I m sorry to say that camping in Hawaii may not be a fantasy experience. Camping is viewed as a way

Last week s post on long-term retirement travel  talked about different air lodging resources for seeing the world. I ve also added several military websites to the sidebar Travel links section. Like blogger Jan suggested a couple of weeks ago, it s a great area for showing advertising from military lodging recreation centers. I d much rather have those advertising dollars for military charities than from payday loan companies.
My wife and I would like to be able to spend a month or two a year in Hawaii as well, to get a dose of sunshine! We ll see how it all works out. Any advice for a couple of military retirees on how to live frugally in Hawaii for a couple of months per year? Working or volunteering somewhere in return for cheap housing?
My first advice on travel to the islands would be Space A. Your flight might land on the reef runway next to Honolulu International Airport, but you ll end up on Oahu s Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam . It s possible (but unlikely) that a Navy P-3 might make the flight from the Mainland to land at Marine Corps Base Hawaii near Kaneohe. ( Unless you re a Navy aviator with deep contacts in the maritime airline reservations business class tickets surveillance community, I wouldn t count on this option. ) Those are your only military choices for getting to Hawaii, and you ll have to transfer to a commercial airline (or a boat!) airline reservations business class tickets to get to the neighbor islands.
If you re staying in Hawaii for a few months, and if you re flexible on your travel dates, then you may be able to take advantage of airline pricing. In general, Hawaii flights are more expensive in the summer months when kids are out of school. June and July are also particularly busy for honeymoon travel. However the most expensive flights to Hawaii are during the winter. The colder it is on the Mainland, the more the airlines charge you to come here. Late November through mid-February is high season for travel and lodging, so you ll find more bargains if you can get here in September-October and leave in March-April.
If you don t have to arrive on a particular date, and if you re traveling light ( no checked luggage ), then be open to the possibility of getting bumped. Flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco are particularly good candidates for this option. You may spend several extra hours ( or even overnight ) at the airport, but you may be able to negotiate hotel/food vouchers and discounts on your next trip.
Last week s post talked about military lodging , and the Travel airline reservations business class tickets links sidebar airline reservations business class tickets has over a dozen links to military lodging vacation websites. If you re planning airline reservations business class tickets to live here for longer, though, I m going to recommend other options. The advantage of these short-term military lodging options is that you have a starting point for checking out neighborhoods and rental airline reservations business class tickets ads before you make a longer-term choice.
The cheapest airline reservations business class tickets Hawaii choices are house swapping and house sitting. Of course this is challenging if you re traveling with four kids, but older singles airline reservations business class tickets (and couples) are generally regarded as good candidates. My spouse and I have never done a house-sitting gig or swapped houses, so I m going to defer to Sydney Lagier s considerable experience and Billy Akaisha Kaderli s network with links that I ve read on their websites. The largest and most popular house sitting and swapping sites are House Carers , Trusted Housesitters , Caretaker Gazette , and Home Exchange . ( Of course for Home Exchange you actually have to have a home that someone from Hawaii would like to visit, too. ) You ll want to do your due diligence on these sites to learn the rules and the challenges of getting a Hawaii home. I doubt that you ll be sitting in Kahala or Waikiki, but you could certainly end up elsewhere on Oahu or in a more rural location on a neighbor island. Make sure you understand your transportation options, too the homeowner might not mind you sleeping in their bed but they could draw the line at driving their car. Bus service is available on Oahu, especially in Honolulu and other major neighbor-island towns, but as you get further away from the urban areas you re going to want to borrow airline reservations business class tickets or rent your transportation.
Hawaii has a large snowbird population, and many of them are condo owners trying to rent out their places during airline reservations business class tickets the rest of the year. If you re able to work around the snowbird months, or if you can find a snowbird who s not visiting Hawaii that year, then you ll be able to get a discount rental. We ve seen the best success airline reservations business class tickets with Vacation Rentals by Owner and AirBnB . A third option is the military Automated Housing Referral Network , although this is mostly seeking military tenants for long-term rental properties near military bases. ( We ve used AHRN several times to find tenants for our rental property. airline reservations business class tickets ) AHRN landlords would probably prefer at least a six-month lease but some of them will go month-to-month for Reservists or temporary duty personnel. Craigslist might also work if you know the neighborhoods and are willing to deal with the occasional eccentric landlord or a scammer.
Another option is lodging at military recreation areas , state campsites , and national parks. ( See a few paragraphs further down for working at a national park. ) You ll be in rustic cabins or tent camping, and the length of your stay may be limited by high demand or agency policies. You ll also need to carefully consider your transportation needs for example the nearest airline reservations business class tickets bus stop to the White Plains Beach cabins is over two miles from the beach. Pokai Bay beach cabins are in Waianae, over an hour away from Waikiki. Kilauea Military Camp (on the Big Island) airline reservations business class tickets is near the middle of the island and at altitude winter temperatures can dip down into the 40s. It s also an hour away from Kailua-Kona and Hilo. Oh, and there s a live volcano erupting nearby but it s been well-behaved for nearly three decades. No worries!
I m sorry to say that camping in Hawaii may not be a fantasy experience. Camping is viewed as a way to live at the beach for quality fishing and surfing and partying, and evening noise can be a problem. Gasoline generators and sound systems can be an issue, and camp security is not always immediately available. Some state campsites and beaches have a persistent homeless population. The best tent camping I ve experienced has been at White Plains Beach, Bellows Air Force Station, and Haleakala National Park. Camping in Haleakala is for hard-core backpackers only at altitude, with no transportation or open fires or potable water.
Part of the location equation is also transportation. If you re in Waikiki then The Bus ( or, as it s more popularly known, Da Bus ) will take you just about anywhere you want to go. Elsewhere on Oahu the nearest military base will have a car rental franchise ( no airport taxes/fees ). Car rentals on neighbor islands can be expensive, and unfortunately there are no RentAWreck franchises in the islands. Your maximum flexibility for minimum price in the more remote neighborhoods might be bicycles, scooters, and short-term rentals.
Once you re here, entertainment is relatively cheap ( especially airline reservations business class tickets outdoors ). You re living in one of the world s biggest outdoor recreation areas where you re only limited by water, sunscreen, airline reservations business class tickets and protective airline reservations business class tickets clothing. Oahu has an extensive network of bicycle trails ( particularly on the North Shore and around Pearl Harbor ) and every island has miles of hiking and beaches. If you don t know how to surf, then this is the place to learn. Every beach rental franchise has someone available for a lesson , and military recreation areas ( like White Plains Beach ) will offer very cheap lessons from the lifeguards. Kayaks and stand-up airline reservations business class tickets paddleboards are also easy to learn, with different muscle groups and different reflexes. If you re hooked then there s a lively Craigslist market in used gear, and almost every surfboard shop sells reconditioned used equipment .
Living in Hawaii long-term means eating local. If you re expecting a daily breakfast airline reservations business class tickets of box cereal and cow s milk, then you will pay dearly for the privilege ( especially on neighbor islands ). Lunchmeat can be surprisingly expensive, too. Of course you ll be able to find a wide variety of fish ( both fresh frozen ) as well as local beef, pork, chicken. Vegetables airline reservations business class tickets are plentiful cheap, too, if you eat the local versions of greens fibers. You can find potatoes but you could substitute yams or, for a color thrill, Okinawan airline reservations business class tickets sweet potato. Poi taro products airline reservations business class tickets are an acquired taste but they re easy to find, and rice is cheap. airline reservations business class tickets If you re expecting to eat raspberries, blueberries, or cranberries then you ll pay by the ounce. However the islands grow strawberries and a surprising variety of the most exotic fruits you ve never eaten, far beyond the typical mango papaya options. Lilikoi, guava, lychee, and rambutan are plentiful at certain times of the year. One of your most entertaining local activities might be an hour browsing the local grocery store for menu ideas.
Restaurant dining airline reservations business class tickets can be expensive but there are plenty of kau kau wagons. Military bases, of course, airline reservations business class tickets offer commissaries and cheaper food courts. Grocery stores (outside Waikiki) help you handle your own cooking, but you d be using loyalty cards and shopping for local foods. Hawaii has big-box airline reservations business class tickets store chains, too, but your lodging would have to have the storage for you to stock up on larger quantities.
The National Park Service has a wide Mainland network of volunteer labor and seasonal employment, and some of that is available here. Both Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park have occasional temporary positions. If you ve participated in this program on the Mainland then you may be ready to jump right in, but otherwise I d advise spending a week or two at these locations exploring the programs and the facilities.
Hawaii is a popular destination for voluntourism, and most of them are outdoors working on the land or with wildlife. One of the most thorough summaries of organizations and opportunities is the Let s G