I’m looking at tickets to go back to Hawaii. I went last year in late August and I fell in love with the islands. Is it beautiful? Sure. Did I get to relax? Of course. Though peace and tranquility is something I really enjoyed while staring out into the Pacific Ocean, I think it was the people that I miss most.
Last year, I was able to travel to Oahu for just $600. That was a roundtrip ticket. Sure, I had some layovers, but it was totally worth the time.
I first used Skiplagged to scout out the dates. It also gave me an idea of how much I should be paying. (I also bought the tickets four months in advance!)
Then I used Google Flights to double check. They have a really nifty feature where you can check for the lowest fares on that particular day.
And I used Hipmunk to book the flights.
While I was browsing Facebook, someone posted a link to a magical site that eliminated all three steps.
It’s called Kiwi. How did I not find this before?
I plan to hit Oahu again before the year ends, preferably sometime in late August or early September. This time, I’m planning for two weeks.
That’s right!
According to Kiwi, I can score tickets for about $700 for a two week trip in early September.
That’s not too bad. But I hate budget airlines.
Hipmunk quotes about a hundred dollars more, which is not what I’m looking to do at this time!
Skiplagged quotes well under my price point, which is great. But look at those layover times. Is saving a couple hundred dollars really worth sacrificing comfort? (I don’t think so.) Also, you can’t check bags because you’re doing hidden cities (meaning you’re not boarding to get to the final destination, and checking out a stop or two before).
Turning off the Hidden City feature, I see long layovers — what am I going to do in San Francisco at 10PM with a 8 hour layover?
You know, I’m getting old. And I don’t care to suffer slight annoyances and the anxiety that consumes you when you’re trying to make a connecting flight. Or find space in the overhead storage compartment.
Direct flight it is.
Unless I get to pay $600 for a roundtrip again.
let's go right now 