Marcie
Aloha and welcome to Hawaii Travel Made Easy, the podcast that helps you plan your dream Hawaiian vacation. I'm Marcie, a Hawaii travel expert who has visited the islands more than 40 times, and today I'm excited to introduce my friend Jessica Averett, who just got back from Hawaii.
She lives in Utah and actually runs several websites that encourage families to get out and explore the world. I'm also obsessed with her Instagram at the Adventure Travel Fam, are you ready to hear her honest thoughts about Hawaii? Let's jump in.
Hi Jessica. Thanks so much for being on my podcast.
Jessica
I'm glad to be here.
Marcie
Perfect. Well, let's just jump right in and can you give us a quick rundown of your trip to Hawaii? Like where did you go? How long were you there, and who did you travel with?
Jessica
Yeah, so I just took a trip to Maui with my oldest son. He just turned 18. He's graduating high school this year, and so we went for five days to Maui and it was fantastic.
Marcie
That is awesome. So is he your only child or do you have other children?
Jessica
He is the oldest of five, and so I've started taking these one-on-one trips with our kids just because it's just really cool to see a different side of them when it is just mom and one kid. And so I. this was a really easy choice for me to take him on a trip here. I picked this location, not him, but he is a big biker and he has had biking Haleakala on his bucket list for a couple of years because it is the longest climb in the world. It's, I believe, 36 miles. Straight up, there's no downhill. go from like zero to over 10,000 feet. So we went there so that he could check this off his bucket list.
Marcie
That is amazing. And for people who don't know, your son is a competitive mountain bike. Correct?
Jessica
He is, and so things that make him suffer are things that he loves. So we just went along with it and went for the biggest climb, and so excited to have it be in such a great location.
Marcie
Oh my gosh. That sounds amazing. And I know that that must have been the highlight of your trip, right?
Jessica
Oh, it totally was. Yeah, it's just so great to see your kids accomplish their goals and do the things that they love. And so it was just awesome to be there alongside him as he did that. I am not a competitive cyclist like he is, so it took a lot of training and an e-bike. And basically everything, my body had to get up to the top to watch him finish this.
But was fantastic.
Marcie
What did he think of it once he, I'm assuming he finished correct?
Jessica
He finished and he finished in a ridiculously fast time and it was like the highlight, like one of his like major life highlights was to be able to do this. So fantastic. I could barely breathe and he was like running around.
Marcie
That is amazing. That brings me so much joy. So I know that we went to Kauai together last year. Was this your first trip to a different island or have you been to some of the other islands before? I.
Jessica
So we have been to Oahu and I've been to Kauai twice. Once with you, and then this was my first time to Maui.
Marcie
Got it. So what were, your first impressions when you arrived was, did it feel any different than the other Hawaiian Islands?
Jessica
I mean, I think there are some similarities, but right off the bat, the thing that really impressed me was just how easy it was to get around and how, how much there was there. I think that when people plan a trip to Hawaii, they stress about everything that they need to pack and not wanting to forget anything, but you get off the, off the airplane and like. Within like a mile of the airport. You've got a target, you've got a Walmart, a Costco, a Safeway, like tons of things. And so it just felt so comfortable and so easy. It was such an easy island to visit because there were so many things that felt familiar in terms of, okay, where do I get this or that if I forgot something, because the infrastructure was just so similar to what I've seen here in other US states.
Marcie
Totally. Yeah. I think Maui is one of the easiest places to, to visit, especially if you're planning on hitting a store, like as soon as you land. I know a lot of people go and get they'll buy car seats or boosters right from Target, or they wanna load up on all their groceries from Costco before they head to their condo.
It's just so convenient. And there's, the, Costco has a gas station, so if you're renting a car, it's really easy to fill up before you return your car, which is usually way cheaper than having them do it.
Jessica
Yeah, it was just easy.
Marcie
Absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about budgeting for Hawaii. Were there any ways that you saved money on your trip?
Jessica
Oh my goodness. I love Hawaii, but it is so expensive and so planning ahead was critical for us because I'm trying to do all of these one-on-one trips with my kids. Like I've got five kids, five trips to plan for. this was our most expensive trip that I've taken one of my kids on. a couple things that really helped with that is I have the Southwest Companion Pass, so I just used my points and then my son got to go for free with me there, which saved a ton of money. the other thing that we did that was kind of unconventional is we have been using home exchange.com for a couple of years in our travels. And in the past we've done it where we just swap houses with someone and they'll stay in our house and we'll stay in their house. But for this one, that wasn't possible because my husband was home with our other kids.
They have an option where you can earn points on their platform. so I was able to use my home exchange points for a condo here in Maui, which saved us so much money because lodging prices in Maui are so high. And so kind of thinking outside of the box and being able to do the home exchange there really helped us cut down our cost. So we didn't really have to pay anything for housing. We spent, we actually had five nights in a home exchange, and we had one night in a hotel out in Hana that we paid for on our credit card points. So flights and lodging were no cost out of pocket. So that was a great way to make our dollars go a lot farther so that we could spend it on fun things.
Marcie
I love that. That is so smart. I know that a lot of people don't talk about Home Exchange, so I'm really glad that you brought that up because I think that that is, a unique, a unique way for people to save money. And that's cool that they have that option that you don't have to actually swap houses.
'cause I wasn't aware that they had that option where you could use points or you could kind of just do it like a one way.
Jessica
Yeah, it's, it really makes it a lot more flexible.
Marcie
I love that. Okay, so we talked about hiking or I mean biking up Haleakala. Were there any other highlights of your trip?
Jessica
The other thing that was kind of like a wow thing that I surprised my son with is halfway through our trip. we swapped cars and we just had an SUV so that we could fit the bikes in. But halfway through the trip we swapped cars and got a convertible to drive the road to Hana. so we took a day out there and a full day back and I don't think my son stopped grinning the entire time.
He was just in heaven driving in this convertible on one of the most beautiful roads we've driven in the entire world.
Marcie
Oh, that is amazing. That is such a great idea to swap cars just for the road to Hana. That is so cool. I love that.
Jessica
Thing is, is it was so easy because you're passing right by the airport when you head out that way. And so I mean, it literally took us 10 extra minutes to swap rental cars.
Marcie
I love that. That is super memorable. I bet. We're are, I'm not sure if you're a foodie or not, but I was always curious about the best meal people have in Hawaii. I.
Jessica
So there were two meals that were really memorable on our trip. one was, I had coconut crusted fish when we were out in Hana. Think of it as like coconut shrimp, but applied to a whole filet of fish and it was divine. And the other meal that just blew my mind, it wasn't even a meal, but we went to Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop on the way out to Lahaina and the banana cream pie.
There was out of this world.
Marcie
That is awesome. Those are great, great answers to that question. And now you're making me a little bit hungry and missing Maui. Those are fantastic. If you could relive one day of your trip, which day would it be and why? I.
Jessica
Again, we're going back to that Haleakala bike ride. I mean, just. First of all, it, like I said before, it was amazing to see my son experience this and have the joy of like knocking it off his bucket list. But even if we hadn't been biking it, like the scenery was incredible. We went from the beach and you're going through like all these different climates. We had been watching the weather meticulously to find the best day to go up there because you don't wanna have it be all cloudy or bad weather. And we had beautiful sunshine all the way up. And then, so we got great views. The whole ride up there when we were at the top, we could see tons. And then the clouds started coming in when we were going down, which was so fun.
So we got to experience so many different things. And then at the end of that day, we went surfing. Well, did not go surfing. My son went surfing because I was completely exhausted while I sat on the beach and watched him. But. There's just, it's so easy to pack in so many different adventures all in one day there it was just such a highlight to be able to do so many things that he loved at once.
Marcie
I love that. What time of day did you do this bike ride? I forgot to ask. I.
Jessica
We started at 6:30 AM so just after the sun rose, and we got to the summit. Oh, we got to the summit. He got there at about 10 30 and I got there around 11.
I think it was around noon that the clouds started rolling in. So if anyone else is planning their trip there, you wanna be up there before lunchtime. You don't necessarily have to be up there for sunrise if you don't wanna get up incredibly early because they're still, you're still gonna see a ton of great things, even if you go a little later in the day and then you don't have to fight for a reservation.
Marcie
I absolutely agree with you on that. I know that the temperature is fairly chilly once you get up to the summit. Did it feel really nice for you after doing such a long bike ride?
Jessica
No, we were freezing and we had been, we had been warned about this, that, I mean, you get to the top and you are super, super, super sweaty. it felt good for about 30 seconds. And then you just started to freeze though. We had taken wind breakers with us and we wrote that we wore 'em all the way down because it was cold.
You're going down really fast and it gets really cold,
Marcie
Okay. That's a good, that's a good point. I was thinking maybe, maybe you'd be so sweaty that you'd be like, oh, this just feels so nice and refreshing because I freeze up there and I always have a little puffer coat. I like have gloves on. Sometimes I have hand warmers, I freeze up there.
Jessica
Yeah, it was really cold and everyone said that it was a very warm day up there and I was like, shivering. Plan, plan for layers.
Marcie
Okay. Definitely. I know that every trip has hiccups. Did you run into any travel mishaps or delays or unexpected challenges or anything? I.
Jessica
We certainly did. I mean, I don't think it would be a trip if we didn't have something kind of throw a wrench in our plans. We got a flat tire when we were on kind of the northwest side of the island.
My car flashed that I had flat tires. I didn't have a spare tire and I had 50 mile I could drive on it for 50 miles. my option was to take the winding road that was like 15 miles back to the airport with absolutely no cell service, or to take the route that was 47 miles back with cell service. So we took the 47 mile one because I was really nervous to not have cell service with a flat tire. So, but it was really fine.
Like I feel like our rental car company was really understanding. I think that this is something that happens a lot. We had just driven over like a little piece of lava rock that punctured the tire. They were so easy it, we just drove right in. We had called 'em ahead of time. They had the new car waiting.
It was so fast and easy. So I think that sometimes we get really stressed when those unexpected things happen, but. It's really important to remember like there are so many people who work in the tourism industry on the islands, and they are just like, they know gonna run into and they're there to make your trip like memorable and awesome.
So just trust that people are good and they wanna help you.
Marcie
Oh, for sure. Are you comfortable sharing what rental car company you used? Yeah. We went with Sixt.
But actually that's another thing that I should probably mention about budgeting. We had booked oftentimes we'll book our rental cars through Costco 'cause they can get a really good deal. I checked the week before we went we were, prices had dropped significantly from when I had booked the trip. we got our cars for a third of the price when we booked it through Costco. And Costco was the cheapest months in advance. So double check those prices.
Marcie
That's a great tip. Was there anything on your trip that didn't quite live up to your expectations?
Jessica
Well, I think that the hardest thing for us, we really, really love to snorkel. And the weather was a little bit windier and the ocean was a little bit choppier. And so we had hoped to do more snorkeling, but a lot of waves were coming in and so the water near where we were staying was pretty murky. And so we had to drive a lot farther in my mind, I always think that because you're going to these islands that are, I mean, realistically they're small. I think everything is so close. I forget that you still can have a good amount, a good amount of driving. So even though we did eventually find some fabulous snorkeling it just was a mental shift for me to remember, okay, like some things I'm gonna have to drive 45 minutes for, or whatever.
It's not because I'm on an island, everything's 10 minutes away.
Marcie
That is a really good point, and that's something that I try to stress to people that even if you're looking at a map and things seem like they're not too far away. The driving time is just, it's just a lot longer than I think a lot of people are anticipating. Even if something's just a few miles down the road, that could be like 15 or 20 minutes, just depending on traffic, depending on weather, all kinds of factors.
Exactly. Yeah. So I think, you know, planning ahead instead of just looking at the map, like putting things into your GPS.
Like say, oh, I wanna take this drive at 8:00 AM what's the traffic gonna be like 8:00 AM And just look it up, right? Because then it can give you a more realistic view of what to expect.
Marcie
Yeah. Speaking about what to expect, how did the cost compare to what you were expecting? Did you have any budget surprises?
Jessica
I mean we have been to Hawaii several times before and so we kind of knew where to keep our budget down. My son's 18 and he just really loves to eat. so I set the expectation kind of upfront of like, this is how much we're gonna go out to eat. And we did, like you had mentioned, we made that Costco stock up trip to stock the fridge in our condo. So that we had things there so that when we did go out to eat, it wasn't like, oh, this is like, you know, lot of money here, but we had planned for that. And so I think that. Having a, having a good game plan in mind to say, okay, these are the areas where I'm gonna save my money and this is where I wanna splurge, can make it so it's not unexpected.
So we had a set number of meals that we were gonna go out for, and then we had a plan for the others.
Marcie
I love that. That is so smart. Was there anything that you wish you had packed but didn't or something that you brought and then you never used?
Jessica
Yes. So when you're in Hawaii, you need to use good reef safe sunscreen there. And in my mind, I had just forgotten to get some, it's early in the year we had depleted all of our sunscreen stores from last summer. And the sunscreen that I, the mineral sunscreen that I really love. That is a good restate.
Sunscreen. forgot to get it until the night before. I couldn't find it anywhere in our little town here. So I just bought like a generic mineral sunscreen we were covered in like this, like. film for the entire trip. we looked really ridiculous and it just didn't feel good on our skin, and so I would've planned a little bit better in advance, to get the one that I love.
Marcie
I think I'm so glad that you brought that up because I think sunscreen is one of those. Personal items, you know, like lotions, like sometimes lotions feel really greasy for certain people or they, you know, are sitting on top of your skin. And any kind of skincare product, it really just does. It depends on the person.
And so if you have a brand that you like and that you know, works for you, I mean, a hundred percent try to order it and pack it. And I always try to tell people like. Look at your packing list like that week before, so you still have time that you can add things to your suitcase and kind of like be thinking about it because it is hard and you find something you don't like.
I have definitely had some of those thick white globby sunscreens where it just feels like you're like plastering yourself and you know you're protected from the sun and it's really important to protect yourself from the sun, but then you're kind of walking around just feeling gross and just, I don't know, it's, it takes some of the joy out of the trip, I guess, for me.
Jessica
I hear you.
Marcie
Did you experience any culture shock or moments where you realized, oh, this is different than back home?
Jessica
For sure. I mean there are a lot of things that are similar about Maui. Like I said, it's an easy place to go to because there are a lot of conveniences are similar to back here in the US where we live. But one thing that really stood out to me is that people really like the. who live there really care about the land, they care about the island. There were several places along the road to Hana where people had like painted signs telling visitors, this is how you need to respect our land. This is sacred to us. This is why we care about this. Don't do these things. And I feel like where I'm from, like most of those laws and things. Are coming from the government or the city or things like that, and they're not put out there by individuals. And so it just hit me really hard that people here really care about nature. They care about the island, they care about taking care of things, and that really helped me want to show the same stewardship to the land as well.
Marcie
Yeah, I think that's an excellent point that it's something I hadn't really thought about before is like where the message is coming from, but it's like the community is saying, Hey, wait a second. You know, make sure that you're being respectful of the land, of nature, of the people. You know, some of these things that you would hope would just be a given, but there is a need to put a sign out there, unfortunately.
Jessica
And I, and I, I think, I don't think a lot of people are deliberately trying to, you know, abuse things, but maybe they just don't know. It was just a, a good education for us too.
Marcie
Yeah, absolutely. So let's switch gears and try to help all the people listening who are planning their trips to Hawaii because you have just been there. You are a wealth of knowledge. So let's dive into some of those questions. So, what's one thing that you did really well in planning your trip that you'd recommend to others?
Jessica
We made a list of so we were there for five days. We made a list of five main things that we wanted to do and put one for each day. And so we made sure that our main things that we wanted to hit, places we wanted to go, got taken care of. I don't think we would've survived if we had tried to do more than that because there were so many things that popped up along the way.
We're like, oh, look at this. This looks really cool. We wanna go see that, see that place, or We wanna stop here and check this out. so I think only just put one big thing on your list a day. And even if that big thing is we want to sit on the beach, because if not, there are so many exciting and fun things that are going to pop up and that you're gonna see and wanna do.
So make a schedule.
Marcie
I love that. 'cause you're right, you're not gonna be bored, especially on Maui. There's always stuff to do. There's always things going on. And I love that you said, even if it is beach time to put it on your itinerary because I. It's so easy to get so distracted by all the other fun things to do that you might forget that like, no, I wanna carve out three hours that we're sitting at the beach, kids are playing in the water, I'm reading a book, whatever is on your, your plan for that day.
It's nice to say like, we're not gonna be racing around the island this day. We're just gonna kind of find the beach and just kind of hang, hangout. That's great. And then if you can do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Jessica
So the one thing I would change in how we set things up is we did the road to Hana in two days. So that we could kind of slow down and enjoy the cute little town there. But since we only had five days for our trip looking back, I wish that we had just done it in one really long day. 'Cause there were a few other things that once we got there, I think that we wish that we would have done more. so it does, it, it, it can be a great overnight destination, but maybe if your trip is seven days or longer, it felt kind of too, like, too much time for the road to Hana for five days.
Marcie
Yeah, that is a really good point. Depending on your trip length, I usually think, like if people have Yeah, a, a week, 10 days, a lot of times they're just doing one island. Then that's a great way to like break it up and and take your time. But with just five days, it is, it is a short amount of time. Like it doesn't sound like it, but once you're there, it feels short.
Jessica
Right.
Yeah, totally is. I mean, I think, I think you're right, seven to 10 days is definitely the ideal length. We just couldn't make it work this time.
Marcie
No, totally. Any tips for first time visitors who might be feeling overwhelmed about planning their Hawaii trip?
Jessica
Pack less. Your trip will be so much easier if you have less stuff to haul with you. Know that we talked about, you know, my little sunscreen issue there. Pick the things that are the absolute most important to you. Throw in a few swimsuits and you are going to be fine. It will make your trip so much easier if you don't have more things to take care of and to manage so light you don't need a lot.
And if you find if there's something you need, go to the store and buy it, you'll be fine.
Marcie
I agree. Did you guys do carry on only for this trip?
Jessica
We, we actually took one bigger suitcase because our snorkeling fins wouldn't fit in a carry-on. We, but normally we do just travel with carry-ons.
Marcie
Perfect. That's always helpful to know. I feel like people sometimes aren't sure whether or not they can get away with just to carry on for Hawaii. And I always think, you know, clothing wise. It, you're packing a lot less in volume than you would for other destinations, and especially if you're just doing a few swimsuits, some easy, you know, shorts, t-shirts.
And if you're at a condo where you can wash your clothes, then I mean, that can cut down the amount of clothes you're packing for Sure. It's just like toiletries and stuff that can kinda add up.
Jessica
Exactly. Yep.
Marcie
Yeah. Was there a hidden gem or lesser known spot that you discovered during your trip and that you would recommend to future travelers?
Jessica
Yes. So we found that we found this place. No one had been really talking about it. We just found it on Google Maps. And a lot of people know about the Black Sand Beach on the way to the road to Hana, or along the road to Hana. But once you get in Hana, there is an area, and I can't rem, I can't pronounce the name of the beach, but it's the Red Sand Beach. and it's kind of a little bit of a precarious hike. You're gonna need something besides flip flops. And if you have little, little kids, you're gonna hold their hands really tight in a couple spots, and then it takes you back to this totally secluded cove. The water's crystal clear. Waves were coming in so hard out in Hana, and then there's like this full on like rock wall there and it protects you from all of the waves, and it was of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and hardly anybody was there.
So it was a cool spot.
Marcie
Oh, that is awesome. If somebody only had time to visit one island based on your trip to Maui and Kauai and Oahu which one would you recommend In Hawaii, I.
Jessica
Okay, so as much as I love this trip, I think Kauai will probably always be my favorite. It is, it's just stunning and like the access to like hiking and nature things is, it just feels like it's everywhere. And that's what we seek out when we travel and go on trips. And so that's. That's favorite. So if you're into like adventure things doing a lot of nature besides just beach time, KA Hawaii is where it's at.
Marcie
I, I agree. I mean, Kauai is pretty awesome. Obviously my mom lives there, so I'm a little bit biased, but it's a wonderful island. And now I know that.
So that was, that should have been the highlight of your trips to Hawaii.
how did this trip to Hawaii compare to other trips you've taken with your family?
Because I know that you have traveled the world with your kids.
Jessica
Honestly, it, Hawaii just felt like a really easy destination. I loved that it was tropical, but, and so it feels like you're going somewhere exotic. I. But it's also really easy. You're not gonna have like the language barrier or some of the culture or custom things that can be difficult when you're traveling with a family, that you're gonna get in some of some other tropical places.
And so overall, I just, it's an easy place to go where you can have a completely different experience than most other US locations.
Marcie
No, I totally agree with you on that. Will you be going back to Hawaii, and if so, what's on your Hawaii bucket list for next time?
Jessica
Of course we're going back to Hawaii because it's amazing.
The thing that always, like, like I said, why we love Hawaii so much, the nature is what always draws us in. We love, love, love the sea, but man, give us some tropical jungles and we are just like the happiest people ever. Kids, most of my kids have only been to Oahu and so I would love to take them to Kauai so that they can experience some of the nature, some of the hiking and. My husband and I would really love to take our kids on a backpacking trip along the Na Pali coast there,
Marcie
I was just thinking that that would be perfect. Yes.
Jessica
The permits are hard to get for that, but that would be a dream
Marcie
Yes. I think that would be ideal for your family because they're so adventurous and you know, responsible and everything. Okay. If you can sum up your trip to Maui in just three words.
Jessica
Oh, that's hard. Take your teens.
Marcie
Mm. I liked that.
Jessica
I mean, I think sometimes it can, it, it can be so hard to. Get your teens on board with a trip because they, you know, they are just so, so, so busy. Their schedules between their work, school, extracurricular friends, all of those things, it can be so hard. man, just take 'em. They will love it. I know my son was really stressed with missing school and some other things that he had going on and. smiled the whole time. He was just so happy to be there. so just take 'em. They're gonna love it.
Marcie
I love that so much. Thank you so much for being here, Jessica. Where can people find you?
Jessica
Probably the best place to find me is on Instagram. My handle is the Adventure Travel fam, so we share lots of updates and lots of adventures and travels that our family's taking there.
Marcie
I love that so much. If you found this episode helpful, I'd so appreciate it. If you'd subscribe, leave a review or share it with a friend who's planning their Hawaii trip. It helps more travelers find this show, and I'm always grateful for your support. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today.
Until next time. Mahalo for listening and I'll see you in the next episode. Aloha.
