Hawaii Tips and Travel Hacks! (What Travel Books Won’t Tell You)

    1. SKIP THE JET LAG! Try splitting up the trip with a layover in California.  It will save you on feeling groggy when you arrive and it can also save you money on airplane tickets. We got a one-night layover in San Diego (first time there!) with our tickets booked on SkyScanner. San Diego offered us a quick opportunity to explore new eats, check out a cool boutique hotel (Hotel Republic San Diego, Autograph Collection) in the Downtown area, and get some bed yoga in. Adding in a one-night layover is the perfect way to rest and gather your selves for the big leg of the trip while doing some light sight-seeing too.
    2. Get a FREE seat upgrade! DO not pay extra for assigned seating or premium seating. When you get to the gate, ask the agent if there are any open seats.  (Side Note: many airlines to Hawaii are larger with extra seating space due to the distance). If there are additional open seats, then request to get seated directly behind the wing of the plane (which gives you extra legroom and is also called “premium seating or comfort economy”) or ask if you can be seated next to another open seat. Having that extra seat is great for when you want to put the armrest up and spread out (No judgment here) or to place your personal items/backpack or purse on.
    3. Expand your VISION. Go beyond your travel guides. Get some of the BEST travel advice from the person sitting right next to you. From the plane to the bus, and the beach there is an opportunity to make friends with the locals and get the inside travel scoop of some of the best tips on where the locals go to eat, play and explore. 9 times out of 10 they love talking about how amazing their city is and will want to leave you feeling the same. So don’t be shy and start asking questions!:)
    4. RENT A CAR!!!  If you plan on driving up the North Shore, then renting a car is hands down the best way to go. ESPECIALLY a convertible. Driving up the North Shore with the top down, the wind blowing through your hair, the serene 360 views of the tropical oasis/ocean, and the sound of the waves crashing and birds chirping is something that you will never forget and won’t regret. Just make sure you are able to close the top with your luggage in it because when the tropical showers start coming down you’ll wish your suitcases weren’t blocking the sensors.
    5. This tasty lamb shank cost half as much as room service. Plus the nice walk to go hunt it down at Ray’s.

      NEVER Get ROOM SERVICE! This is like a travel no-hack, but if you do fall into the room service trap from the pretty menu on your nightstand you will be hacking your wallet to pieces. Even at the best resort, like Turtle Bay, in the KAPUA SUITE, the room service of wings, fried calamari, salad, and a bottle of wine was super bland and not worth the convenience/experience. $140 gone, don’t do it, buy ahead of time or go out.

    6. Plan Your LUAU AHEAD of TIME! The Polynesian Cultural Center is the BEST of the BEST! It is raved about by the locals and the visitors. It was also awarded Trip Advisors, TOP 10 US EXPERIENCES! ..Unfortunately for us, we did not sign up soon enough and we could only experience it vicariously through the eyes and stories of others. Please, take it from us and PLAN AHEAD. Make the Luau the first MUST SEE part of your trip and plan everything else around it. The luau runs in the evening, but to get the full experience that the cultural center has to offer, I would highly recommend getting there at least a couple of hours early if not more. 
    7. With money saved from our cancellation, I booked a signature hydra facial treatment later on! Highly Recommended!

      DON’T ACCEPT Late Charges! We love Turtle Bay with all of our hearts, however, their SPA attempted to charge us a no-show of $400 for a couples massage (traffic from the south to north road killed our timing) and that simply wasn’t going to fly for us on Valentine’s Day. If needed, don’t be afraid to escalate your problems to the manager, that’s what they are there for, to hear you out and make it right. Lucky for us, the manager eventually heard us out and when we finally arrived at the resort, the SPA had dropped the charges:) probably knowing we’d just keep fighting and then blog about it.

    8. Turtle Bay Breakfast Buffet

      GET YOUR HOTELS UNLIMITED BREAKFAST (with your room however you can) and pack LUNCH from it!  It will save you on lunch/snack money later (snag some to-go boxes) and it will let you get more out of your day with some good Dear Travelerorganic energy.

    9. Stay at the Kapua suite for the real “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” experience.

      WATCH MOVIES and DO YOUR HOMEWORK! You simply don’t want to miss out on famous spots from movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Mike and Dave, and so many other greats.

    10. Get Leid for cheap at the ABC store! 😀

      BUY LOCAL for ITEMS you FORGET, ASK YOUR CONCIERGE, DON’T DRIVE all the way to a WALGREENS! There will almost always be an ABC store near you, especially if you travel to Waikiki and walking over there will save you a ton of time as opposed to driving several miles to a known brand store like Walgreens. Plus you’ll find some cool local trinkets and may even meet some interesting people along the way.

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