Hello,
This is my first post on this board and although I have been lurking and using it as a resource for quite some I'm not sure that I'm actually posting where I should.

I am planning a 14 day trip to Hawaii, staying on Kauai, Maui, and the BI. In order to stay that long, I really need to work on a budget for the trip so I'm looking into cottages, b&bs, etc...which I prefer to the big hotels and resorts anyway so it works out. I've gotten many many ideas from this forum so I'll start with a big THANKS!

My main questions is this (sorry about being so wordy) - Would it be better to try to book this out myself or go through a travel agent. I see the pros and cons to both but would like to get the input of all of you before making a final decision.

If anyone wants to throw in recommendations of beach-side accomodations "foe less" that would be great too!!

Thanks!

First, welcome to the madhouse.

Second, I think you'll find that most posters on this and other travel-related boards prefer self-booking and independent touring to agents and organized holidays, although there is room for both approaches.

Third, there's no reason you can't try to book it yourself, then if you're unsuccessful or feel like you aren't achieving the savings you want or that you're "missing something," well, then go to an agent.

I think you'll find that most travel agencies are not all that keen on B&B/low-cost trips to places like Hawaii, because there are plenty of customers who prefer the kinds of accommodations that pay commissions to TAs, so they don't need to take the low-commission/no commission traffic.

When are you planning to go? (As a rule it's a good idea to give minimal information so people won't have to ask - e.g., I'm coming from Paducah in April...)

I do all my own booking. I've found that some travel agents do not find the best deals and have their own agendas. I have a trip to Kauai planned for April. I used ff miles for the air. Rented a studio condo with a full kitchen and a w/d. for $1700 for 28 days. I'm still looking for a good car rental. I'll probably go through Costco and Alamo. My husband and I counting the days.

I enjoy booking everything myself and find that this is one of the most fun parts of the trip! Other people would rather go to an agent(or as my friends do, call me and ask to find out info).

It is not that hard to book trips. It can be time consuming and you should get a few books to read in your spare time. The books like The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook-Kauai Revealed would have great tips in it. I also purchased Oahu Revealed because we are going there in April. There are books on all of the islands by Andrew Dougherty/Wizard Publications. These books give a very good idea of what hotels and activities are good on each island.
Travel Agents tend to book packages with larger hotels/resorts. I am sure there is some sort of agreement with these hotels/resorts. We like the resort feel, but I can always do better booking myself. Packages have extras that we usually don't use.
Do some research, ask lots of questions here, look in the search and read old posts, and go to other websites like tripadvisor to get other opinions on hotels and such. Good luck and welcome to the group!!

Ah, when are we going?? I forgot to mention that didn't I... : )

We'll be there from Aug 28-Sept 10.

Thank for all the good thoughts. I think I am going to give self-booking a try.

Hi. My family is traveling in June to Oahu and BI. I started my planning last year and asked a very good friend who is a TA to check out deals / airfares. She came back with a total. I then started checking online and found I could book everything myself saving about $2,000. Needless to say, DH was thrilled with booking ourselves. I was a little hesitant only because if TA books, you have someone to go do in case of problems. Booking myself, guess whose fault it is if there is a problem. We're keeping our fingers crossed that everything will go smoothly during our trip in June. I find it really fun to research and find the "deals". Good luck with your search.

I would concur with everyone that you would likely save money booking yourself. Most agents have a short list of properties that have agreements with the tour companies.

My tips for saving money:

1. Are you flexible in your dates ? Sept - Nov are the slowest season and so that is a good time to go. Pushing your dates out a week or two may be worth it.

2. Book places directly from the owner.

3. Look for garden or mountain view rooms. Look for places that are across the street from the ocean and not on the ocean.

4. As another poster said look at the costco and entertainment rental car discounts. Also you may be able to get a weekly rate if you rent from the same company on different islands. This varies, but doesn't hurt to ask

5. Shop at costco and/or walmart and avoid eating out.

Alan