Aloha my dear friends, l hope that you got to do some of my 20 favorite free activities to do in Oahu, Hawaii. 🤙 Today I am going to give you some tips to explore Oahu, Hawaii on a budget and how to have an amazing experience in Oahu Hawaii without going broke or having to get a loan to pay for it🤣!

If you are reading this article is because you are a budget person who would like to have some fun without paying for the unnecessary stuff. Let’s go over our basics and talk about the places in which you can save some money and which ones are not even worth saving money on.Let’s start by preparing to come over to the islands. It is some items that you should bring over and others you might not want to expend the extra money on. 

At the time to book your flight try to use your points and see if you can get upgrades for a minimum fee, it looks like it will be more expensive but, sometimes it saves you money in the perks that come with it. For example, one-time l paid $50 for an upgrade and l got to save $50  because it came with 2 check-in suitcases while the economy was $100 more for my 2 suitcases. Do your research and see what works for you and your budget.

Pack simple and light when you come to visit us. You can save a lot of money by not having to check in those extra suitcases. Depending on how many days you are planning to visit the islands l will give you a list of suggestions to have a comfortable vacation. These items are going to be general for males and females and you add or take away according to your preferences:

A light jacket for the flight and comfortable pants that you can travel and sleep comfortably on the plane, l know that a lot of you are traveling across the country and the flight can be long and of course comfortable shoes easy to take off at the airport. 

When you get to Hawaii you are going to need: A swimming suit, flip flops, shorts, T-shirts or a bottom-up shirt. If you have some bright, white and pastel clothes that you have not used in years, go for it! In Hawaii, not much is out of fashion and you can be yourself! We accept you and love you as you are!

If you are planning on a Luau, you might want to bring your aloha shirts or dresses.  Life is simple in Hawaii and we care more about your smile and happiness than about what brand name of clothes you wear so, relax.  

If you forgot anything let me tell you a little secret 🤫 We got most of the brand name stores and regular stores in Hawaii so, do not worry you will find them 😉. The only things that you are not allowed to forget are your documents, your phone, and your money, all the other things should be in your email box😂 so relax! Hawaii is all about taking it easy(Aloha!).

Hotel is another major expense and it all depends on what you like and what you are used to. Again use all the points that you might have if you do if you don’t. You can find nice hotels for a good price by getting them ahead of time and if you are going to stay inside the hotel and use all their amenities it will be worth paying the extra money but, you are coming to explore the outdoors and not going to use all the amenities, so go for a simple hotel that might not have all those exciting things to others but, not so attractive to you.

Transportation in Oahu and the other islands is very important if you want to explore. If you would like to stay in the resort, it is no need for you to rent a car. 

In Oahu, We have options for taxis, Uber, and Lift that are good as well as the bus system. Having a rental car has a lot of pros but, one of the big cons is parking and the high price for parking in the hotels as well as in public places and getting towed at the areas that you are not supposed to park at specific hours of the day. And if one day you decided to take a tour you can always get a private tour with us and we can pick you up at Airport, hotel or cruise-lines and drop you off at your desire point at the end of your tour. Feel free to visit us at to get your customized tour.

Food is one of the big considerations for some travelers and of course, if you wanna be on a budget you need to be aware of which places you can eat at which ones not but because we are having an issue finding employees for the restaurant industry in the islands you might want to either do reservations ahead of time at the restaurants that you think that you might enjoy or by visiting our food trucks all over the islands, just be patient because as l mentioned before it is hard to provide fast service when most of our restaurants and food trucks have to even use the owners in a variety of positions to keep up with the demand so, be nice to that person that is cleaning the table for you or bringing your food to the table might be the owner or manager of the restaurant. 🙂 In the islands anything is possible and your kindness and patience are appreciated,🤙

I recommend that you load up with snacks, we have all types of snacks around here from chips to fruits and Bentos we got a lot of you covered! Try not to get hungry around here because the lines at the restaurants and food trucks can be long. 

Other tips to explore Oahu on a budget is to visit your 7/11 and ABC stores, they both have a lot of affordable healthy options for you to take to the beach so, you do not have to be in line at the restaurants for half of your vacation.

Activities and Luaus are better to buy directly with the company that offers them that with the resales. A lot of companies offer discounts if you book directly and they will have transportation available for a very low fee. 

Party and Luaus are fun on the islands. Drinking and driving are not recommended on the islands so, getting transportation to enjoy these activities can save you thousands of dollars! Our police officers are very active on the island and, they know where to check the drivers at night, so l highly recommend not to drive if you think that you might want to enjoy a drink. 

 Most tour companies started to offer private tours after the pandemic which is one of the best ways to get the most of your time at the best price. we have a lot of tour options as well as the option to build your own tour, give us a call(808-375-7377) and we will be happy to assist you to customize yours.

Which Package Should I choose in the activities the economic or expensive? I suggest that you compare the seating charts and the menu options as well as what is included, if you are vegan like me, do not even bother to get the expensive package when you only going to eat rice and maybe some salad if they don’t decide to be created and add some eggs, bacon, and cheese on it.😂 Poi will be your best friend and Taro is delicious if they do the steam version of it. If you can eat anything from pork to raw fish!’  Check out their menu and get the most that you can of the Luau. 

For some places and people, the most expensive package can be the best thing for their budget for will get and for some of us might not be as good because we might have to eat before or after the Luau due to our dietary restrictions. Again be kind and sweet some of us there that are not able to eat what you eat. If you see someone eating just rice and pineapple next to you in the Luau asking questions might not be a good idea!  A smile is always welcome!🤙

In Hawaii, one of the best tips to explore Oahu on a budget is by using your Google search for the activities that you might like to do and by calling the companies that offer the services directly they might have direct booking discounts. Buy your water shoes and snorkeling gear if you are into snorkeling and if you enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Hawaii might be a place that you might want to enjoy them. 😃

Depending on the number of members in your party you might want to go Costco shopping for some of those supplies and having ready in your beach bag, sometimes you might want to enjoy one of those sandwiches while you’re waiting for that dinner reservation that was only available for 9 pm. 

I hope that you try some of my saving tips to explore Oahu on a budget if you got to this part you deserve a 10% discount on any tours with us.😂

Until you read my next blog again! Keep saving money for your next trip to Hawaii, we love to see you in the Islands!

Mahalo for reading and supporting our economy!! 🤙🙏🌺