12 Common Mistakes to Avoid During Your First Trip to Hawaii

What to Know Before You Go

Whether you’re dreaming of lounging on pristine beaches, hiking through lush rainforests, or immersing yourself in local culture, the Aloha State offers an unforgettable experience. But before you pack your bags, there are a few essential things to know to make your trip smooth, respectful, and truly enriching. From using reef-safe sunscreen to exploring beyond the resorts, these tips will help you enjoy Hawaii like a pro while honoring its unique environment and traditions. I recently visited Hawaii for the first time, and I was very fortunate to be traveling with friends who have been to Hawaii many times. They certainly helped me avoid a lot of these common mistakes. I’m thrilled that my friend Eric, who was on the trip with me, is a guest writer for this post. Read on to learn more about Eric and his recommendations.

Meet Eric, Guest Writer

Eric Middleton is a full-time entomologist and part-time ninja warrior who enjoys traveling, hiking, and looking at bugs. He works as an Integrated Pest Management advisor with UC ANR helping farmers, arborists, and the public deal with insect pests. Eric lives in San Diego with his wife Elissa tending to their backyard food forest and going on adventures. 

Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Hawaiian Islands a total of six times. While this by no means makes me an expert, hopefully, you can gain some value from my past mistakes and successes alike if you are planning to visit. Below are the top 12 things I wished I had known on my first few trips to Hawaii and that I keep in mind whenever I visit now. 

1. Be culturally aware and educate yourself

Hawaii has a fraught history with the rest of the United States, to say the least, and visiting the islands as a tourist is not without impact. There are many things you should be aware of and look into if you are to be a responsible visitor: The history of colonialism and oppression of native Hawaiians, understanding land and resources are limited, recognizing how the tourism industry simultaneously exploits the islands and economically sustains them. It’s beyond my qualifications to touch on all of these, but I highly encourage anyone who is planning on visiting to consider the impact of their visit on both native communities and ecosystems and to consider where the money they spend will go. 

2. Explore beyond the beaches and resorts

When you think of Hawaii, most people think of relaxing on the beach. While the beaches in Hawaii are stunning and well worth visiting, so are the wetter sides of the islands away from the more popular resorts. The most incredible sights and best memories I have from Hawaii came from the amazing hikes, volcanoes, and native flora and fauna found away from the beaches. So enjoy the resorts and beaches, but don’t write off the interior or wetter sides of the islands. Both are always worth visiting and in my experience, are the best parts of the islands.

3. Pack layers

If you do venture away from the beaches and resorts, make sure you pack warmer clothes and be prepared to layer. Hawaii is tropical and warm year-round, but it’s easy to forget that there is significant elevation on several of the islands with much colder temperatures possible. As an example, both Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park are 20-30 degrees colder than more coastal areas on their respective islands. Pack a sweater or two and some long pants if you plan on visiting these incredible parks and don’t assume the weather will always be balmy. 

4. It gets dark early

Hawaii is at a lower latitude than any other state in the US. Because of this, it gets dark earlier than most of us would expect in the summer (and gets dark earlier than you’d expect in winter since it probably feels more like summer than wherever you are visiting from!). Even at the height of summer, the sun sets around 7:00-7:30 pm, potentially limiting the time you thought you had for outdoor activities and leading many places to close earlier than anticipated. The best way I found to deal with this is to just embrace it. If you’re visiting from the continental US, your internal clock will already be primed to wake up and go to bed earlier, so you may as well just roll with it instead of fighting the jet lag. Maybe it’s just me, but being able to wake up with the sun and get to all the cool sightseeing spots before everyone else is actually a pretty nice perk.

5. Book activities in advance

Obviously, you should book any tours or guided excursions early before they sell out, but this advice also applies to some of the best-unguided hikes on the islands. As an example, one of my favorite experiences out of all my trips to Hawaii was hiking the Nāpali coast on Kauai. If you want to hike or camp along the Nāpali coast, however, you need to reserve spots and shuttle rides 1-3 months in advance, and any available spots will be rapidly taken at popular times of the year. There is the option for day-of walk-ons, but this isn’t guaranteed and you may be waiting at the shuttle stop for a while. Make sure you keep this in mind and book things early, especially if you have a bucket list activity or hike you’d like to do.

6. Save on car rentals

There’s no two ways about it: rental cars are expensive in Hawaii. This is especially true on the smaller islands such as Kauai. When I visited Kauai with friends last Christmas, the cheapest option for an SUV we could find through normal companies was about $900, while renting a Jeep with four-wheel drive ran over $2,200! Pretty ridiculous. Fortunately, on a previous trip to Kauai, I learned about Kauai Rent A Car. Through them, we were able to rent a Jeep for about $500 for the week. Using Kauai Rent A Car does feel a little sketchy (you pick up and drop off the car unsupervised), but the company is very responsive and it’s been a great experience every time I’ve used them. On the Big Island, we used Discover Cars and found their prices to be considerably more affordable many other rental car companies. Discover Cars collects and aggregates data from 700+ suppliers including Hertz, Budget, SIXT and more to ensure you find the best price. You can also choose to add insurance, add on GPS, car seats for kids, and pick exactly what kind of car you want.

7. Map it out beforehand

Once you have a rental car, it can still take a surprising amount of time to drive from one spot to another. While planning out trips, I have often incorrectly assumed a drive would be short because as the crow flies, the distance was only a few miles. When the time came, however, the drive ended up taking far longer than I thought as the roads turned out to be narrow, crowded, and/or restricted by impressive topography. Most Hawaiian roads are smaller and slower than roads servicing a similar number of people on the mainland, and if you aren’t prepared you are likely to end up arriving late. Avoid this by simply taking the time to map things out in advance. You may find you can’t get to all the activities you wanted to do, but at least you’ll know what you are in for ahead of time.

8. Patronize fruit stands

Fruit grows everywhere in Hawaii, and a great place to get it fresh and cheap is from the many fruit stands you’ll see on the side of the road. Some are commercial and have a vendor present, while others are clearly from fruit trees grown in someone’s backyard with just a box to leave cash in. I prefer the latter, but both can be good options. The fruit stands do vary in quality, but when you find a good one at the right time it can be worth coming back to again and again. So keep some cash on you and keep your eyes open for fruit stands!

9. Cook For Yourself

Beyond purchasing fruit, I highly recommend buying groceries and cooking for yourself if you have access to a kitchen in your accommodations.  Food is expensive in Hawaii and eating out for your entire vacation can add up quickly. For me, cooking with friends and family is a great way to relax after a day of hiking or adventuring, and is something I’ve done on almost every trip I’ve taken to Hawaii. Even if cooking isn’t for you or you don’t have a kitchen, buying shelf-stable supplies for lunch sandwiches is an easy way to save money. Plus, many local grocery stores also sell ready-made food that is cheaper than nearby restaurants and more portable. Delicious spam musubi is a great example of this. Some of the most memorable meals I’ve had in Hawaii didn’t come from a fancy restaurant, they came from store-bought supplies and home-cooked dinners.

10. Consider Costco and Local Markets

All that being said, even groceries can be shockingly expensive in Hawaii. When stopping at a Safeway in Kauai last Christmas Eve, the prices were completely absurd, running over $100 for just breakfast food for several days. We drove back into town two days later and went to Costco instead. Buying a week’s supply of groceries at Costco (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) ended up costing about $75 a person and was significantly cheaper than any of the other comparable grocery stores. I hesitate to fully recommend going to Costco: If possible, I’d prioritize visiting local stores and markets rather than buying from big box stores. But if cost saving is your concern and you’re going to a big store anyway, Costco is definitely the best option I’ve found on the islands.

11. Bring reef-safe sunscreen and sun-protective clothing

The sun in Hawaii is intense (another effect of low latitude), and you are bound to see lots of sunburnt tourists on the beaches and in the water. Don’t become one of them: Be proactive in applying sunscreen or wearing protective clothing. Also, be aware that many different sunscreens you buy or bring with you contain active ingredients that are harmful to marine life and coral reefs. A great resource on what to look for and what to avoid is linked here. While many of the sunscreens you can purchase in Hawaii will be safe, this is not a guarantee. Additionally, terms like “Reef Safe” aren’t regulated, so you’ll have to actually check the ingredient list to be sure the sunscreen is safe for marine life. In general, buy sunscreens where the active ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. They may leave you with a ghostly white sheen, but they’ll protect you from the sun and protect the beautiful reefs from further harm.

12. Enjoy the local flora and fauna (and maybe climb a tree)

Hawaii is full of truly unique ecosystems, with plants and animals that are found nowhere else on Earth. They are also some of the most damaged and disturbed ecosystems in the world, with hundreds of invasive species dominating the flora and fauna of most of the islands and pushing many native species towards extinction. If you get the chance to see native Hawaiian birds, trees, or insects, relish it. Most are found at higher elevations and further away from people. Visiting Hosmer Grove on Maui and seeing bright red ‘Apapane and ‘I’iwi flying around is one of my favorite memories from any of the islands. That being said, there is also beauty in the numerous non-native species on the islands, such as the incredibly climbable banyan trees. Several iconic locations in Hawaii (like the bamboo forest or Lahaina banyan tree in Maui) are now defined by non-native flora for better or for worse. So get out there and enjoy the natural beauty of the islands, both from the tops of non-native trees and in the scarce fragments of native forest that remain. It truly is unlike anywhere else in the world.

Aloha and Mahalo

Hawaii is more than just a tropical paradise—it’s a place with deep cultural roots, stunning natural beauty, and a delicate ecosystem that deserves our respect. By following these essential tips, you can make the most of your first trip while being a responsible traveler. Whether you’re snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, hiking to hidden waterfalls, or savoring local cuisine, your Hawaiian adventure will be even more rewarding when approached with mindfulness and appreciation. So embrace the Aloha spirit, explore with curiosity, and create unforgettable memories in one of the most breathtaking destinations in the world! Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out my blog posts on New Zealand, Glasgow, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.