Cheaper, more sustainable rental car options for your Hawaii vacation
- Most travelers to Hawaii think they need to rent a car to enjoy the islands’ offerings.
- Depending on what you want to do and where you stay, experts say you can actually forgo a rental car and still have a meaningful vacation.
- The key is planning in advance.
When planning a trip, knowing whether to rent a car when visiting Hawaii can be tricky for travelers.
For starters, each of the main Hawaiian Islands is different, not just in population and size but also with unique natural wonders, activities and history. For example, while Oahu is the third-largest island, it’s by far the most populated, with more than seven times the population of Maui, the second-largest island. So things on Maui are more spread out and tend to take longer to get to.
Experts agree that the answer to renting a car or not depends on which island you’re visiting, where you’re staying and what you’re hoping to do there. Thankfully, visiting Hawaii sans car is totally possible – and encouraged.
“To be a respectful visitor, which we really need, you’re going to have (to) dig deep if you’re going to some of the islands and do your research,” Bruce Fisher, a travel adviser for Hawaii Aloha Travel with about 20 years of experience, said. “In general, we’re encouraging people to be more sustainable and akamai (smart) about being here and taking care of our lands.”
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In his experience, people appreciate knowing there are alternatives to renting a car on their trip to Hawaii. Hawaii is also known for having some of the nation’s worst traffic, which can be painfully felt if driving along the scenic but often backed-up one-lane Honoapiilani Highway on Maui.
Jamie Phillips Weese and her family of four were looking into a weeklong trip to Hawaii with visits to Maui and Oahu in early October 2022. They ended up going with a rental car on Maui and traveling by Uber on Oahu.
For their five days on Maui, the family took advantage of the rental car, going grocery shopping and exploring beaches around the island, like West Maui.
“I can’t imagine not renting a car on Maui – the Ubers would be insanely expensive!” Phillips Weese said.
The family also spent two days on Oahu and stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. On their first day, they hung out by the resort’s pool and beach, leaving the property only to walk to a nearby restaurant. The next day they took an Uber to Pearl Harbor and had no issues, other than waiting a bit because of traffic.
“The main reason we chose not to rent a car in Oahu is because we knew it would be more populated and cater to tourists,” Phillips Weese told USA TODAY. “We knew we wouldn’t need to, and we also didn’t want the hassle of navigating streets and people in an unfamiliar place with a ton of traffic.” The high parking fee at the resort was also a deterrent.
She said their decision “absolutely saved us time and frustration.”
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