Top 10 Tips for Traveling to Hawaii with Teens

Free PDF: Hawaii with Teens Survival Guide + 7-Day Oahu Itinerary

Traveling to Hawaii with teenagers isn't about dragging them through your dream itinerary. It's about finding the sweet spot between adventure and autonomy so everyone actually enjoys the islands.

👉 Hit play now to discover 10 field-tested strategies that turn eye rolls into genuine engagement and help you create those "this is why we came" moments your family will talk about for years.

If you've ever wondered how to balance freedom, downtime, and family connection on a Hawaii trip with older kids, this episode is for you. You'll learn practical ways to plan smarter, avoid the most common mistakes, and give your teens just enough independence to make the trip memorable for all the right reasons.

In this episode of Hawaii's Best, we break down exactly what works when traveling to Hawaii with teens so you can spend less time negotiating and more time making memories.

👉 In this episode, you will:

• Discover which island fits your family's vibe and how to let teens help choose activities they'll actually care about
• Learn the art of pacing your days so you avoid meltdowns, build in sleep and space, and still hit those wow-factor experiences
• Find out how to give teens freedom within boundaries, keep them fed and connected, and go beyond the beach to connect with Hawaiian culture

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Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to transform your Hawaii trip from stressful to unforgettable with strategies that work for the whole family.

🤙Resources mentioned:

• Free PDF: Hawaii with Teens Survival Guide + 7-Day Oahu Itinerary

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🎧Related episodes:

• What to Pack for Hawaii
• Volunteer at Maui Cultural Lands

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💻Related blog posts:

• Fun Things to Do in Hawaii with Teens
• What to Where in Hawaii

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🤓Chapters:

• 1:47 Choosing the Right Island for Your Family
• 4:29 Involving Teens in the Planning Process
• 5:35 Balancing Activities and Relaxation
• 7:19 Unique Experiences and Keeping Teens Engaged
• 12:52 Final Tips and Next Steps

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This Hawaii podcast is for travelers looking to plan a trip to Hawaii. Discover travel tips, itineraries, and traveling tips & hacks with guides to help you explore Hawaii. Whether you’re planning a Hawaii vacation to the islands, dreaming of a Hawaiian getaway, or visiting Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, Oahu, or Big Island we’ll help you travel with aloha.

Edge of the Ocean, Stick Figure (w/ permission)
Ukulele and Chill, Coby G (w/ permission)
Talk Story, Hawaiian Style Band (w/ permission)

Chapters

• 1:47 Choosing the Right Island for Your Family
• 4:29 Involving Teens in the Planning Process
• 5:53 Balancing Activities and Relaxation
• 7:19 Unique Experiences and Keeping Teens Engaged
• 13:15 Final Tips and Next Steps

Transcript

189_Top 10 Tips for Traveling to Hawaii with Teens

[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: Are you planning a trip to Hawaii with teens? Yeah, it's fun, but it's a little like herding cats. Honestly. Women, they're stoked to snorkel. And the next it is, wanna sit on their phones in the hotel room. Well, in this episode, you'll discover 10 practical tips for traveling to Hawaii with teens, things that'll help you plan smarter, keep the eye rolls to a minimum, and ways that'll help you enjoy.

[00:00:23] Bryan Murphy: Your time in Hawaii.

[00:00:29] Bryan Murphy: A Hello. Hi, and welcome to Hawaii's Best, the podcast helping you plan an unforgettable Hawaii vacation with real tips and local insight. I'm Brian Murphy, and if you are headed to the islands with older kids or teens, we're gonna talk about what actually really works when traveling to Hawaii with. Teens, how to balance adventure, downtime, and how to give your teens some freedom and still find those.

[00:00:54] Bryan Murphy: This is why we came to Hawaii Moments for mom and dad, or grandma and grandpa. Everything I'm sharing comes from firsthand experience and plenty of lessons learned along the way. My wife, Allie, and I, we have three girls, nine, 13, and 15. So we've done Hawaii in all the stages from babies, toddlers, all the way up.

[00:01:15] Bryan Murphy: To our 15-year-old, almost 16-year-old, and a lot of these lessons we have learned the hard way. So I'm gonna be sharing those as we go along. But you can also find the full blog post that I've included about more fun things to do in Hawaii. So once you're there, some things you can do with your teens, and I'll link that in the show notes below.

[00:01:35] Bryan Murphy: And at the end of this episode, I'll tell you how to grab the free Hawaii for Teens Travel Pack. It includes all these tips plus a seven day Oahu itinerary made just for families with teens. Alright, let's just get right into it and jump into the first tip, which is pick the island that fits your family the best.

[00:01:54] Bryan Murphy: Really, before you book anything, start here, pick the island that actually fits your family. Every island in Hawaii has its own vibe, its feel, and so choosing the right one can make your trip so much better. Oahu is perfect for teens who want a little bit more of, you know everything from surf lessons and Waikiki shopping, dining history, and plenty of places to grab shave ice.

[00:02:18] Bryan Murphy: You know, between your outings, the big island of Hawaii is for families who want to explore. So obviously you got volcanoes, national Park there, black sand beaches, snorkeling with man rays at night, it's a lot more adventurous, a lot more open wild, but if your team prefers something a little bit more slower, slower mornings.

[00:02:40] Bryan Murphy: More of a leisurely pace, but still has amazing scenery. Maui or Kauai are great picks, so you got waterfalls, beaches, you know, all the classic Hawaii postcard and plenty of adventures on both of those islands. Kauai is a little bit more, I'd say slower than Maui. It's a little bit more quiet. Maui, you still have.

[00:03:03] Bryan Murphy: A little bit of busyness, but I think probably the best way to start is ask your teens, you know, what sounds most fun to them? Help them choose. Help them feel ownership from the start. It really makes that buy in a whole lot smoother, but I get it. If budget is a consideration, Maui is gonna be more expensive than the other islands.

[00:03:23] Bryan Murphy: So if you're looking for more of a budget friendly, you got a larger family, maybe grandma, grandpa are going. You might wanna look at Waikiki or the big island of Hawaii. We actually did that uh, was it two years ago? So we had a 13-year-old at the time and that was great. She really enjoyed a lot of the, she loves national parks and, and stuff like that.

[00:03:42] Bryan Murphy: So she really enjoyed Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park. But this last time that we went, we just went, um, about 10 months ago. We went to Kauai for a week and we went to Oahu for about a week or so. It's just different now. It's, it's a good difference. So if you are visiting Hawaii with teens for the first time, and you visited Hawaii prior, say like when they were toddlers or younger.

[00:04:06] Bryan Murphy: It's just, it's different. You're gonna start creating new memories. There's those things that we used to do when they were younger. Like we'd always go to the Dole Plantation and we have to do, you know, the train ride and, and the whole thing. And now Dole Plantation is a pit stop. To go to the restroom on our way up to the North Shore.

[00:04:24] Bryan Murphy: So it's little things like that that tend to change over time. This kind of goes into tip number two is let them help plan the trip. Once you've picked the island, bring your teens into, you know, the planning stage of it all. And I don't mean, you know, here's the list. And pretend to care. This is what we're doing.

[00:04:41] Bryan Murphy: This is the I attorney. But actually give them some choices. You know, maybe one activity, one meal, you know, you wanna try surfing or hit some food trucks, give them some options that are approved by you and your partner, or whomever you're going with. And help them just to feel like they're creating the itinerary, creating the plan.

[00:05:00] Bryan Murphy: It sounds small, but it changes everything. When teens feel like they have a say, they're more engaged, kinda like toddlers, honestly. You know, you give them choice, you know, do you want goldfish crackers or do you want graham crackers? So give them some choices to help plan the trip. Let 'em do some scrolling and help find a, a spot that looks cool.

[00:05:19] Bryan Murphy: Maybe have them go on Yelp and choose a dinner spot that looks good and they can take ownership in that. I think that's probably a big word. This whole episode is help 'em to take ownership in the trip, and that really helps set the stage for your entire vacation. Tip number three, don't over plan everything.

[00:05:38] Bryan Murphy: This one is huge. You don't need to fill every minute of every day. Allie and I, we've made this mistake before. Trying to go to one tour to the next, to doing the Maka Poo hike out on the east side of Oahu, and then trying to do a tour and getting back to the west side for lunch. Like it could be a lot trying to fill the day.

[00:05:59] Bryan Murphy: Some of those things that we've just learned. It just takes time, especially, that's where it goes back to choosing the right island, because the big island, for example, trying to do. One thing in Kona and then doing in Hilo, which is on the other side of the entire island. You're talking about an hour and a half or so to get over there.

[00:06:17] Bryan Murphy: That's a good chunk of the day if you want to do something in Hilo, but you're staying in Kona. So having that plan is important. And honestly, Hawaii is better when you slow down. So try. Big adventure day and then chill and have a resort day, maybe a hike or snorkel, and then just do like a beach day where you don't have anything to do.

[00:06:38] Bryan Murphy: Maybe that's the day that you have your teen pick what they wanna do for dinner. And honestly, some of the things that we've realized is the, the best memories come from the in-between times, you know, talking story in the car with the kids, grabbing poke bowls, washing sunset. If you let go of the pressure to see everything, you'll actually enjoy more.

[00:07:01] Bryan Murphy: And I get that Hawaii can be a once in a lifetime trip for a lot of people, and you wanna see and do everything. I totally understand. But really, especially going with multi-generational families, it's important to go at the pace of the group as well. Number four, pick unique experiences that wow them, that, that they can remember.

[00:07:25] Bryan Murphy: And all it takes is maybe one or two. So instead of trying to squeeze every bit of beach time or waterfall, focus on one or two things that they'll still be talking about at home. Maybe it's a night snorkel with man rays on the big island, or surfing together in Waikiki. Or it's that hike on Kauai where everyone's shoes got full of red dirt, whatever it is.

[00:07:45] Bryan Murphy: Make those moments stick. Those are the moments that you go back home and as you go through your pictures, those are the moments that are gonna stick and last a lifetime. And like I mentioned, if you want a few more ideas, I've got a list of our favorite teen friendly experiences. I'll link that article below.

[00:08:02] Bryan Murphy: Fun Things to do in Hawaii with teens. Tip number five, keep them fed and fueled. If you remember one thing from this episode, nothing tanks a great day in Hawaii faster than a hangry teen or a sleepy teen. I'll get to that in a minute. I've been there. You know, you're halfway over to Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park and it's, you know, there's nothing to eat in between.

[00:08:26] Bryan Murphy: You're like. I'm hungry. When's lunch? Where are we eating? Plan to build food into your trip. If you're doing a long trip like that, bringing a foldable ice chest that you can pack, that'll help those longer road trips. If you do road Hana on Maui, that'll help that just to kinda keep everyone happy and and satisfied.

[00:08:47] Bryan Murphy: But also take time to plan your food. You know, hit local spots, shrimp trucks, poke bowls, Masada shave ice. They're fun, they're quick, and it's a great way to taste a bit of Hawaii's local culture. Plus, it gives everyone something to look forward to in between activities. Tip number six, like I mentioned, build sleep and space into your trip.

[00:09:09] Bryan Murphy: Now this is a big one, especially for your teens. You know, you want to give them time to rest and room to breathe. You want to give them their space. It helps you recharge as well. But teens aren't built specifically strong for sun rise hikes every single day. If you want to do a sunrise hike, definitely would recommend doing it day one or day two, when if you're traveling from the continental US, you are probably gonna be waking up.

[00:09:33] Bryan Murphy: Earlier. So that'll be good to do that. Maybe day one, day two, you wanna see the sunrise, but if you force it, you'll spend half of your trip dragging them out of bed and wondering why everyone's so grumpy, why we even do this. You know, the whole, the whole thing. So mix it up a bit. Plan early activities some days, but let them sleep in on others.

[00:09:54] Bryan Murphy: You know, maybe grab a quiet morning coffee while they recharge. That's also a cool perk about having teens. It's like, Hey, mom and dad, we're gonna. If we're gonna go downstairs and we're gonna go grab some coffee and we'll be back in a little bit. So taking that time with your partner is also important too.

[00:10:10] Bryan Murphy: You know, those quiet mornings and if your budget allows it, you know, may maybe find a spot or place to stay with. You know, it's a condo, vacation, rental, timeshare, whatever, with separate. Rooms. It makes a huge difference when everyone has a little bit of privacy. You'll get your own quiet time and they'll get their space and everyone's way happier, recharged, and ready to go and ready for those family photos that are out of the beach at 7:30 AM.

[00:10:37] Bryan Murphy: Tip number seven kind of goes along with tip number six, but it's give them freedom, but with some boundaries. As your kids get older, it's good to loosen the reigns a little bit. I think we can probably agree on that if we have some kids that are getting older, but that doesn't mean letting them roam the island and just getting lost.

[00:10:55] Bryan Murphy: But it does mean giving them little small bits of freedom. Depending on where you stay, you might want to let them walk and grab Shave Ice. Or maybe if you're close to a Starbucks, you know, have them grab it on their own. But set boundaries. We stay in the Colina area almost yearly, and the Colina areas is great for, you know, if they wanna walk down and get shave ice, or if they want to just go to the market and pick something up.

[00:11:22] Bryan Murphy: Pick up some ramen or whatever. But I wouldn't recommend, this is probably where Allie and I are on the same page about, you know, freedom and where the boundaries are. But we're not gonna let our girls go to the water on their own. We're not gonna let them go to the pool on their own. We're not gonna let them go to the beach on their own.

[00:11:43] Bryan Murphy: Especially if it's a, a non lifeguard beach. Definitely that's a no go for us. So. We take water safety very seriously. Maybe that's also a line that you and your partner draw, but that's up to you. Alright, tip number eight, keep them connected. I know part of you and I've, I've said it too. You know, part of you wants to say we're unplugging for this trip, leaving your phones at home.

[00:12:05] Bryan Murphy: Really, let's be honest a bit. Your teens are bringing their phones and that's okay. That's how you're gonna get through a five and a half plus hour flight over to Hawaii. So instead of fighting about it, just let's set some expectations early on. Let them share photos, text friends, and then have unplugged time during the day.

[00:12:26] Bryan Murphy: Maybe that's your dinner. Maybe that's the time when you guys unplug as a family and phones. Just don't even touch the table. It's also good to bring a portable charger and check that your place that you're staying in has strong wifi. That will be a topic of conversation. A little digital connection can help keep everyone a bit happy, so you don't have to choose between phones and family time.

[00:12:48] Bryan Murphy: You don't have to. You can have both, but just be intentional about it. Tip number nine, pack Smart and Travel light. That's really one that has saved us a lot of headaches. Is packing smart? I think we've almost got it down next time we go. It's my goal to only take carry on luggage. I know that sounds crazy, but we've almost got it down to that.

[00:13:09] Bryan Murphy: You don't need a lot of stuff going to Hawaii, but a few key things make a big difference from water shoes. To a light hoodie for, you know, early mornings or plane rides, a waterproof phone case for all the ocean photos or pool pics. That's just good to have. But I've also done a few posts about what to pack for Hawaii, so I'm gonna link down in the show notes below if you want to take a closer look at that.

[00:13:37] Bryan Murphy: But really the. Main thing is have them pack a couple things that help them feel comfortable, or maybe it's an iPad, but really the main thing is just keep it simple, keep it practical. Remember, you're probably not gonna need 40% of the stuff that you packed. Tip number 10, go beyond the beaches. This last one.

[00:13:56] Bryan Murphy: It's probably my favorite is, is going beyond the beach. We actually don't spend a lot of time at the beach, but don't get me wrong, beaches in Hawaii are amazing, but some of the best and most meaningful parts of Hawaii trip, it happens when you connect with the culture. Take your teens to a luau, or if you're on Oahu, visit the Bishop Museum or ex explore Iani Palace.

[00:14:19] Bryan Murphy: If you can join a malama Hawaii experience, like things like a beach cleanup or planting native trees. We did this on the island of Maui. Such a great, great. Opportunity to connect with amazing local people. Highly recommend if you're going to Maui, this would be a great teen outing for the family.

[00:14:38] Bryan Murphy: Definitely look into Maui cultural lands, and I'm gonna link that episode that we've done with Elu Lindsay. I'll link that below, but that. Is another opportunity to connect as a family. And there's zero reception in the valley where we went Kova Valley. But this gives you and your family a chance to give back and learn what aloha really means.

[00:15:00] Bryan Murphy: Love, respect, responsibility to the land. And when your teens experience that side of Hawaii, they come home with. More than just memories. They come home with perspective and really that's a great marker of an amazing trip to Hawaii. So that's it. That's my 10 tips for traveling to Hawaii. I could probably go on as we are right in the middle of it.

[00:15:24] Bryan Murphy: I think if there's one key takeaway from this, this, let it be, don't try to make the trip. Perfect. Let go of perfect. Let go of perfection. Focus on making it meaningful. Give your teens a voice, a say in the planning of it. Build some space. Slow down enough to actually enjoy the moments between all the plans, because really it's in those in-between moments.

[00:15:48] Bryan Murphy: The laughter, the beach walks, the shave ice stops the, oh, Judy, see it off the side of the road. Pull over. Let's go see what that is. It's those moments that they're gonna remember. So if you wanna dive even deeper into specific activities, check out the blog posts. So fun things to do in Hawaii with teens linked below.

[00:16:08] Bryan Murphy: And while you're there, go ahead and grab the free Hawaii for Teens Travel Pack. It includes everything from today's episode plus a seven day Oahu itinerary built just for families with teens. And I also included the. New blog posts about fun things to do in Hawaii with teens in that as well. And everything I talked about, all linked up in that one PDF pack.

[00:16:32] Bryan Murphy: All right. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today, and you found today's episode helpful. Just go ahead and hit follow on Apple podcast or on Spotify that helps notify you the next time an episode comes out. And that next time is gonna be next Wednesday. So I'll see you then. And until then. As always, live with Aloha

[00:16:55] Bryan Murphy: Mala for listening to this episode of Hawaii's. Best to stay up to date on future episodes. Hit follow on your podcast app. Hawaii's Best is a production of shore break media group with editing by easy podcast solutions and music courtesy of our friends. Stick figure.