Maui and the Big Island Day Tours from Oahu
Filed under: 808Talk Answers, Big Island, Big Island Activities, Hawaii - general, Maui, Maui Activities, Oahu Activities
I have seen that I can get cheap inter-island flights via “I flygo Airlines”. I will be staying in Oahu and want to visit a few islands for a day each.
I want to know if I visit Maui, or another island, how easy is it to get from the airport to a day tour. Is there somewhere that I can book a day tour that will pick us up from Maui airport and take us on the island ‘tour’.
I am mainly interested in Maui and the best island to see volcanos (which island would that be?)
Thanks, Vicki (Australia)
Hi Vicki,
The active volcano is on the Big Island, so it appears you would most like to visit Maui and the Big Island and you would like to use Go! airlines to defray some of the cost of this.
Several companies offer big and small bus and shuttle tours on these islands. If you are going to see a specific attraction, such as Kilauea Volcano, you will probably be able to find a company that will also shuttle you to and from the airport or just pick you up there if you book your own flight. If, however, you are going to do a “circle island tour” or just a general sightseeing tour, you may find it easiest to book your airfare through the tour company, and they may or may not (most likely not) use Go! airlines. I, by the way, have flown on all three inter-island carriers and Go! is my definite favorite at this time for the great prices and the short lines.
So, here’s some places to look for tour booking for island and volcano tours on Maui and the Big Island:
- Hawaii Active - general booking of several tours
- Paradise Excursions a 5 hour tour that does the up-mountain volcano stuff (no lava flow walk)
- Viator booking of a tour This appears to also be through Paradise excursions, but I can’t find it on their site, and it includes a trip down to the lava flow area
- Lava Tours - pretty complete volcano tour.
- Guides of Maui Land Tours
- Roberts of Hawaii Magnificent Maui Tour
- Roberts of Hawaii Maui Tour from Oahu
I hope you find one or two that you like Vicki! Have a great time! Come back and tell us how it went - I’d love to hear which ones you did and how you liked them. Aloha, Lisa
See also: Hawaii Island Hopping
Should I Rent a Surfboard in Hawaii or Bring my Own?
Filed under: 808Talk Answers, Big Island Activities, Kauai Activities, Maui Activities, Oahu Activities, Prices
Vicki from Australia asks
My friend is visiting Oahu in March. Would it be cheap enough for him to hire surfboards there or would it be better to bring his own?
Hi Vicky,
Well, before we explore prices and availability of surfboard rentals in Hawaii, let’s talk about whether it’s even a good idea to bring your own surfboard to Hawaii for use on your vacation. The How to Pack Your Shortboard for an Airplane Trip article at eHow.com reveals that surfboard noses are commonly broken in baggage holds and that airlines can charge big bucks for handling surfboards - so that’s a pretty big strike against bringing your own surfboard.
At Hawaii Surf Board Rentals.com on Oahu they state they offer free, island-wide delivery and pickup of quality surfboards for between $50 and $90 for the first two days and $10 each additional day. (Prices may change, check the website).
Also, anyone who wants to just try surfing in the Waikiki area can walk onto Waikiki Beach and rent a surfboard for about $20 for an hour or two. Just look for the rental booths and the racks and racks of surfboards. There are several spots along the beach.
So, Vicky, it appears to me that renting a surfboard once he gets here is your friend’s best option. I hope he has fun!
More rental websites:
… Neal wrote and suggested this - thanks Neal!
I would like to make a suggestion to let visitors know that they can also buy a surfboard when visiting Oahu. While many may prefer to rent, there are other surfers who can buy a cheap used surfboard here and then take it home as surfboards back home cost way more than they do here. Hawaii, being the home of surfing also boasts a wide array surfboard shapes and types and lower end prices. Aloha, Neal
Hawaii’s Restrictions on Underage Drinking for Vacationers from other Countries
My friend and I are travelling to Hawaii (Waikiki) from Australia in March this year. My question is about the drinking restrictions in Hawaii. We are both just a few months under the age of 21 unfortunately. Although I was wondering if we’re able to bring alcohol into the country? We are legally allowed to purchase alcohol in our own country so is it acceptable that we bring it in with us? Will customs take it off us when we arrive?
No, I don’t think that in the eyes of the law it is acceptable for you to have it in this country, since you will be expected to follow the other laws of our country while you are here. However, no one is going to search your hotel room for liquor and as long as you are not breaking any laws that people can see or hear (giving the police reason to come to you) the police are not going to come into your hotel room — so just “having” liquor you bought legally is probably not a problem (I’m not a lawyer and I don’t really know diddly-squat, I’m just theorizing here). So, my opinion is, it’s probably *not* OK for you to have liquor here, but no one is going to bother you about it in the privacy of your own room … so now the real crux of the question is whether someone at the airport will take it from you.
Well, I wish I could answer this question for you but I just don’t feel comfortable doing so. I don’t know the answer … I could call customs and ask them their policy, but, based on past experience, I could easily get an answer that is not the truth because the person I am talking to may not know or care. I would hate for you to get in trouble or have your stuff taken away based on something I said. Maybe you could contact customs by email and see if you are satisfied with the answer? Good luck!
Finding Short-Term Work and Cheap Places to Stay in Hawaii
Filed under: Hawaii - general, Jobs in Hawaii, Most Popular Questions, Prices
Dear Lisa
I was surfing the web for info on Hawaii when I came across your great website. I’m a 19 year old girl currently living in Brussels, who’s planning on going to Hawaii from september ‘07 and staying for approx two or three months (90 days is maximum on a travel visa). My plan is to buy a plane ticket, book an acommondation for a week or two and then figure out what to do next.. My question is; how difficult is it to get a job on Hawaii? Thinking of jobs like bartender, lifeguard, waitress - basically whatever to get some cash. And is it absolutely necessary with a U.S work permit (which is kinda stressfull to get in my country), or is it possible to get work, and get paid in cash, and work - well, you get the picture.. “illegaly”.
My other question; is it possible to find a place to stay for 2-3 months? Obviously I can’t stay in an hotel or something pricey for such a long period of time. Is it possible to live somewhere for free if you help about, work for them etc ? Do you have any helpful advice?
I would really appreciate it if you would take time to answer my questions.
Thanks for a great site and happy new year by the way!
Well, especially right now, it’s pretty darn easy to get a job. Employees are *desperate* to hire because there are many more jobs than people right now. I don’t think you’ll have a problem. Unfortunately, I know NOTHING about getting a job under the table :).
Update! Now, in 2009, unemployment is going up a bit, so employers are probably not quite so desperate to hire anyone … but the rest of this post still stands, and in a few years employers will be desperate to hire again 
I’ve never done it and I just don’t even know where one would start. I think that what you need is to get in on the Hawaii hostel scene. Hostels are places where people can stay for a while for free or cheap and they probably would be able to give you advice on where to get work. Start here: (hawaii hostels search at google) if you don’t know anything about hostels, and look for a forum where maybe you can get a contact before you come. Good luck! Have a great time! Lisa
I am a 21 year old college student who is considering moving to Hawaii to live for the summer 09 May-August. I just got back to Vermont, where I study and grew up, from a 5 month exchange in Sweden. While I was in Sweden I fell in love with a student who lives in Mexico. The distance is killing us and we both want to move some where new for the summer just to be together and work. I need some advice as to where to start looking.
I have a lot of waitressing experience in the US and a job of this manner would be fine for both of us. Mostly we just want to be together and experience a new place. Which island would you recommend we consider moving to? Do you think it pertinent that he apply for a working visa? Do many people move there just for the summer? Are there any local websites we could check for job listings and, most importantly, housing?
Well, I would say anyplace on Oahu, most places on Maui, or maybe even Kailua-Kona on the Big Island - although Honolulu-Waikiki, Oahu is your most obvious choice. I don’t want to advise on the visa - I don’t know anything about visas. People move here just for a few months all the time.
Craigslist is getting pretty big here - so check the Hawaii craigslist listings and the newspaper classifieds of whichever island you decide. Best of luck to you! Lisa
Craigslist
Honolulu advertiser classifieds
When is the Best time to Vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii?
Shannon from Nebraska asks:
One question, when would be the best time to visit the Big Island? My parents and I were originally going to plan on coming in October (2007), but I’m thinking June would be better; it looks like it rains a lot in the fall months.
Hi Shannon - The Big Island is like all the Hawaiian Islands, in that it has a dry side and a rainy side and also that some times of the year and even some times of the day are rainier than others.
If you are planning on visiting the dry side of the island, which would be most anywhere on the West side, also referred to as the Kona side or the Leeward side, then rain really isn’t an issue. I like to refer to WorldClimate.com when talking about rainfall in Hawaii because it is just so easy and accurate to compare and research using it.
If we look at the rainfall stats for the area of Puako, which is a very dry area on the Big Island on the Kohala Coast, we see that for the last 32 years Puako has averaged less than 10 inches of rain a year, less than an inch of that in October.
Hilo is one of the rainiest areas on the Big Island, and is on the exact opposite side of the island from Puako. Hilo rainfall stats for the last 42 years show almost 136 inches of rain a year, with March being the rainiest month at 15 inches of rain and June having the least rain with almost 7 inches of rain. October falls somewhere in the middle with 11 inches of rain average.
My own experience of living near Hilo on the Big Island for over a decade is that March and April are the absolute rainiest times but many winter and spring days are overcast and it rains almost every night. June is the driest month but most of summer is consistently pretty and hot. If we absolutely have to have sunshine we go to the Kona side for the day.
I hope this helps you with your decision. Have a wonderful vacation.
Aloha, Lisa
Ok, we have planned a trip in November and will be doing some island hopping Should we buy our inter-island tickets now or wait till we get there?
A year ago I would have just told you to buy the tickets whenever was convenient for you, but earlier is better for being assured of the cheapest prices. These days, the answer is a bit more complicated because of the entrance of Go! Airlines into the market. Aloha and Hawaiian are being forced to meet Go’s current prices, which sometimes go as low as $19 one way. Considering Aloha and Hawaiian were charging $79 and up for one way tickets a year ago, this has got to be hard on them. It seems to me that Aloha and Hawaiian are both hoping that by maintaining their customer base Go! will eventually fail. I don’t know if the inter-island market can sustain three carriers, and I don’t want to speculate what the market will be like in November. I did check availability at the three websites and it seems that they are all already selling tickets that far out but there are lowest-fare seats available.