Hawaii Packing List for Families: What We’re Taking

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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!