Once your flight is booked, you are going to need a place to stay. There are sites that let you book air, car, and hotel together, but you might find a wider selection of vacation rentals if you do a little digging on your own. For affordable Hawaii condos, www.alohacondos.com has a great selection on all of the islands. Hawaiian Beach Rentals also covers all the islands and has some great Maui luxury accommodations, and villas on the Big Island, Kauai and Oahu. If an online site doesn’t offer photos of the rental you are interested in, keep looking. There are plenty of places that have listings with photos, and it is true, a picture is worth a thousand words. You can get a good idea about the size of a rental through photos, the condition it is in and even if the ocean views are really ocean views - not peek-a-boos. Another online explosion that is taking place is social networking. You can often find comments and reviews about rentals from other travelers that have experienced them firsthand.

Going to Hawaii

Across the world, Hawaii is still a beacon of paradise and all things sunny. Throughout the United States, people still save their whole lives for their Hawaiian getaway. They dream of lying on the beaches, getting surf lessons from the beach boys, playing 18 holes on world class courses, and creating memories to last a lifetime. While we wish we could just jump on a jet and do it, it does take a little forethought before you just show up.

Getting to Hawaii

The most common way that people get to Hawaii is by plane. There are a few alternatives, but most people fly their way here. Because Hawaii is the hub of the Pacific it is much easier to get here than it used to be. The Honolulu International airport is serviced by almost all the big players in the airline business. The local Hawaiian Airlines, which started as just a connector between the islands, has grown into one of the larger airlines that has daily flights throughout the Pacific. Most people have personal preferences for airlines, but it usually comes down to who has the best rates on the best dates. With the boom of online travel planning came several great services that compare prices and allow you to book tickets on their sites, assuring you the price you selected and the dates you requested. Some of these include, www.sidestep.com, www.orbitz.com, and priceline.com .

Activities in Hawaii

It is not hard to fill your days while on a Hawaiian vacation. For many, they are content just lying around on the beach.  But there are those who like to “see the sights” as well. Again, since so many businesses are now online, you can find several sources that will give you lists of things to do on all of the islands. A word of caution about many of these sites and the many concierge desks you will find all around the islands - Most of these agents make their money on commissions and will try to book the priciest tours or the activities that bring them the largest commission; This does not always equal the best activities and tours. So, try to find highly recommended things-to-do and look for reviews on the different options.

Helicopter Tours

If you can afford to get up in one of these birds, you won’t regret it - unless you get airsick or hate to fly. For everyone else a Hawaii helicopter tour is usually the highlight of their trip. On many flights you will see spectacular sights that most people will never see and are often times inaccessible any other way. You can fly over the volcano on the big island, see awesome lava formations, and if you are luck see active flows. On Kauai you can cruise the Na Pali Coast and feel like you have flown back in time. Ancient cliff lines that tower to the sky and valleys and waterfalls that seem only likely in fantasy.

Boat Tours and Sailing Trips

Once you get your sea legs you will be doing a little jig of joy. The fresh ocean breezes and the perspective of the islands you get while cruising offshore and very life affirming. Dec. through April you will most likely be treated to a whale show, and all year round you might be lucky enough to get a dolphin escort. It is a very competitive business, so most boat companies step up their game; You can get great catered meals, adult beverages, live music, knowledgeable and experienced staff. There are several different kinds of ocean experiences you can have: adventurous Na Pali Coast rafting trips, classy Poipu sunset dinner tours, Maui snorkel sailing adventures, Big Island fishing trips and Oahu luxury sailing. With the right conditions, these tours can easily sale you on the open seas!

Because they are transparent, the box jellyfish are very hard to spot. They have square bodies and are about 2 0r 3 inches tall, with tentacles as long as two feet. It is good to walk the coastline and check for signs of the jellyfish washed up on the beach. Or if someone else on the beach has been stung, stay out of the water. Also check for posted signs.

Box jellyfish are found to sting more often in the AM hours when they are nearer to the surface. You may not even see the sting but experience symptoms such as: welts, pain, blisters, and burning. You can experience these symptoms for up to 8 hours after being in the water. If you are at a lifeguarded beach, seek assistance from the lifeguard. Carefully take out tentacles with a gloved hand, towel, etc. Don’t use your fingers. Applying regular vinegar to the area can be helpful. Don’t rub. If you want, apply heat or cold, which ever feels best for you. If it seems to be getting worse, contact a doctor.

Severe allergic reaction, including anaphylactic shock, can occur. So call 911 if any shortness of breath, weakness, heart palpitations, muscle cramps or severe symptoms occur!

Another nuisance in the Hawaiian waters are the Portuguese Man of War. While they are not very common on most of Oahu’s beaches, they are blown ashore in large numbers when they do visit. Because they are driven by wind they are obviously found on the Windward side of the island,

Most people call the Portuguese Man of War jellyfish, but they are not. They are related to jellyfish, but unlike jellyfish, they cannot swim, they are propelled by the wind. They look like a small, bluish bubble with a long thin tail. In Hawaii, the average size of their bubble is about two inches, with tentacles that can be thirty feet long. The tentacles deliver painful a sting when contacted.  Similar to box jellyfish, if you see one on the beach or see someone that has been stung, steer clear of the water. Heed posted warnings and always ask the lifeguards if you have any questions.

Stings are not often fatal, but can hurt a great deal and may lead to an allergic reaction. Symptoms can include: mild burning, redness to severe blisters and welts. If you contact a Man of War, try to immediately take out the tentacles with anything but your bare hands and teeth. Rinse with fresh or salt water but do not use vinegar. Some people will say to do this, but it often makes stings worse. If symptoms are more than mildly uncomfortable, contact a physician.

If you experience any of these symptoms call 911: shortness of breath, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, weakness, or the slightest breathing difficulty.

“Travel insurance covers the costs associated with travel interruption and cancellation, medical expenses, lost or damaged property and travel delay costs.”

Now this is something I can relate to from 2 experiences I’ve had in the past.

1. Once, while on vacation in Miami Beach, Florida, my friends and I had all our luggage (including a majority of our cash) stolen from the back of our rental car within 15 minutes of leaving the airport.
2. On another occasion, while traveling for business, my flight was overbooked and I was not allowed on the plane. While the airlines did offer to put me up in a hotel and arrange a flight with their company the next day, I was on my way to a very important meeting that I could not miss and was forced to buy another ticket from one of their competitors.

I wish I would of known about this travel service earlier, it would have saved me a lot of money and grief.

Since my relatives aren’t traveling for business, and they’ll be visiting one of the lowest crime areas on earth, I didn’t recommend the insurance (but if you’re traveling to Honolulu you may consider it). However, they did book their Hawaii accommodation and a Hawaii cruise through Hawaii Destinations.

I can’t wait to see them!

I come to your location and inflate the movie screen as well as provide sound and projection equipment.

If you would like to know more, please contact me.

At the time I’m writing this post, Summit is offering automobile rentals for as low as $27/day. The lowest rate I could find on other travel agency website, including Expedia and Travelocity was $40/day. That’s a huge difference.

Another great thing is that Summit offered a free upgrade to the next level car. This means I wasn’t stuck driving a compact car, but I still got to pay the compact rate.

To be honest, because the rate was so low and I was booking last minute, I was a little weary that my reservation was going to get lost in cyberspace. But all happened as expected, my experience was just like booking through any big brand company. I showed up at the rental car agency and they had my car waiting for me.

For someone like me who travels a lot, this site could come in quite useful. It saves me a lot of time from having to search for the deals myself.

They are a small boutique firm that is selective when choosing new clients (they turned me down) so be sure to contact them early in your web development project. Even though they were not able to help me with my website design, their search engine marketing guru, Justin Britt, was kind enough to give me some SEO tips that have already proven invaluable.

With design skills that result in usable and beautiful Hawaii websites, and search engine marketing to ensure your site isn’t lost in the endless garbage of the Internet, Wasabi is a killer web development firm…that is if you can afford them, because great work doesn’t come cheap.