This summer, after the crazy year we've all had, I decided we all needed some time out of the desert and a week in paradise. Southwest Airlines just started a non stop from Las Vegas to Honolulu and thought it was a perfect time to try it (not to mention take advantage of the promotion rates they had available). Here are some tips and takeaways for travel to Oahu, especially with your family!
1. Before you travel to Hawaii, make sure you review the COVID procedure and protocols. Hawaii is very strict with their rules and regulations and just like every other destination, they are changing by the day. I always suggest working with a travel advisor to make sure you have an advocate and someone to assist you with these requirements. Here's the site that has all the information for entry into Hawaii. As of right now you need to be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID test from a Hawaii Trusted Partner within 72 hours of departure to enter the state. This again can change at anytime, so be flexible and remember to check constantly! 2. Be prepared for your flight. One of the requirements is having registered with the Safe Travels program. With that said, you will have a QR code that you will need to present several times. Either before or after you land into Hawaii and arrival at your hotel. With that said, I suggest a portable battery charger and keep your charger cord available! This can come in handy! Also, if you are traveling with an 8 year old (like we were), it was also convenient for charging gaming devices and tablets for entertainment during a 6 hour flight! Also, make sure you have an approved face mask for your flight. Airlines and airports are requiring face masks for the entire duration of your flight. Please keep this in mind and if you're not comfortable with that, maybe consider postponing your trip until you are comfortable. 3. Make sure you pick the right resort for you! Here's where having a travel advisor comes in really handy! There are so many hotel options on Oahu, especially in Waikiki. We decided to stay at the Royal Hawaiian for several reasons. For one, the location is amazing. The grounds and size of the resort was a perfect fit for me and my family's travel style. The sister property next door, was the Sheraton Waikiki. A beautiful place with great options, but I knew that I preferred the style, the layout and the size of the resort we decided to stay in. An awesome travel advisor will get to know you and what you want and what your budget is. They will use this information to give you some options and that's where you have to make a decision on what the right fit is for you! 4. Feel free to explore! Though my family tends to enjoy lazy and relaxing vacations with laying on the beach and pool, we did take a couple days to explore the island. We had plenty of lazy days where we didn't plan a single thing other than pool and beach time, but we set aside one full day to explore the island and another day to explore Waikiki specifically. Kualoa Ranch was a family favorite. There was so much to do! It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! We love movies and the nostalgic feeling we had exploring the ranch and seeing all the movie film sites was priceless. We also headed up to the North Shore and stopped at Matsumoto's for their famous shave ice. We ended the day with a stop to Leonard's bakery for some of the best malasadas in the world (custard filled is my favorite)! Our day of exploration was fueled by beautiful sites and yummy one of a kind eats! 5. Make your dinner reservations early! Even though we're still in a pandemic, travel is increasing and staffing is still limited. I'd suggest making dinner reservations before you even travel to the island. For our family, we found some great quick eat restaurants and places that took walk ins because our palette is much different than our 8 year old's! We found a great food court at the Royal Hawaiian Center that allowed us to get poke, ramen, and even dim sum while the little one had subway and we all sat at the same table. If you don't make reservations, you'll still be able to find great places to eat - just be prepared for a wait or to be flexible on where to go. 6. Be flexible! Travel ANYWHERE is a bit difficult at the moment. Travel insurance has been my saving grace through the pandemic. I've luckily never had to use it, but feel safer knowing I am protected. Be prepared for changing procedures, protocols, requirements, and remember to be kind. Sometimes we don't have control over things like airline schedule changes, lines for restaurants, hotels not having all the amenities available due to current situations or things just not being open. Just remember we're all in this together and all looking forward to a time in the future that we no longer have to worry about some of these things. Till then, lets be kind and patient and focus on the things we can do!
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abby who?I'm an independent travel advisor and I love to share my passion, experiences, pictures and stories with you! Archives
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