We usually shop at Safeway when we vacation in Hawaii, you can get a card at the service desk. You can get some pretty good deals if you buy what's on sale with their card. If I do bring food, it's usually some granola bars to get us started. I also bring some spices for specific recipes I plan to make.

We always travel with extra coffee, snacks (protein bars and a lil chocolate... ) to nibble on before my early am runs.

I always pack macaroni & cheese (for the 1st night), coffee and anything I consider expensive here.

Also, I bring everything that's available in little packets (sugar, salt, relish, ketchup, soy sauce, etc.) I save them from take-out restaurants.

Since I'm from the land of maple syrup, I bring a couple of cans to give to people who have been especially helpful.
It's always appreciated.

I pack everthing in one bag and use it to bring back souvenirs.

Richard

We brought our own food to Aruba once: cereal, dried beans, 1 can of salmon, spices, and even some meat which my MIL had snuck on the plane. We bought veggies, fruit, seafood and Aruba's great gouda cheese (cheap) in town. It was enough for the whole week. Only ate out twice.

Years ago, my FIL used to sneak sausages in his socks on his way back from Italy!

All this talk about food is making me hungry.

On Maui, there is a Costco right next to the airport where you can load up for the week. On Kauai, we always shop at Safeway. Small outdoor markets are great for fresh fruit. Buy or take a collapsible cooler for picnicking. There are taco places and Subway shops around, too. I wouldn't waste my time taking food with me.

If you drink at all, you can really save money big-time by buying your own liquor and mixes, and having cocktails at your condo----with macadamia nuts, of course!

I am curious about the free discount cards at the grocery stores, b/c most of the places we've traveled to and gone to the grocery stores, when we ask (usually the cashier) about a "courtesy" card for their sales we're told they don't have them. Interesting.....maybe we're asking the wrong person.

Second the other poster who packs oatmeal, I also pack packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast which are easily portable and easy to make with hot water in either from the hotel coffee pot or in condo.

I also always pack a ziploc baggie full of plastic utensils for just in case--a lot of times I save the prepackaged silverware from fast food drive throughs (such as Wendy's) that have everything inside including a napking--these are great to travel with. These have come in handy when we purchase food (rolls, fruit, desserts, or just about anything else) while out sightseeing (farmer's markets, roadside stands) that we are going to eat or snack on in the hotel.

I live in the Los Angeles area so after being warned how expensive everything was in Hawaii, I was surprised on my first trip. As far as grocery food and gas, some items were more, but not by much compared with the high prices in California.

IMHO, packing food on the mainland to take to Hawaii rather than paying the extra dollar or 2 for some items is like driving to the other side of town to a gas station that's 10cents cheaper per gallon, a lot of work to save only a couple bucks in the long run.

Focus on "bang for the buck" in your anticipated activities, if the reason that you are packing food is to save money. For example, if you like martinis at cocktail hour, consider bringing the vodka or gin, and buying the liter bottles of mixer. I've always found tht packing a jar of peanut butter (sealed Ziploc,) put on a bagel to be a satisfying breakfast, lunch, and/or take-along for anything from a beach to hiking. If you are used to having cereal bars on hikes and alternatives to stopping for a snack, make sure you pack them.

Obviously, consider what you save if you dine at home for some meals, but go out for others. A box of mac and cheese, and salad from the local fresh market, eases your conscience to go out at another time.

Anything that makes you really comfortable should be packed, e.g. oatmeal, if you always want oatmeal in the morning; spices as you need them; etc.

But to be honest, I usually don't pack much food. Like some others, I find that going to local markets, experiencing some of the cheaper "street food" places that a local would go, going to the fresh markets, grabbing and ice cream when needed, etc. helps to make it feel like I'm really there. I only do the peanut butter thing when I know that there are acceptable bagels in the area and often when we plan a lot of hiking.

Don't even think of bringing heavy, breakable, disaster-prone things like spaghetti sauce -- what will it cost you remove tomato sauce from your things? Besides temporarily ruining your vacation, life is too short to feel like a pack animal.

That woman who packed the boatload of bottled water lacks reason, unless she was going on safari or somewhere else where potable bottled or tap water is unknown.

We stayed on Oahu and packed a small suitcase of food- mainly snacks, cereal, and canned goods. When we got to the island and saw how expensive the food was, we were really grateful. Not only did we save our money for more fun things, but we also saved a lot of time. If you can eat quickly at home, then that's just even more time to sight-see.

Like a few of the posters above, I do not generally take food to save money... that's an added bonus but an afterthought. I take food that I can eat on my fairly restictive diet. As one person mentioned, there is nothing worse than being very hungry and not finding anything that you can eat.

This comment is re the one above about Whole Foods in FL. There are some... just go to the website and check. I went to the WF near Orlando everyday during a recent trip.
I always check the directory when I travel.
The newer location at Columbus Circle in NYC is awesome.
I can't imagine anyone NOT being impressed with that one!
Expensive, yes... but I ate really good quality, healthy food for much less than it would have cost to eat the same thing at restaurants (if I could even find it), so I don't complain.

this is a great topic. where can I purchase a cooler on wheels? also, my opinion is that when in Hawaii, why not drink Hawaiian brands? the Lion Brand is very good. I think that when you go to Hawaii, trying local products is interesting, good, and fun.

I never looked for one, but the first place I would look is the local Walmart, KMart or Target? Depending on where you live, might be a seasonal item, also.

If you have any of the 'brands' in the Safeway family in your hometown -- Safeway, Vons, Randalls, Dominick's, etc. -- get a club card before you leave home. I've used my Dominick's card all over, including the Safeway in Kapa'a, Kaua'i, Randall's in Texas, and other places. Your club card is keyed to your phone number, so if you don't have the card with you, you can just enter your phone number on the keypad in the store.

If you don't have any of the stores nearby, I think you can print an application from the website and hand it in at a Safeway store when you get there.

I was on Maui this past summer and with the exception of milk (almost $8/gallon), I didn't find the prices to be that much more expensive than home (I live in metro Boston) or CA (we were in San Francisco prior to the Maui leg of our journey). The Safeway cashier offered us a card right at checkout and I thought the Star Market was very reasonably priced. I might have spent about $10 more on food items I bought there than I did at home.

So depending on where you are from, it may not be as expensive as you anticipate.

I often take some food items when traveling and have found that if you shop around (usually Wal-Mart) you can find MANY things in packets... like tuna, lemonade mix, mayonnaise, Bisquick, muffin & pancake mix, cake or brownie mix (take cupcake papers for baking, then use them on a picnic), spag. sauce (you have to buy canned tomato sauce to use with it), cocoa, sugar, nuts, etc. A small pkg of spaghetti doesn't take much room in a suitcase and as long as it hasn't been opened, it will be fine. Any more, lots of things come in "travel size", like Pringles, cereal, bath soap, hand/body lotions, kleenex... just start paying attention when at the stores, you'll be amazed. Peanut butter/cheese crackers are small and offer a good, quick protein boost.
A new discovery I made with my new grandson... baby food now comes in small containers, like a baby Tupperware with a snap-on lid. 1/2 a stick of butter fits perfectly, although I wouldn't travel with butter, but gives you an idea of the size. They are great for many things and even though the lid snaps on, you could put masking tape around it just to be sure. I put everything liquid in a sealed baggie... even shampoo has been known to leak out in flight. If staying in a condo, always take laundry soap tablets, fabric softener sheets and small packets of Shout wipes, medicine wipes & bandaids. (If you do laundry there, you don't have to take as many clothes, so that leaves more room in luggage for food items). I have found clothes pins to be helpful with laundry, as well as holding a bag of chips closed. When you have a trip planned, go by fast food places and get packets of ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, mayonnaise, jelly, salad dressing. You can even buy tiny bottles of syrup at places like Cracker Barrel. If you take EVOO, put a small amount in a plastic bottle & bag it tight! Nothing more maddening than having to buy a whole bottle & leaving half of it behind. I put spices I might need in tiny medicine bottles, ask your doctor's office or pharmicist for some sample size bottles... sometimes 1/2 a teaspoon of spice is all you'll need, but if you need it you don't want to have to buy a whole jar! And, I always pack coffee filters, tea bags, a deck of cards, some dice & Yahtzee score pads and stamps for letters & post cards. We have a rule here at work, anyone who stays at a hotel has to bring back the coffee packets from the room and collect fast food packets so I can use them on my trips!! since I'm the only one who ever does any extensive traveling and they are rewarded with souvenirs (it's a small office of just 4 other women).
With the exception of the small cereal boxes, you can get quite a bit in a foldable "cooler" and use as a carry-on. The cooler is perfect for picnicing or day trips.. if you pack a thawed ice pack & freeze it when you arrive, it's great for keeping a picnic lunch cool, or for injuries if you're as clumsy as I am sometimes. Then, the cooler is great for packing souvenirs for the trip home. As long as things are in baggies, it's easy for airport people to view things and you don't have dozens of tiny items to be dumped out.
When we arrive, we just have to buy milk, eggs, meat, bread & fresh produce, because even though we love to eat out, it does get expensive and for some reason cooking in a nice condo is just a lot more fun than cooking at home!! My motto, any bad day of vacation is better than a good day at work or home!!!
Happy traveling.
Alana (cakelady)

I have not been to Hawaii, but have done the condo thing in the Cayman Islands and brought most of our groceries with us. This was years ago. We packed frozen meat, milk, breakfast cereal, pasta, canned goods and then balanced this out with a little bit of local shopping and eating out. This was food for three people for one week.

We also bring canned goods, wine and other goodies home with us during most of our travels and have never had any trouble pre 9-11 or post 9-11.

The key thing would be to check on any restrictions before you go. ... In Hawaii, fruit might be an issue.... then, again, you can get some fabulous pineapple in Hawaii. My brother, who has made the trip often, has brought pineapples back to the mainland with him.

It all boils down to how much you want to schlep with you versus the monetary benefit. For Cayman we did it for cost as well as time saving once we were there. And, when we have perishables, we take them as carry-on luggage.

Have a great trip!
- Sharon

We're going to Maui in November and I've already started to clip coupons out of the Newspaper for items I think we'll need during our stay. "Chain" grocery stores will provide discount cards for you if you ask. In fact, you might already have a card they'll accept, i.e., Vons 'n Safeway.

To save money on food, we usually eat a late breakfast, miss lunch ('cause we're still full from breakfast) and then have an early dinner. Of course to snack on - fruit and energy bars...

Bring packets of the cleaning soaps and the necessary spices, but I like to travel as stress free as possible. The idea of lugging around an additional heavy suitcase - especially while attempting to drink Mai Tai's, just makes me crazy! ;O)

Go and have some fun!

Nope. Never. Never would. I was in Honolulu in april. There are ABC stores and supermarkets all over the place, and I did not find the prices to be objectionable. All I pack is small bottles of wine/liquor for the first night. Unless you have very strict dietary requirements, don't worry about it! There's lots of great affordable local food, the usual fast food chains and plenty of convenience stores and supermarkets. Just pack what you need for the first night, and consider provisions part of the adventure! Have Fun!

Strangest food item you've ever packed?

I still tease my mother about packing a loaf of low-sodium bread to take with her to my brother's house in Boise, Idaho. On a different trip, she brought potatoes to Idaho, but that's another story...