Stuff Parents Need

Dreaming of a family vacation in Hawaii? Feeling deflated about how to ever be able to afford it? Let me help by sharing our itinerary that kept our “on the ground” costs much more reasonable.

When we found super cheap flights to Hawaii ($374 each for Atlanta to Honolulu, when normally $900 and up) we decided to just take a leap and purchase them, knowing we could work out the details later. We also decided that we were going to make such a long journey worth it, so we booked a 14 day stay, since my husband had enough vacation banked at work. I homeschool our kids so we are always available to travel, as well.

I really had a blast exploring all the amazing opportunities on the island. I had on my wish list to attend a luau, to swim with dolphins, to do some guided snorkeling and to visit lots of museums and cultural centers.

And then I started looking at the ticket prices for it all and my stomach just churned! I quickly realized that we would be spending well over a thousand dollars on activities alone if we did all the things on my list. Once I realized what we were going to be spending on housing ($188/night, on average…more on that in a future post) and setting aside about $400 for food (yes, groceries are more expensive in Hawaii), there just wasn’t much money at all left over for fun activities, and certainly not as much as I was calculating we would need. Almost everything had to come off the list and I needed a new plan.

But friends, here’s the wonderful news about Hawaii: the beaches and hiking trails are some of the most breathtakingly gorgeous things to see on O’ahu, and they are either completely free, or they only require a small fee (usually to park your car). You simply need to get out of the “tourist” mindset that says you “can’t miss” XY and Z tourist destination. This isn’t to say that experiences such as these aren’t cool, but if your budget is tight, they really aren’t necessary. We were told over and over, for example, that we simply couldn’t leave O’ahu without attending a luau. Ticket prices for luaus with good reviews were $125/person, so we certainly DID leave the island without attending one, and guess what? We had a BLAST and don’t feel as though we missed out one bit!

So here’s what we ended up doing during our time in O’ahu, day by day. We had a planned itinerary that varied a little bit from the final product, and that’s because it’s important to be flexible and to be willing to shift and change based on what the weather’s doing (it was overcast and windy pretty much every day when we visited at the beginning of March) or what the family simply feels up to that day, or based on new discoveries you might have accidentally discovered. Be ready and willing to simply pull over by the side of the road when you see something you want to explore!

Day 1

• Arrive in Honolulu.
• Pick up rental car*
• Go grocery shopping (we shopped at a nearby Costco, but there are several options)
• Drive to Lanikai Beach (about 35 minutes away)
• Arrive at our rental, unload the groceries and quickly head to the beach to get some fresh air and help keep us awake (we’d been awake for about 21 hours at that point).

Day 2

• Morning hike in Lanikai Beach area (Pillbox Hike)
• Afternoon spent at Lanikai Beach

Day 3

• Morning at Kailua Beach
• Special treat at Island Snow shave ice (President Obama’s favorite shave ice on the island!)
• Afternoon hike at Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail (paved, very kid friendly)
• Check out the nearby blowholes and tidepools on the way back home

Day 4

• Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (spent the entire day here snorkeling and relaxing!) (Cost $7.50 per adult, kids 12 and under are free, and $1 to park).

Day 5

• Catch a gorgeous sunrise on Lanikai Beach (watch your weather for the best day to do this; you won’t regret it!)
• Waterfall hike at Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside (state park)
• Afternoon at Kailua Beach

Day 6

• Travel to Honolulu to see Pearl Harbor (don’t miss out on the Junior Ranger program offered for a nominal fee) (we also sprang for the headsets that provide a self-guided tour at $7.50 each)
• Quick self-guided driving tour of Honolulu historical sites (such as the royal palace)
• Stop by Nu’uanu Pali Lookout on the way back to the condo
• Late afternoon beach session at Lanikai Beach

Day 7

• Quick morning trip to Lanikai Beach to say goodbye
• Pack up the condo and load up the car
• Drive to Byodo-In Temple to look around for a bit (it’s lovely!) ($5/person…worth it if you stay for an hour or more, in my opinion).
• Picnic-style lunch in the car as we traveled and looked around the area
• Arrive at new condo at Punalu’u Beach
• Unpack, and go enjoy the VERY quiet beach!

Day 8

• Day to catch up on some homeschooling and some work, and simply enjoy the beach for the day

Day 9

• Visit Kualoa State Park for a beach day (totally free). You will be located pretty much right next to the “secret beach” that folks pay $$$ to visit!
• Afternoon visit to Polynesian Cultural Center marketplace to pick up a few special treats and souvenirs (it’s free to enter the marketplace!)

Day 10

• Quick visit to Puu o Mahuka Heiau, which is a large ancient religious temple site. Beautiful views and a good opportunity to learn more about traditional Hawaiian culture.
• Visit Waimea Valley. It’s a very beautiful botanical gardens, cultural learning opportunities, and the opportunity to swim to a waterfall, all at a fraction of the cost of the Polynesian Cultural Center. This was our most expensive “tourist” outing, costing $48 for all 4 of us, and it was very much worth it!

Day 11

• Watch surfers on the Banzai Pipeline
• Take kids to a community playground across the street from Sunset Beach
• Visit Shark’s Cove tidepools
• Lunch at the food truck stands across from Shark’s Cove (a bit on the pricey side for food truck fare, so you could pack a lunch instead)
• Afternoon of swimming and relaxation at Turtle Bay (a North shore resort that is $$$$$ to stay at, but the beach, itself, is free!).

Day 12

• Beach day back at the condo
• Try to catch the sunset at Sunset Beach park (we struck out)

Day 13

• Another beach day at the condo (we had other plans, but we had so much fun the day prior that we decided to do it again!)
• Late afternoon travel into Honolulu to see the Honolulu Festival parade (once a year event, and if I had to do it over again I don’t think it was worth the hassle…traffic was beyond insane).

Day 14

• Morning visit to the beach to say goodbye
• Pack up and leave the condo
• Drive down to Ko Olina to check out the lagoons by Disney Aulani (parking lots are small…as in about 20 spaces per lagoon, so get there early if you can!).
• Check out all the resorts and hang out at the lagoons. If I had this day to do over again I would have made a beeline for the Mariott, gone through the vacation club presentation (90 minutes) and then taken advantage of the day pass you are given as a reward so we could have played in their pools. I didn’t realize that was an option until we were too short on time.
• Head across the street to the shops at Ko Olina and get the best iced coffee of your life at Island Vintage Coffee. SOOOOO good!
• Late afternoon in downtown Honolulu exploring while my husband had a meeting with city officials to talk shop (he works in city government).
• Fill up the rental car with gas at Costco (best price!) and return it.
• Back to the airport for an overnight flight back to the mainland. Aloha, Hawaii!

Are there any specific elements of our trip that you’d like to hear about in more detail? Any questions for me? I am so appreciative of all the great blog posts I read before our trip that helped me make plans, and I want to pay that forward by helping you! Please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment below.

*A Note on Renting a Car

Renting a car on O’ahu is likely to come at a cost higher than you have ever paid before for a rental (around $750 for two weeks). This reality stung something fierce when I first started pricing out options. I even poked around different chat boards to get advice on whether or not we could just use public transportation to get around the island. And you can do that, by the way. But you will make big sacrifices of time in order to do that, and ultimately I wasn’t willing to trade the extra time for the cost savings. You may reach a different conclusion. In our case, we were able to trade in about 4 years’ worth of points my husband had accumulated through a wellness program at his work (he rides his bike to work every day and earns points for that healthy choice). We were so relieved to see that he had enough to provide us with a free car rental, so that really helped our budget for the trip. You may have something similar at your work, or perhaps you have some credit card points that can be applied to a car rental. Do some digging to see if you might have something like this available, because I will tell you that having a car was absolutely critical for us. We used it every single day, and it’s how we were able to see and do so many amazing things.

As parents, free time is one of our most precious commodities. So when we finally do have that extra thirty minutes to relax on the couch, it’s important that we’re using it wisely. One common question I get from moms and dads is how they can use that spare time to make some extra spending money.

If you’re like many parents who are looking to work from home on a flexible basis, then you’ve likely heard about paid surveys. That means you’re probably also familiar with all the questions that we have to ask when deciding whether they’re worth taking.

Today I’m going to do the work for you and recommend that you check out one of my favorite panels- Survey Junkie.

Here’s why.

 

Survey Junkie Is Legit

The words “scam” and “survey” often appear together on the internet. So it’s important to make sure that if you are going to sign up for a panel, you find one that’s actually legitimate. That means no lies and no hidden fees.

 

As the highest rated survey site on Trust Pilot, Survey Junkie is one of the most reputable panels on the internet today. It’s absolutely free to join, and you don’t have to pay anything to redeem your points. Any site that asks you otherwise should automatically raise your red flags.

With Survey Junkie, all you need to do to sign up is input your email address on this page. You can also connect via Facebook or Google.

They’ve Got A Great Rewards System

Okay, so we get that they’re trustworthy and reliable. But what will you actually get with the points you earn on the site?

 

This is one of the best parts of Survey Junkie. First things first, they’ve got a very low payout threshold. As soon as you earn 1,000 points ($10), you’re eligible to cash out. And when you’re ready to cash out, you can choose from several different reward options. These include both cash via PayPal or e-Gift cards to popular retailers, such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, Starbucks, Sephora, and more.

When you redeem your points successfully, you’ll receive your rewards immediately. So you don’t have to wait for an obnoxiously long time to treat yourself to that new lipstick at Sephora or finally check off the items on your Amazon wish list.

You Can Actually Make a Difference on Survey Junkie

This perk is one that’s often overlooked, but also one that every parent needs to know about.

One of the greatest advantages of Survey Junkie is that they actually want to empower you to make a difference. So they’ve created a super user-friendly interface that makes your experience on the site easy to navigate and enjoyable to use. Members have the opportunity to share their opinion about the brands that affect their families, which puts the power back in our hands to create the world we want to live in.

 

The first thing you’ll do after confirming your email is fill out your general profile. (And FYI, you’ll get points for doing both of these things)! This series of questions helps Survey Junkie get to know your interests, so they can match you with the best possible surveys to take. That means you’ve got a greater chance of answering questions on topics that matter to you as a parent, and to make a genuine difference to the products and services that impact your life.

If you’ve ever entertained the idea of taking paid surveys, then I highly recommend you check out Survey Junkie. It’s one of my favorite ways to make extra cash, and I’ve found the site to be fun, reliable, and empowering.

You can sign up for Survey Junkie here.

Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. As always, I only promote what works for me! 

Our big two week trip to Hawaii is fast approaching! Today I wanted to share with you exactly what we are packing. I plan to update this post after to trip to let you know what I would change about the packing list if I had to do it over again, because I’m sure I didn’t get it 100% right on my first try.

Here’s some more information about our family and what we are doing in Hawaii to give some context to the packing list. We have 2 adults and 2 children in our family. We are staying for 2 weeks at condo rentals, so we do have access to a kitchen and a washer/dryer. We will have a rental car. The vast majority of our time is going to be spent at various beaches, and we also plan to do a fair amount of hiking. We aren’t doing much in the way of the more traditional “touristy” sightseeing. We will be in Hawaii during early March. For everything listed below, we needed 1 checked bag, 2 carry on bags, and 3 “personal item” totes.

Clothes (per person):

• 2 swimsuits (very strongly recommend getting rash guard swimsuits to provide extra UV protection)
• 4 bottoms (3 of which are shorts, and 1 of which is a longer pair of pants)
• 5 tops (for the girls it’s a combo of shirts and cotton dresses that are sporty enough that they could go on a hike. Here’s an example of a dress I’m taking).
• 1 light “rain friendly” jacket each
• 1 pair flip flops (got them super cheap thanks to Wikibuy)
• 1 pair KEEN sandals (we’ve worn this brand all over the world and we swear by them!)
• 4 pairs of underwear
• 1 pair of pajamas
• 4 hats
• 1 swimsuit cover (snagged mine on ThredUp)
• 1 shorty wet suit (I’m the only one who isn’t bringing a wet suit because I really hate how they feel on me, so I opted for a long sleeve rash guard swimsuit and some swim pants to help me not be so chilly. I also happen to be rather well insulated, 😉 I’ll be able to update you in a few weeks on whether or not this was a big mistake!).
• 2 white dresses (I’m bringing these for our girls in case I decide to do a little photo shoot with them on the beaches one day).

Toiletries:

• 1 shampoo bar
• 2 bars of regular soap (1 for the bathroom and 1 for the kitchen)
• toothbrushes
• 2 tubes of toothpaste (the kids like a different flavor, and in the spirit of picking my battles, 2 tubes of toothpaste is fine)
• floss (Plackers for the kids and one container of floss for the parents)
• 1 stick of deodorant (Yes, we share. No, we don’t care if that’s gross)
• so. much. sunscreen (I raided our supply at home, and it’s probably 8 different bottles, all with varying amounts inside…hoping to bring little to none of it back! Do remember to look for sunscreen that is reef-safe since the beaches around the islands have lots of reefs!)
• insect repellent (we use the one from Honest Company)
• lip balm (we use Young Living)
• first aid supplies (band-aids, neosporin, Tylenol, essential oils for upset tummy (DiGize) and for trouble sleeping (Lavender), Dramamine, melatonin pills)
• wet wipes (these will go on the plane with us because messes happen)
• small bottle of hand sanitizer (also going on the plane)
• aloe vera gel (in case we experience sunburn)
• Vitamin E pills (lifesavers if you get sunburn…help your skin heal itself from the inside out)
• daily vitamins/medications for each family member
• Moroccan oil for our hair (I think 2 weeks of saltwater exposure will be brutal, and I find this oil to help our hair immensely)
• various hair ties (3 out of 4 of us have long hair)

Electronics:

• 2 cell phones with a charger
• 2 tablets with charger
• 4 pairs of earbuds/headphones
• 1 laptop with charger
• 1 kindle

Food:

I’m going to do a whole separate post on this topic, so stay tuned!

Other:

• binoculars
• motion sickness bands (helps our girls immensely on plane rides, and also are supposed to be helpful when snorkeling)
• small bags for vomit (my oldest gets sick on planes, and I’ve learned the hard way not to count on your seat pocket to have a bag)
• beach bag (can double as your personal item on the plane)
• 1 water bottle per person (I’ve owned tons of different bottles, and my favorite, by far, is KOLD).
• rubber bands (surprisingly useful in the kitchen!)
• snack size ziploc bags (maybe 15?)
• quart size ziploc bags (maybe 10?)
• 2 easy lunch box containers to use when packing picnic lunches
• 2 shell collection bags
• catch-and-release (our kids play with this SO much at the beach. Very highly recommend)
• various pool floats (we’ll take them to the beach). I snagged the best deals on these on Zulily by going through Wikibuy. If you’ve never tried Wikibuy it’s a must, as it helps me save a bit extra on pretty much all of my online purchases. It’s better than free because it saves you money. 🙂
• 2 waterproof belts that will hold credit cards, ID and cell phone while swimming. I’ve been really worried about leaving these items on the beach while we swim, and found this product as a solution, with many people giving it great reviews. It will give me lots of peace of mind!
• 1 adult full face snorkel mask
• 1 child’s full face snorkel mask
• 1 pair of adult snorkel fins
• 4 pairs of sunglasses
• 6 pairs of earplugs (I cannot sleep without earplugs thanks to years of living directly under the flight path near an airport, and right next door to a busy fire station).
• passports for the girls (they serve as official ID)
• 1 backpack (which will be used as Tim’s personal item on the plane)
• laundry detergent (I’m bringing eco nuts because it takes up next to no room!)
• dishwasher pods (bringing 10 for a 14 day trip)
• Fels Naptha bar for stain removal on clothes (Just pack a chunk off a bar as you shouldn’t need much at all)
• small container of liquid dish washing soap
• sponge for the kitchen
• mermaid tail (admittedly, totally not necessary, but we own one, so yeah…it’s going to Hawaii!)
• school work for the girls (we homeschool)
• travel pack of tissues
• cotton swabs
• tweezers
• ice cube tray (I’m super dedicated to iced coffee, and this will also ensure we have enough ice at all times for our picnic lunch cooler)
• insulated bag to bring food that needs to stay cold to the beach
• baby powder (helps remove sand from your body easily)
• beach tent (we purchased this one and feel confident that it was a great choice)
• clamps to hold down towels over the sides of the tent
• car seats (Bubble Bum is our pick since our girls are big enough to ride in boosters, and since these are lightweight)
• light blanket for the plane (one kid is an anxious flyer and the blanket is soothing)
• 1 new surprise toy for each kid on the plane (our girls are obsessed with Beanie Boos, so that’s what they will each get)

We really tried hard to pack as light as we could, while balancing out the fact that everything is significantly more expensive in Hawaii, so while it might have been easier to buy some of this stuff once we arrived, it certainly wouldn’t have been cheaper (even when you take into account spending $50 round trip on a checked bag).

I’ll keep you posted on what we learned once we got on the ground!