I would like to take the 8 day Hawaiian Explorer tour. Since my husband needs to do some research on several of the islands for a project he is working on, we thought we could buy just the 'land only' portion from Trafalgar and book our own flight so that at the end of the tour, we could spend an extra 8 days on our own doing his research. My question is--how would we be able to get from island to island on our own? My husband will need to visit libraries and sites on Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii and Oahu. Would we have to book flights to each of these islands and how expensive is it? Are there ferries that run between the islands? And will we need to rent a car or is there enough public transportation to get us around?

Hello,

We have been to Hawaii often. My folks used to own a place on Maui. We actually got a little tired of just going there so we've only been 4 times in the last 10 years. Last time we were back was a year ago and things certainly change. I never saw any ferries between islands. The airlines that fly the most are Aloha and Hawaiian Air. Look up those websites. There is public transportation on Oahu I think. Haven't been there in years but the rest of the islands, you need a car. There are some all inclusive spots but the islands are fun to explore. The only tours we ever took there was on our honeymoon and we wanted to see Kauai, Oahu and Lanai. We took a holo holo tour in Kauai after flying in. We took a Catamaran that was wonderful called the trilogy over to Lanai (very expensive but great). Things are expensive on the Hawaiian islands. They are clean, much more so than the Carribean islands and relatively safe. Try to get some package deal and then compare with what you can do on your own. A lot of package deals include hotel and car. Beautiful islands.

Hi - some suggestions about your Hawaii trip. Incidentally, Lahaina is a city on the island of Maui, not another island.

The way you get from island to island is to fly, just as Traveller29 said. The only ferries in the Hawaiian Islands right now go r/t from Maui to Lanai, or Maui to Molokai.

Aloha or Hawaiian Air's fares are running around $76-$80 per person per flight right now, and will most likely go up. The price is for a one way flight, example: Oahu to Maui.

Re transportation on the islands once you get there. On the Outer Islands (other than Oahu) you'll need a car. Literally no public transportation on these islands. In some tourist areas there are shopping shuttles, but they probably won't take your husband anywhere near the libraries he needs to see.

On Oahu, the bus company is called "The Bus". (I'm not kidding) It does go completely around the island, but again I'm not certain how close the buses will get to the libraries he needs to see. And also how long a trip it will take to get where he needs to go, with the constant starting and stopping of the bus. Go to: http://www.thebus.org/ for routes. The Bus costs $2.00 per person per trip, or you can buy a visitors bus pass for $20.00 per person, good for 4 days of unlimited rides. Depending on where he needs to go on Oahu, he might also be better renting a car here as well.

I hope this helps. Have a wonderful time in Hawaii.

Me ke aloha-

As good as the mass transit is here on Oahu, unless you are really strapped for cash, I'd rent a car. There are express buses, but most of them make many many stops.

And a car will be a necessity on the neighbor islands.

The only transit between islands is air, and you are pretty much limited to Aloha and Hawaiian airlines.

You used to be able to buy a pass book for a slight discount on the total fares, but I don't know if they still offer it...check the website.

Have a fabulous time on my island home. E komo mai!