From Your Guide's Mailbox 11/01/99
Leonard W. writes: "We are contemplating our first vacation to Hawaii. It is a Christmas gift for my wife of 33 years. However, I am somewhat, NO, a lot, confused as to which island/islands one should visit, where to stay and what to do while we are there. Honestly, we are not interested in just visiting another big city. I think we would prefer to enjoy the natural beauty and splendor of the islands. What could one do on a budget of say, $1500-$2000? We live in the Orange County area of Southern California."
Leonard, that's a tough budget to work with. If you book this trip yourself you will likely be looking at at between $400 - $500 round-trip airfare per person which will eat up almost half of your budget. Even if you book a reasonably priced condo on Maui or the Big Island, you are looking at between $800 - $1000 per week for that alone.
A one week trip to Hawaii for two from Southern California, if booked individually, is likely to run you at least $2500 - $3000 for airfare, lodging and food. That does not include other travel expenses such as activities, car rental and souvenirs.
You may be able to save some money if you book with a tour operator such as Liberty Travel, Haddon Travel or another similar tour operator. Many of them can arrange a trip for a better price than you can, but you will be missing the ability to plan much of your own itinerary. We have a number of tour operators who specialize in Hawaii in our NetLinks Library.
A trip to Hawaii is not inexpensive, by any means, especially if you wish to really see the natural beauty and spender of the islands. I wish I had better news for you.
Yo M. writes: "Hi, my husband and I are moving to Honolulu in December. Where can I find info on all the stuff we need to do/get when we arrive? i.e. car registration, voter registration, etc.. Is there a welcome wagon or anything like that? thanx! love your website!"
First, off, thanks for your kind words. The best "welcome wagon" that I know of is our own Honolulu/Hawaii local site here at About.com. Guide Kathy Durham is a resident of Oahu and her site is full of lots of information that can help you. But, if you can't find the answer to a specific question on her site, just post a message in the Honolulu/Oahu Forum and I am sure that someone will help you out.
There is also an excellent book entitled "So You Want to Live in Hawaii" which I recommend to all folks who are planning to move to the islands. A move to Hawaii is not easy for many people and you should be sure to know all of the facts of island life before you make the move.
I wish you a lot of luck in your move.
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