii Budget & Ecotourism Guide to Oahu is inspired by the aloha of the people of Hawaii, their culture and beautiful lands and waters, and by the Hawaii Ecotourism Association which defines ecotravel as “nature and culture-based tourism that is ecologically sustainable and supports the well-being of local communities.”
“Less is more” is the guiding principle in this book: Less negative impact on Hawaii and less impact on your wallet equals more authentic experiences, cultural awareness and rest and relaxation. And you needn’t sacrifice comfort and fun!
Not including air fare, the average per person expenditures in Hawaii for visitors in 2003 was $170 per day (West Coast visitors averaged $153 per day) according to the 2003 Annual Visitor Report by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). At this rate, an 8-day, Hawaiian vacation would run $1,360, plus air fare.
The Department’s projected cost of the average seven-night Hawaii vacation for a family of four in 2005 is $6998.20, not including air fare. The Hawaiian Airlines free, in-flight magazine, Hana Hou reported this year that on average a visitor to Hawaii spends $1,672 on food, shopping and activities in Hawaii. This figure is not counting lodging or air fare.
DBEDT reports about 89 percent of U.S. visitors to Hawaii said they’d be “very likely” to recommend Hawaii as a vacation destination to friends and family, yet only about 67 percent of the U.S. respondents said they would “very likely” return within five years. The top reason given? Hawaii is “too expensive.” I think it’s safe to assume that this would be the top reason given by mainlanders who have considered but not yet had the pleasure of vacationing in Paradise.
Don’t be one of the many people who long to see Hawaii but mistakenly believe that they can’t afford it.
Top priority for those visiting Hawaii is dining, shopping, sightseeing and ocean sports, in that order, according Hana Hou. Even for the hardiest of eco-travelers, food is going to be a top priority, but outdoor activities, cultural events and sightseeing will likely take priority over hitting the shopping malls. This alone can save you bundles.
Granted many people traveling to Hawaii are looking forward to a dream vacation at a plush resort where they will be pampered and waited on with 24/7 room and pool side service while they loll around sipping mai tai’s. I can understand this. Many work hard, year after year, often in high pressure jobs, and a huge dose of R&R at a five star resort may be just what the doctor ordered.
But if you are reading this book, chances are you not planning this sort of vacation. This certainly doesn’t mean you must settle for a less than awesome vacation with plenty R&R. You can relax, enjoy, discover - and return home rejuvinated by a your Hawaii dream vacation!
This guide will show you how a family of four can have a fun, enriching and relaxing Hawaii vacation for $2,900, including air fare. Even if you are traveling alone, the $750 budget per person will cover your air fare, lodging, island transportation, shopping and souvenirs, meals, entertainment, activities and your lei.
Since the best air fare rates are from the West Coast U.S. mainland and this is where most of the U.S. mainland visitors to Hawaii originate, the air fare rates in this budget are from the West Coast. However for a couple hundred more, following the tips in this book, you can fly from just about any major airport in the U.S.
If you are already accustomed to beautiful tent sites and comfortable cabins and yurts in amazing locations than you know what I’m talking about. Sure there may be some things you want to do but won’t be able to this trip…maybe you can’t do both the kayaking adventure and the swim-with-dolphins snorkel cruise or see both the Polynesian Cultural Center and the Don Ho show, but if you follow this guide you will be able to afford some of these (maybe all if you camp and plan carefully!). I say “extra” because Oahu’s natural beauty is magnificent, and this island offers many amazing recreational and cultural experiences at no charge. Much of this beauty is missed by tourists who opt to spend their vacation in Waikiki.
While Oahu doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being the camping Mecca of the Pacific, as you will see in this book, it does offer a couple, very quiet, secured and profoundly beautiful campgrounds, including a gated, family park with 24/7 security. As for pampering – how about a hammock in the shade on a quiet beach overlooking the surf just a few feet away from your lodging? With your cooler strategically placed, Hawaiian music on your radio or the rhythmic sounds of the surf will lull you into dreamland.
Other alternative lodging offered in this low-budget, eco-vacation, include yurts, B&B’s, hostels and condos, as well as very nice, locally owned hotel.
Then there’s the eco-travel. Hawaii’s culture is the foundation its tourism industry is built upon. Yet, this culture is threatened by the increasing proliferation of big business resorts, by the very industry that is the biggest revenue for the islands. One answer is to support local establishments. I will happily pay a local farmer at a road stand $5 of my vacation money for a bag of 5 or 10 papayas, but I won’t feel so good when I pay the same price at a resort's restaurant for half of a papaya.
“Less is more” applies to supporting the local culture as well as your own pocketbook. If you do have more to spend, you’ll find suggestions at the end of each chapter for eco-friendly and rewarding places to spend more.
However, I know I don’t like to find out after buying a book that promises to save me money that half of it is telling me about things I can do for just a little more here and a little more there. Pretty soon I realize the budget items in the book aren’t really much good without the ones that will cost me more. For this reason, I’ll keep the “spending more” lists short and at the end of each chapter. A couple of them can even be worked into the budget, depending on how you prioritize.
To give you an idea of how you can truly enjoy a vacation for such a low cost, various configurations of budget strategies are outlined also.
The Resource Guide lists all the links given throughout the book, along with many more, and it will show you where you can obtain free guides, maps, including color hiking maps, and discounts. You also find several links here to helpful information and free guide magazines. And, it will show you how for a nominal fee you can borrow books from a Hawaii library branch within a few minutes drive of wherever you are on the island.
My suggestion is to read the book once through first, noting parts of special interest. Then using the information and links provided, list the things you want to do, places you want to see, lodging, etc. Then take a look a the sample budgets in Chapter 20 and finally, start planning your own itinerary and budget, while of course leaving lots of room for flexibility and for falling into the rhythm of the island.
Planning your Hawaiian vacation begins with where you can cut big costs...
Read this chapter in its entirey and in its update version, along with the rest of this 132 page guide to your shoestring and eco friendly vacation on Oahu. Download my 2nd edtion (2007) now at:
