Planning our summer vacation (Hawaii) - do you usually book a package or separately?

[soccerdad72]

So, we just booked our summer vacation for this year - our oldest is graduating high school and in lieu of a graduation party, he wanted to go to Hawaii. So we're spending 9 days in Maui and 2 days before heading home in Oahu.

As I was pricing things out, I looked at a couple different options. I called Costco Travel, who I've done cruises with in the past and they quoted me a package which included air, a condo and rental car for Maui, a hotel and transportation for Oahu. I then went to airline websites, VRBO, car rental sites and hotel sites to individually price out everything. Somewhat surprisingly, given that we've gotten some good deals on travel with Costco, doing things individually worked out almost the same price (actually, slightly lower).

In the end, I did book everything myself. Part of my logic was that I had a little more control over what I was booked, meaning I could pick the specific condo out on Maui, choose my rental car company and class of car, etc. But I will say there is something nice about just telling an agent what I was looking for and just getting one price.

So, out of curiosity, what is your preferred way to book travel? Or does it matter depending on the trip / location itself?

 

[abdmom]

To me, it matters where I'm going and whether or not I get a good deal. I've booked packages with the airlines where the car is included at almost the same price as just the airfare itself. I've booked a package on Orbitz which included a hotel stay, again, at almost the same price as flights alone. However, usually, I will book the airfare, hotel and car rental separately. With hotels, I tend to stay in one chain almost exclusively, so I earn points and get better service and maybe upgrades if I book with them direct.

 

[wvjules]

When we went to Hawaii I used Hawaiian Airlines vacation package planner. We went over Christmas and New Year and started on Kauai, then Maui, then ended up on Oahu before going home. The reason I did it this way was it let me pick my specific hotels, add a car, and did inter-island flights. If I were to go back to Hawaii I'd do it that way again. I liked having everything in one place. And it was pretty inexpensive, relatively speaking.

Maui is my favorite island. I consider it the best of "Hawaii", if that makes sense.

Also, definitely visit Pearl Harbor. It'd be a shame to go all the way there and not visit.

However, when we went to Europe the last time, I planned the whole thing on my own. Paris - Luxembourg - Belgium - Netherlands.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. Either package yourself or separately. I really don't see the need for a travel agent for most of my trips. I have Fodor's, Frommers, Google, etc.

 

[cabanafrau]

Generally we book things ourselves. I do like Costco for car rental because of the extra driver benefits in particular.

Envious that you got an agreement on vacation instead of grad party. We struck out with both on that score.

 

[soccerdad72]

Also, definitely visit Pearl Harbor. It'd be a shame to go all the way there and not visit.

Absolutely - that's why we planned out the trip the way we did (with our departing flight out of Oahu). Pearl Harbor along with surfing lessons on Waikiki (for the boys - not us ) is the plan.

 

[longboard55]

Long ago, maybe 20 years, airlines would give discounts to companies like Pleasant Hawaiian who would sell packages. They do not do that anymore, additionally most hotels guarantee lowest price if you book direct. Really does not make sense anymore for US locations to use a package company, just complicates things if you want to make changes. Always compare final price with fees, travel companies like to hide costs. I have found occasions when a company like Expedia will have a better offer, does not hurt to check

 

[soccerdad72]

Generally we book things ourselves. I do like Costco for car rental because of the extra driver benefits in particular.

Envious that you got an agreement on vacation instead of grad party. We struck out with both on that score.

I'll have to look at Costco for the rental car - I have never rented through them before.

The party would have been a lot less expensive.

 

[rlk]

I usually book our vacations myself. The only time I didn't was our African Safari. I worked with a company that planned our private tour.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm a pretty obsessive planner. Our trip to Scotland was a Groupon through a travel agency -- included airfare, B&Bs and the car rental. I liked it because it was a package price, but it allowed me the flexibility to determine where we wanted go throughout the time we were there.

In late June, we're going to England (DH has a dream of going to this Tank Festival), so we're spending time in southern England and Cornwall, and then to London for a few days -- I used a combination of Trip Advisor and Expedia to plan our hotels/guest houses. Airfare, I had a $600 American voucher that I needed to use, so I was limited to self-planning.

 

[cabanafrau]

I'll have to look at Costco for the rental car - I have never rented through them before.

The party would have been a lot less expensive.

Less expensive than a trip to Hawaii, not surprising. Airfare is usually particularly pricey for Hawaii from our area. We didn't get as far as proposing a set destination, however we did offer trips to both instead of parties and they both opted for the party. I know we put Europe on the table with the eldest. I can't say for positive that was discussed with the youngest, but I know a cruise was also thrown around with both. It's been a few years since we've been able to travel with both of them because of their different schedules and more and more it's discussed how much we all miss it. I knew we did, but honestly I was a little surprised to find out how much they both do as well.

 

[mnrose]

When we do Hawaii, I definitely book it all separately. I'm a huge vacation shopper, and I've always done better by buying it separately. OTOH, I do nothing but packages when we go to Mexico. I just want the best value.

Some of the best places to stay in Hawaii, IMO, are not included in the packages. I'd rather select a charming airbnb or vrbo in an off the beaten path location when I stay in Maui or the Big Island (the places we go).

 

[jsmith]

For Hawaii I self book-we can stay in military resorts so I let availability at one or more of those drive my schedule-we usually go between end of October and 15th of December because air is cheaper then. Air and car are easy and I can usually find decent deals that time of year.
For anything else I have a fabulous travel agent. even if we are doing independent travel I have her book it for me because she tracks the deals and has a better handle on hotels not in the US than I do.

 

[gotomu212]

We’ve only done a package twice- African Safari and French Polynesia. In both cases I wasn’t familiar with the area hotels and there are really unique transportation issues that we wouldn’t be able to do ourselves.

Every other trip I’ve found that booking it separately I was able to do it cheaper and with less cancellation/change penalties.

 

[CynBeth]

Not sure what the cost is now but the second time we visited Hawaii did a 7 day cruise with NCL. We flew in a day early and stayed over a day to do some Oahu touring. We got to Maui, Kauai, and both sides of The Big Island. We preferred it much better to doing it on our own as we still got to see a lot but did not have to keep unpacking and taking inter island flights. Plus, one night we could see lava flows and our last day as we were heading back to Oahu we saw the Napali Coast that most people don’t get to experience.

 

[mmouse37]

I'll have to look at Costco for the rental car - I have never rented through them before.

The party would have been a lot less expensive.

I have found car rentals through Costco to be great. They are consistently the lowest price and add a free extra driver benefit. I have a ton of discount codes I use for other sites like Budget, Alamo, Avis, etc. and Costco most always comes out cheaper. Once in awhile I will book directly with a rental company but mostly I just use Costco for car rentals.

MJ

 

[mmouse37]

I'm a pretty obsessive planner. Our trip to Scotland was a Groupon through a travel agency -- included airfare, B&Bs and the car rental. I liked it because it was a package price, but it allowed me the flexibility to determine where we wanted go throughout the time we were there.

In late June, we're going to England (DH has a dream of going to this Tank Festival), so we're spending time in southern England and Cornwall, and then to London for a few days -- I used a combination of Trip Advisor and Expedia to plan our hotels/guest houses. Airfare, I had a $600 American voucher that I needed to use, so I was limited to self-planning.

A great series I have been watching on Amazon is Poldark. It takes place in Cornwall and the vistas are just breathtaking. Its a period piece that is very well done. Was on Masterpiece theatre.

A tank festival sounds very interesting!!!!

MJ

 

[lovesmurfs]

A great series I have been watching on Amazon is Poldark. It takes place in Cornwall and the vistas are just breathtaking. Its a period piece that is very well done. Was on Masterpiece theatre.

A tank festival sounds very interesting!!!!

MJ

Don't mean to threadjack, but we love Poldark. We've actually booked a private Poldark Tour while we're there -- it's a long, 12-hour day tour, but I figured it would be better to get info and trivia from a professional guide than us trying to figure it all out ourselves.

Since booking our time in Cornwall, I was doing some work on Ancestry.com and found out that I have direct ancestors from that time period who, in the census, reported themselves as tin miners and mining engineers in the area -- pretty neat!

 

[mmouse37]

Don't mean to threadjack, but we love Poldark. We've actually booked a private Poldark Tour while we're there -- it's a long, 12-hour day tour, but I figured it would be better to get info and trivia from a professional guide than us trying to figure it all out ourselves.

Since booking our time in Cornwall, I was doing some work on Ancestry.com and found out that I have direct ancestors from that time period who, in the census, reported themselves as tin miners and mining engineers in the area -- pretty neat!

That is really cool. Our ancestors are from the Devon/Exeter area and were blacksmiths and then one of my relatives became the first governor of Salem, Mass. I can't wait to go explore the region next time I am there. Been to London several times but not the area of Devon.

 

[AlohaNow]

I generally book all portions of a trip individually. For domestic trips we do a lot of funky things with SW credits, travel funds, etc. To put it mildly, I have been known to spend a great deal of time researching online for the travel options that provide me the most value. (Just ask around in my house if this is true!) That said, the last time we booked DLR, after doing all my research, I did purchase a Costco package, as it provided us the greatest value. In addition, I could use my Disney Visa to take the 0% for six months offer, which helped out as well! But that was a rarity for me, though it was definitely my best option. For our Denmark/Iceland trip we did each component separately and stayed in some really neat private rentals, as well as with friends.

Costco does offer amazing packages, especially to the exotic locations! Maybe one day after the kids have moved out. And I almost always use Costco for car rentals too. I have told many people about Costco car rentals and trust me, a lot of members don’t even know about Costco Travel! Seriously, I should get a commission.

If you are driving yourselves to Pearl Harbor, better take a detour to Aiea Manapua for lunch or just to pick up a box of manapua. You can thank me later!

 

[soccerdad72]

If you are driving yourselves to Pearl Harbor, better take a detour to Aiea Manapua for lunch or just to pick up a box of manapua. You can thank me later!

Thanks for the tip - I'll make a note of it