Packing for Hawaii can be easy. Here are my top 11 suggestions. Please let me know if you have anything else for the list. The main rule to go by is, “Keep it Simple.”
1. Leave the turkey at home. I once met a visitor who brought a turkey from the mainland for Thanksgiving dinner. Just remember there’s nothing you can’t buy here if you need it, including food & snacks and medications. Don’t loose sleep if you should forget something.
2. Roll your clothes. Pack things that don’t need a lot of care. Stay away from dry cleaners and you won’t pay $10 or more per garment.
3. Pack carry-on snacks for the trip and some for after you get here and are tired and hungry.
4. Unlined Goretex type shirt/jacket is helpful for rain and wind protection without making you steam. Something warm for the plane might be good too.
5. Hiking boots can be worn to save on baggage weight. If you have old shoes/boots, consider wearing those and leaving them behind to have more luggage space on the return.
6. Limit T-Shirts you bring. There are many great shirts to buy in Hawaii. Even living here, I must have 50 Hawaii t-shirts or more.
7. Snorkeling gear can stay home. Why not rent, or purchase inexpensively at Wal-Mart in Hawaii.
8. Laptops may not be needed on pleasure trip. You can purchase a visitor library card and use the Internet at locations throughout Hawaii.
9. Avoid checked bag fees entirely by reading our post on this topic.
10. Consider our list of unlikely and helpful things to pack.
11. Travel with a luggage scale and know your carrier’s limitations.
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soozie (2 years ago)
2 pairs of shorts, 2 T shirts, tennis shoes, sandals, swimming suit.
We delight in asking folks in the departure line at the airport how much of those three ginormous duffles they actually used….
Ed (2 years ago)
On my last trip to Hawaii, we brought our clothes along in space-saver bags! we purchased these travel space saver bags where you fill the bags with clothing, then squeeze out all the air by rolling them. This easily saves 2/3rds the space of regular luggage…plus, you have the added benefit of not having your clothes wrinkled and no TSA people rummaging through your clothes!.
I bring only Aloha shirts to Hawaii..but I limit myself to 2 shirts because I know I’ll be buying about a dozen or so more while I’m on the islands (at last count, I currently have 52 Aloha shirts, the majority made in Hawaii).
By using the space bag, I can carry other items I just can’t or don’t want to rent. I do bring my snorkel, mask and flippers. I rented once, but got blisters from the ill-fitting flippers, and that ruined the rest of my vacation because I could barely walk!
I did bring my laptop last time to the islands, but now I have a Netbook. 1/3rd the size and weight of a laptop, so this will come with me on my next Hawaii trip…besides, it gives me something to do on the inevitable layovers for the 8-12 hour flight from the east coast!
Unfortunately, I invariably do overpack…but heck. I don’t mind. Traveling to Hawaii is my one big vacation I take once every 3-5 years…so I don’t mind spending the money to increase my pleasure and comfort…
Colleen (2 years ago)
We humans think we need to take all our ‘Stuff’ – as per George Carlin. Some habits are hard to break and over-packing is one of them. Just keep telling yourself you will save enough on fees (and frustration) to pay for your luau!
Getting away from the idea that we NEED a different outfit and matching shoes each evening is hard. This is really hard for first timers – to believe that any place can be as casual as Hawaii is. But it is. Can’t stress this enough.
Hawaii is not a 5 star resort for most of us. Just take your favorites – the most comfortable or flattering. Old shoes for hiking and muck – nice sandals for evening and comfy sandals for day. No need for socks. That’s what my hubby loves about a week on the Big Island – NO SOCKS for an entire week!
Remember – if it doesn’t fit into ONE carry on bag – you are bringing too much or bringing the wrong ‘stuff.’
:0)
Karina (2 years ago)
Having just returned from Hawaii, and looking back on how I did, I’m very happy with the way I packed overall. Here’s how I did it…
Before I left, I went to Hawaiian Airline’s website and found the requirements for carryon-sized bags, then measured mine to be sure it fit. I even had it weighed at the airport for good measure, and the Hawaiian attendants were happy to tag my carryon as “cabin approved”.
My ONLY regret is that I had to bring my laptop–I had financial and other stuff I simply had to do, and I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that on a public computer, even at the library. Not to mention I would have had to deal with files, passwords, and all sorts of nonsense. Bringing it was just easier, unfortunately. Next time, if I need the laptop, I will bring a much smaller MacBook hard-sided cover, and drop that into my backpack, instead of the bulkier macbook case I have now. That case pretty much takes up the entire main part of my rolling backpack.
I planned ahead to purchase anything that wouldn’t make TSA happy at Longs in Hawaii. It was an excellent excuse to go, since Longs has sadly disappeared on the Mainland.
Onboard the plane, my backpack sat by my feet under the seat in front of me, and had my new book, iPod Touch, laptop, purse, snacks, camera, sweater, and journal in it. Everything was within arm’s reach and easily accessible. The main carryon with everything else went in the overhead bin.
In the bottom of my carryon, I had packed an expandable duffle, which I premeasured to ensure that it also fit the carryon measurement standards. When I came home, I used the duffle to bring home all the goodies and treasures I bought. Rolling my jars of Guava Jam into my laundry kept them protected, and anything I would have been sad to lose went in the duffle, and rode in the cabin with me. The original carryon that I started out with got checked in, yes for a fee, but it was far cheaper than shipping all that stuff home would have been.
I very comfortably did a full week on my one carryon and my backpack, and I used literally everything I brought EXCEPT the three tiny containers of makeup. Next time I’ll ditch those as well. Who needs makeup when you’ve got that gorgeous beachy glow?
My favorite packing advice comes in two parts: Whatever you pack, make sure it coordinates, so that way any shirt can go with any pants, shorts or dress. The second bit of advice goes like this: when you are finished packing, TAKE OUT HALF. You simply won’t need it.
Aloha and Mahalo Nui for a great website!