HAWAII: One Month Budget Travel
Traveling to some of the world's most beautiful and expensive locations can be hard, especially at such a young age. In 2023 I had the opportunity to take a semester off of college and spend a month on Oahu.
Flights✈️ I was lucky to be flying from La outside of busy season which allowed me to find super cheap round trip flights. The first two weeks we spent in Waikiki.
Accommodation🛏️ Again I was lucky that my friend had gotten a hotel deal for a brand new hotel on travel Tuesday. We managed to also sneak in two other girls in our room for the two weeks brining our total to about $30/day. This is unheard of for a nice hotel right in Waikiki. Transportation was tricky. For the second half of our trip we found a beautiful hostel on north shore two doors down from sunrise shack. There was no AC, sand all over the floor, and conditions were pretty bad but we were lucky to room with girls who to this day we still keep in touch with. The hostel was right on the beach and we spent the rest of our time in bikinis with no shoes on.
Transportation 🚌 A lot of the time we would walk miles just to save on bus fares. Other than the $100 shuttle I had to get from my north short hostel to the airport, we only took the bus everywhere. A monthly bus pass can be purchased for about $80. If you want to save money you can get around by bus instead of a very expensive rental car.
Food 🥪Food was a really tricky situation, I budgeted for only $30 of groceries a week, which equaled about a meal a day. I lived off of ham and cheese sandwiches for my entire trip. If you want to save money in Hawaii, food is definitely where you need to make sacrifices. We didn't splurge on fancy dinners. If my food lasted until the next week I treated myself to a take out meal.
Activities 🏝️ It is easy to not spend money on activities in Hawaii. I spent the month at the beach and hiking. I wish I could have spent money for boat excursions and diving, but I still had a great time with free goggles from the hostel.
Overall there are ways to make a trip fit your budget, as long as you are willing to give up some comforts. I have now been to Hawaii with my parents on a luxury vacation and with friends backpack and hitch hiking, and honestly I had the best time with my friends.
For great North Shore Accommodation checkout
Backpackers Vacation Inn and Hostel Hawaii
Traveling on a budget in Hawaii is possible with the right strategies. Flights average around $140 if booked during off-peak seasons, while accommodations can vary widely. This author found a hotel deal for $475 for two weeks and a hostel for $185 in the North Shore. Transportation can be economical with a monthly bus pass costing about $80, making it a smart choice over rental cars. Dining on a budget? Plan for groceries, limiting spending to around $30 per week, focusing on simple meals like ham and cheese sandwiches to save funds for activities. Explore the beauty of Hawaii by hiking, beach visits, and enjoying the local scenery, often for little to no cost. Additionally, look for free or low-cost activities that let you embrace the island's natural beauty without overspending. Remember, the key to budget travel is prioritizing experiences over luxury; often, memorable moments come from simpler accommodations and adventures shared with friends.
Why use a shuttle when you could literally uber??