The Big Island is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined, so how much you drive each day depends on where you base yourself. Planning a trip here comes down to five decisions, made in order. This guide takes them one at a time: when to go and which islands to visit, booking your flights, which region to base in, what kind of lodging fits, and getting around with or without a rental car.
The steps are the same for first-timers and repeat visitors, as long as you’re planning the trip yourself instead of handing it to a travel agent. Flights are usually the single biggest cost of the trip, so pinning them down early sets your working budget. Start with when to go.
Table of contents
- The first step: start planning your trip to Hawaiʻi
- How to find a good flight
- Decide where to stay and how much to move around
- What accommodation fits your needs best (hotel, resort, vacation rental, B&B)?
- Getting around: do you need to rent a car on the Big Island?
- Choosing your activities
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1: When to go and which islands to visit
Decide when you are coming and how many islands you want to see. Crowds and prices rise in high season, so weigh a high or low season trip against your schedule, and be honest about how many days you have and what you most want to do and see.
A couple of our guides help you narrow it down:
- Island hopping is an option. With enough time you could see as many islands as you like, but when time is short you often have to narrow it to two, or even one. Decide which island fits your interests with our breakdown of Oʻahu vs. the Big Island, Oʻahu vs. Maui, and the Big Island vs. Maui.
- Read our guide, How to start planning your Hawaiʻi trip.
2: Flying to the Big Island and interisland flights
Air travel is where a little planning saves the most money. The biggest factors in the fare are when you fly and how you route the islands, and we have booked plenty of these tickets ourselves.
Read our tips on booking your flight to Hawaiʻi and on booking interisland flights.
3: How much do you want to move around the island?
Because the island is so big, how much of each day you spend driving depends on where you base yourself. Splitting your stay between two areas often beats a single base. Pairing Kona with Volcano Village, for example, puts the west-side beaches and the volcano within easy reach of your bed each night.
Read more about which region suits your trip in our guide on where to stay on the Big Island.
4: Which accommodation type fits you?
You’ll spend a large share of your trip in one place: where you sleep. The location and the type matter most. Resorts, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, and hostels each suit a different budget and travel style, and in most cases our default pick is a vacation rental.
Read more about choosing the accommodation that fits your needs.
5: Getting around the Big Island with or without a car
A rental car is the easy way to get around the Big Island, and for most itineraries it is the practical one too. Going without a car is possible and can save money, but it means planning around limited bus service and long distances between sights.
Read what we think about getting around the Big Island with and without a car.
6: Bonus: tours and activities
With the basics booked, you can turn to what you came here to do. You won’t fit everything into one trip, so be selective. A few of our favorites:
- Going to the beach
- Seeing the lava
- The manta ray night dive
- Stargazing
- Taking a helicopter tour
See the rest for yourself on our curated list of tours and in our activity guide, 20+ activities and things to do on the Big Island. For more ideas, browse our list of itineraries and our favorite destinations on the Big Island. And if you are weighing a specific tour, our guide 7 strategies to help you choose the best tour walks through how to pick.