Checklist
You should always strive to travel light, but that is even more important when traveling to Hawaii. The planes are often smaller and if you stay at a short term vacation rental, they will provide a lot of things that you would otherwise need to carry.
We will tell you what are the essentials you would need to carry that you probably didn’t think of and then some optional items that you can carry if you are staying at a hotel.
Clothes and footwear
- Skirts, Shorts, T-shirt, Tank Tops
- In the vein of traveling light, just bring skirts, shorts, T-shirts and tank tops. You don’t need to bring jeans or full sleeve shirts. Also, don’t bring a lot of clothes if you are living at a vacation rental home if they already have a washer dryer.
- Once you get to Hawaii, you can buy a some local clothing too. For instance a Hawaiian shirt will help you get into the aloha spirit!
- Swimwear
- This should be obvious … how can you come to the islands and not get your swimwear! If you are shopping for one, a good quality and comfortable swimwear would be one that is stretchable and the stitching is good at the seams. Polyester is generally a good material choice.
- Water shoes, Flip-flops
- We always recommend getting water shoes as opposed to just flip-fops. This is especially important if you are traveling to places like the Big Island or even south shore of Kauai, because the beaches are rocky and the water shoes protect your feet. We have used this one from Amazon and found it to be of good quality.
- Hiking shoes
- If you are planning on hiking in Hawaii, you will almost certainly get mud all over your shoes. Get hiking shoes that prevent slipping in such conditions and can be easily hosed down.
- Jackets
- If you are planning to go up in elevation, like Mauna Kea (Big Island) or Haleakala National Park (Maui), it can get chilly up there. So, get a warm jacket!
- Also, if you are going to the wetter sections of the Islands, like the eastern part of the Big Island (like Hilo) or northern part of Kauai (like Haena), you should get a thin waterproof jacket.
Gear
- Camera (GoPro recommended)
- Most people have smart phones with very nice cameras. You may want to carry a waterproof and sand proof cases for it.
- If you want to snorkel or scuba dive, something like a GoPro will get you the best results. Make sure your camera is attached to a float though so there is less of a chance of losing it. Also, getting an extra battery doesn’t hurt.
- For those who want to capture high quality sunset pictures or the milky way from say the Mauna Kea visitor center, or take long exposure pictures of the waterfall or waves, get something like a DSLR and a tripod.
- Sun glasses, Hat
- You need sun glasses to protect your eyes. We recommend the polarized ones to cut the glare. It also makes the oceans look deeper blue. A hat or a cap will help you stay cool too.
- Sunscreen
- You need sunscreen to protect your skin. Please choose the one that is eco-friendly and doesn’t hurt the coral reefs.
- If you are staying at our beach house, we provide a large variety of sunscreens and you can always buy your own on the island as well.
- Bug spray
- If you are hiking, know that you are doing that to experience nature. And insects exist in nature. Infact, insects thrive in the wetter sides of the islands. So, get a bug spray to keep them away.
Optional
Many of the items in this list are nice to have. Also, if you are staying in a vacation rental like ours, many of these items are already provided to you. However, if you are staying at a hotel, you may want to bring them with you or buy them on the Island. Btw, Kona has Walmart (which is about 2 miles from the beach house) and Costco.
- Beach Towels
- You need beach towels if you are going to beach. If you are staying with us, we provide enough for your entire group. We also have Washer and Dryer so you can get fresh ones as frequently as you want them. If you are staying at a Hotel, especially in a resort, they should provide beach towels as well. So in most cases, you don’t need to bring your beach towels.
- By the way, besides beach towels, we provide beach chairs and umbrellas too.
- Snorkeling gear
- If you plan to snorkel, you can always rent the snorkeling gear. However, it’s a lot more cheaper if you get your own. This will allow you to stop by at many of the snorkeling spots on the island and use your own gear as opposed to being limited to snorkeling as part of a tour.
- If you don’t already own one, you don’t have to purchase it on mainland and carry it with you. You will find nice cheap ones in places like Costco and Walmart on the island. We recommend the full face snorkel sets for beginners.
Hopefully this helps you get started with your packing for the trip. Please leave a comment about other things you find useful and we would love to add it o the list.
Also, if you have not looked into our beach house and you would like to see if this vacation rental could be right for you, please click here to learn more.