Pretty much the things you do need are sunscreen, a couple pairs of sunglasses in case something happens to one of them, a couple of swimsuits, a couple of cover ups, a few pairs of shorts and tops, a sundress and lots of flip flops. Anything else you carry would just be frou-frou. And who needs frou-frou in Hawaii? I really think it would be possible to pack for two weeks in Hawaii with just a single rolling carry on.
One of the things I learned early on when I began researching Hawaii several years ago before I went was that people there take the concept of island time and attitude to a whole new level. The other thing I learned is that anything you need in Hawaii can be obtained at an ABC Store. If they don't carry it, you don't need it. If you get on Trip Advisor and ask something like, I'll be spending the next 6 weeks in Hawaii and I only have a backpack to bring all my stuff in, what do I need to bring? The responses would be something like this....
Answer 1: 6 weeks? Bring 2 swimsuits so you can wash one each night in your hotel sink and hang it out to dry. 2 pairs of shorts, 4 tees, wear flip flops and bring another pair and you can go to the ABC Store for sunscreen, laundry detergent and toothpaste when you arrive.
Answer 2: Don't listen to Answer 1, he doesn't know what he's talking about. You need to wear hiking shoes on the plane so that you'll have them and pack 2 pairs of flip flops. Oh! Don't forget to bring a rain poncho!
Answer 3: Aloha! You're going to love living in Hawaii for 6 weeks with nothing but a backpack. Forget the rain poncho. Those things are $2 at the ABC Store. All you need to bring with you is your favorite board shorts and your Aloha Spirit. Anything else you bring is just stuff.
Answer 4: They're all wrong. You need to bring your drivers license and a credit card so you can rent a car. You don't want to be in Hawaii for 6 weeks without a car!
Answer 1 Again: No, no, no..... Bring everything I told you and ignore Answer 4 completely. You don't need a rental car, parking on Oahu costs a fortune. Just take The Bus! It can get you anywhere efficiently.
Answer 4 Again: HA!!!! The Bus?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? Answer 1 must work for the mass transit system. You would need a day and a half to get to Pearl City on The Bus. Bring the following and don't read any other responses....
- Drivers license
- Credit card
- 2 pairs of flip flops
- 3 swim suits
- 2 pairs of shorts
- 3 tee shirts
- something to sleep in
- a cap
Answer 2 Again: Okay, Answer 4 has a pretty good list, but don't forget to wear the hiking shoes and buy a rain poncho at the ABC Store.
Answer 5: Did anyone mention underwear? You'll want that....
Answer 4 Again: Hey Answer 5, we all assume that people on the mainland know to bring underwear. But if they don't they can get it at the ABC Store.
Answer 6: When you are at the ABC Store be sure and pick up one of those styrofoam ice chests to keep in your hotel room and get a 6 pack of beer or Cokes to keep at your hotel. Don't buy ice. You can get that for free at your hotel. Aloha!!!!!
Answer 7: You can also pick up a hibachi at the ABC Store and a can of Spam so you can cook dinner on your hotel's balcony each night.
Basically, I found out that the answer to just about every question asked on Trip Advisor was, "You can get that at the ABC Store once you arrive." It's like the residents of Hawaii all are ABC Store stockholders and this is their strategy for continued growth in the business. The big controversy on TA is always whether visitors should rent a car or rely on The Bus. There are very clearly two camps on this argument and both have very strong opinions.
Before we went, we decided that both had valid arguments and we were trying to travel on a tight budget, so we decided to rely on The Bus for most of our getting around, but to rent a car for 2 days so that we could drive up to the North Shore and see a few of the places that weren't as easy to get to without a private car. After my experience, I can tell you that the people in Hawaii who say The Bus is the way to get around are either insane, employed by The Bus, or have never in their lives needed to arrive anywhere in a timely manner.
Oahu is 44 miles long and 30 miles across. It shouldn't take more than an hour or two depending on traffic and red lights to get anywhere, right? I once spent what felt like 3 days on The Bus driving from Waikiki to Pearl Harbor. According to Google, it's a 27 minute drive. But literally we were on The Bus for close to 2 hours after waiting more than an hour for The Bus to arrive so that we could get on. If you go to Hawaii, RENT A CAR! It's worth whatever you have to pay to do so just so that you don't spend half of your vacation angry over long bus rides that stop at every single corner in Honolulu.
Beyond that, sit back, relax, pack lightly and don't worry. If you forget something you can always pick it up at the ABC Store.
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