Take a Hawaii Tour or Not?
Jun 25th, 2004, 10:17 AM
#1
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Take a Hawaii Tour or Not?
We are just beginning to plan a Hawaii trip for our 25th Anniversary no children. Not sure where to begin. Have checked out Tauck Tours and would like to know what people think about tours, or should we try and organize island hopping on our own. Also, hard to decide which islands to see. Guess I'm looking for a little direction from past Hawaii visitors.
Jun 25th, 2004, 11:55 AM
#2
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Do it yourself, it is much more rewarding.
Start with:
http://www.hawaiianair.com/bookaflight/destinations
http://www.tripadvisor.com
http://www.suntrips.com
http://www.hawaiianair.com
http://www.alohaairlines.com
Start with:
http://www.hawaiianair.com/bookaflight/destinations
http://www.tripadvisor.com
http://www.suntrips.com
http://www.hawaiianair.com
http://www.alohaairlines.com
Jun 25th, 2004, 03:14 PM
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A tour is not necessary. You can get lots of good info on this board and elsewhere on the internet. For condo rentals try www.vrbo.com. If you want advice on which island, search this forum first then post your questions. Be sure to let us know when you are going (what time of year) and how long you plan to visit. Happy planning! You'll love Hawaii!
Jun 25th, 2004, 05:37 PM
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Aloha bandbt,
Oh, organize your own, and enjoy every minute of the process... it's half the fun of the trip!
I would strongly suggest hitting up your local library for some travel guide books to ponder through... they will give you great insight as to what each island offers, and then you'll be able to decide which islands most appeal to you.
Once you choose the islands you'll be able to look at what "main" activities you want to do & that will help you decide how much time to spend on each island. Sometimes, the amount of time that you have available for the trip may dictate how many islands you'll realistically be able to visit.
There are MANY Hawaii travelers on this board who will happily provide you with more information than you can imagine. There are great "old threads" that you can pull up by doing a search for, let's say, "car rentals on O'ahu" and highlighting "Hawaii". You can literally pull up thousands of old threads by searching for specific info.
Having done as much research as possible will help you to make wise decisions for your trip. Remember that everyone's travel likes & dislikes vary, so what is great for me may not be great for you. You'll find many varying opinions here >
<
Many congrats and happy planning...
Oh, organize your own, and enjoy every minute of the process... it's half the fun of the trip!
I would strongly suggest hitting up your local library for some travel guide books to ponder through... they will give you great insight as to what each island offers, and then you'll be able to decide which islands most appeal to you.
Once you choose the islands you'll be able to look at what "main" activities you want to do & that will help you decide how much time to spend on each island. Sometimes, the amount of time that you have available for the trip may dictate how many islands you'll realistically be able to visit.
There are MANY Hawaii travelers on this board who will happily provide you with more information than you can imagine. There are great "old threads" that you can pull up by doing a search for, let's say, "car rentals on O'ahu" and highlighting "Hawaii". You can literally pull up thousands of old threads by searching for specific info.
Having done as much research as possible will help you to make wise decisions for your trip. Remember that everyone's travel likes & dislikes vary, so what is great for me may not be great for you. You'll find many varying opinions here >
<Many congrats and happy planning...
Jun 26th, 2004, 04:48 AM
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Agree with all the above. I ran into a few tour groups in my last visit to the BI in May, and they did not seem to be enjoying themselves. The tours tend to miss a lot of the best things because they're playing to the middleof the road. Decide what you enjoy best, and pursue them yourself.
Jun 26th, 2004, 05:59 AM
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I went to Hawaii when I was 26 (on a tiny budget) and had a great time, but now that I am older (42) I think I would like to go on a tour so I don't have to think about any of the planning!
I have heard nothing but excellent things about Tauck, although I've never been. The negatives have already been cited by other posters but I think the positives of a tour are:
- your luggage is carried to/from so you are never lugging it around
- most, if not all your expenses are included
- you just show up and don't have to plan, etc.
- Getting to/from the airport, checking in/out of hotels, transportation, etc. are all taken care of - which is very important when island hopping.
Go to the Tauck website and read some of the things people say about the tours to get a better idea.
My sister went on her first tour to Europe when she was 34 and was very wary of the whole tour thing but ended up having a FABULOUS experience and she didn't even go on a high end tour.
I hope this info helps!
I have heard nothing but excellent things about Tauck, although I've never been. The negatives have already been cited by other posters but I think the positives of a tour are:
- your luggage is carried to/from so you are never lugging it around
- most, if not all your expenses are included
- you just show up and don't have to plan, etc.
- Getting to/from the airport, checking in/out of hotels, transportation, etc. are all taken care of - which is very important when island hopping.
Go to the Tauck website and read some of the things people say about the tours to get a better idea.
My sister went on her first tour to Europe when she was 34 and was very wary of the whole tour thing but ended up having a FABULOUS experience and she didn't even go on a high end tour.
I hope this info helps!
Jun 26th, 2004, 06:15 AM
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I love the planning process and can't imagine paying someone else to do it for me. Planning yourself builds anticipation for the trip and the knowledge you gain from the research will ultimately increase your enjoyment. If your not obsessed with the planning process like me you could always opt for a package type thing through Suntrips or Pleasant Holidays.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
Jun 26th, 2004, 06:31 AM
#8
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bandbt, I can understand a package tour to somewhere that you don't speak the language and aren't comfortable driving there, or with their transporation system. Or if you had some medical conditon whereby you needed help with luggage, etc. BUT Hawaii, as gorgeous as it is, is the good old USA!!! I think, if you pay for a package tour, you will get there and want to kick yourself.... The people on this board can help you plan a great trip. Let me put it this way, if you would plan your own trip within the continental U.S., then have no qualms about planning Hawaii. Just my two cents worth! Hope you will have a wonderful trip.
Jun 26th, 2004, 06:37 AM
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P.S. Bandbt, just to add.... a good thing, as someone above mentioned, might be to have Pleasant Holidays or Suntrips do an airfare/car/hotel combo for you if you don't want to bother with that. Pleasant Holidays is really hard to beat. But you sure don't need a guided tour in Hawaii......... there are so many wonderful guidebooks, and there's US, here on Fodor's!
