« Hawaii. Aloha. Mahalo... magical words that became even more enchanting after visiting "Maui"... ✨
What do you need for visiting this eternal green paradise?
1. 🇺🇸 American visa. And it’s great, they give visas to travelers with an open heart and for many just for the fun of it. 🤭😋
2. 💵 Money. This is America, sweetheart, everything needs to be paid for, those same taxes apply. And no hidden fees for you; in many hotels, booking in advance is still required. It’s hard to generalize prices since everyone has their favorite hotels, restaurants, taxis, or buses. The costs will change based on how far in advance you book and the season. You could book a room through Airbnb or splurge in a 5-star hotel...
I can give you an example price for taxis: Uber from the airport to your hotel (30 min) costs between $40 to $80 (depending on the class of the car), so many recommend renting a car (it can be picked up at the port) – it usually comes out cheaper. Coffee (like a Starbucks) is about $5 for a grande latte. A dinner in a tourist area usually won’t cost less than $100, but there are options starting around $10 and can also go over $100. Overall, everything depends on your preferences... but don’t forget to leave a tip. 😉
3. ⏰ Time. Don’t forget, my angel, that it’s quite far and you might think you can get to Los Angeles in a couple of hours, but no – it’s a five-hour flight. There are a lot of direct flights to Hawaii, it’s just a matter of looking them up. We flew from Seattle, which took 8 hours. It might be shorter from Beijing. In general, all depends on where you’re coming from. Plus, consider the time for acclimatization and jet lag.
4. 😩 The difficulty of choosing an island. We chose Oahu mainly because it had a direct flight. If you have the opportunity to visit more, then please do! 👌🏼
So why did we choose Hawaii? - Because we have an American visa, and in mid-January, you need to be in LA. And the best part, we caught a 40% discount on a hotel through Booking. It was a puzzle coming together. And after LA, we head to Utah, so we'll be resting. Though we learned about everything just two weeks ahead of time. 😅 If there are any questions, I’d be happy to answer!
Wishing all readers, likers, and commenters wonderful travels! 🙏🏼✨ »
So the best advice for those who plan to visit Hawaii is not to stay on one island for the whole vacation but to at least explore two islands 🌴 »
What do you need for visiting this eternal green paradise?
1. 🇺🇸 American visa. And it’s great, they give visas to travelers with an open heart and for many just for the fun of it. 🤭😋
2. 💵 Money. This is America, sweetheart, everything needs to be paid for, those same taxes apply. And no hidden fees for you; in many hotels, booking in advance is still required. It’s hard to generalize prices since everyone has their favorite hotels, restaurants, taxis, or buses. The costs will change based on how far in advance you book and the season. You could book a room through Airbnb or splurge in a 5-star hotel...
I can give you an example price for taxis: Uber from the airport to your hotel (30 min) costs between $40 to $80 (depending on the class of the car), so many recommend renting a car (it can be picked up at the port) – it usually comes out cheaper. Coffee (like a Starbucks) is about $5 for a grande latte. A dinner in a tourist area usually won’t cost less than $100, but there are options starting around $10 and can also go over $100. Overall, everything depends on your preferences... but don’t forget to leave a tip. 😉
3. ⏰ Time. Don’t forget, my angel, that it’s quite far and you might think you can get to Los Angeles in a couple of hours, but no – it’s a five-hour flight. There are a lot of direct flights to Hawaii, it’s just a matter of looking them up. We flew from Seattle, which took 8 hours. It might be shorter from Beijing. In general, all depends on where you’re coming from. Plus, consider the time for acclimatization and jet lag.
4. 😩 The difficulty of choosing an island. We chose Oahu mainly because it had a direct flight. If you have the opportunity to visit more, then please do! 👌🏼
So why did we choose Hawaii? - Because we have an American visa, and in mid-January, you need to be in LA. And the best part, we caught a 40% discount on a hotel through Booking. It was a puzzle coming together. And after LA, we head to Utah, so we'll be resting. Though we learned about everything just two weeks ahead of time. 😅 If there are any questions, I’d be happy to answer!
Wishing all readers, likers, and commenters wonderful travels! 🙏🏼✨ »
But the people! They relate to life differently! They are always friendly (maybe the stunning nature around makes these people genuinely happy?) and never feel rushed. 'Hang loose' 🤙🏽 - that's their lifestyle. If I once thought that the vibe of life in the western US was the most relaxed, in Hawaii I realized that there’s no limit to perfection, as they say. 😄 This place is for the freest spirits.
On the flip side, there’s a vibrant local culture that's quite robust. In the center of Honolulu, you'll find tons of boutiques, restaurants, and life doesn’t stand still - not how it seems at the beaches. It's such a unique mix of urban and laid-back lifestyles in one of the most isolated places on Earth. Who would have thought that one day Polynesian cultures would thrive and co-exist with European influences side by side?
Americans need to give credit to their efforts in preserving traditional Hawaiian culture - in food, language, museums, and those very names. I feel like we hardly encountered an English name for a street or place in Hawaii throughout our visit, as the local names remained predominant, like the lovely Waimanalo and Haleiwa.
By the way, in the Hawaiian alphabet, there are only 13 letters, which makes for some interesting challenges! 😄 To sum it up - Hawaii is definitely a place worth visiting. Their culture and nature are unique (I seriously have never seen anything like their colorful sands, azure waters, and giant turtles – definitely a treat for my eyes!) and it would be intriguing to explore other islands in search of new experiences. 🌺 Are you up for it? Planning?" »