We had too many great tips for Hawaii travel for just one post! Because there is just too much to say about a perfect Hawaiian vacation! From whale-watching to viewing an active volcano, Hawaii is stunning.
For our previous Hawaii travel tips, check them out here in our previous post.
Beaches and Watersports
Obviously, a Hawaiian vacation is great for surfers and snorkelers or just hanging at the beach. There are scads of opportunities for adventures on any of the islands. These include boating, snorkeling, sight-seeing, off-road adventure, whale-watching, eco-tours, helicopter tours, scuba diving, history, culture, volcanoes, and don’t forget that luau! It’s impossible to be bored.
All beaches in Hawaii are public. Therefore, you can walk and frolic in the water along the entire length of Waikiki Beach or any other beach. By the way, there has never been a known shark attack at Waikiki. Maybe the sharks are too busy admiring the view of Diamond Head.
Then There's the Wildife
Whale-watching is a favorite past-time and there are many tour opportunities. Dolphin-watching tours are also popular. Five species of sea turtles can be found in Hawaii, especially green sea turtles. Please don’t disturb them! Also, there are great bird-watching opportunities for your Hawaiian vacation. And you can snorkel with manta rays.
There are many places on the Hawaiian islands to see sea turtles. One of the best is on the north shore of Oahu. Papa’lloa Beach. It is laden with Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. By the way, it may look familiar to fans of the tv show Lost.
Souvenirs from your Hawaii Vacation
Souvenir shops abound. If you want to save a little money, look for the ubiquitous ABC Stores. You can find many reasonably priced souvenirs at them, including sarongs and Hawaiian shirts.
When we travel around the world, we tend to shop for souvenirs at drug stores, grocery stores, dollar stores, or “dime stores.” If you would like to receive MANY more tips like these, join our mailing list and download our free travel guide.
One of the Best Reasons for Hawaii Travel--FOOD!
There so many opportunities for enjoying a relaxing meal at or near the beach that we are not going to try to list them all. Of course, seafood is fantastic in Hawaii.
In our last post we discussed shave ice and plate lunches. Another inexpensive dish favored by local Hawaiians is moco loco. It is a hamburger patty, a fried egg, brown gravy, and rice. Try one! Another delicious island food is poke, a diced raw fish dish usually served as an appetizer or light lunch. Many mainland towns now have poke restaurants if you want to practice before you take your Hawaiian vacation.
Hawaii Travel Health and Safety
These change frequently so be sure to check (or ask your travel agent) about a week before you leave. Check the Go Hawaii site.
These are the rules for Hawaii travel as of February 1, 2022.
There is a mandatory 5 day quarantine period. However, it does NOT apply if you can show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. Specifics are below.
Assuming you are U.S. citizens flying from the U.S.:
- Domestic travelers traveling to Hawai‘i need to create an account on the hawaii.gov website (Safe Travels app) and fill in trip details before travel.
- Twenty-four hours before your flight is scheduled to depart, you will be prompted by email and/or text to complete the Travel Health Questionnaire.
- After completing the questionnaire you receive a QR code. Make sure to save this QR code to your phone, as showing it at the airport will significantly speed up the arrival process.
- Bring paper copies of everything: i.d., CDC vaccination card, negative test results, etc.
