Cheapest Time of Year to Go to Hawaii

Contrary to popular myth the cheapest time of year to go to Hawaii is winter. The myth that winter is the most expensive time for Hawaii travel is grounded in the belief that people planning a Hawaii vacation want to escape to a tropical paradise when the mainland is cold, and thus in the winter, Hawaii is descended upon by huge masses of snowbirds.

The fact is while most in the Northern Hemisphere may prefer to make like snowbirds and escape rain, snow and sleet, they don't.

Why not? Most mainlanders take their vacations in the summer. This is probably due to the fact that the longest school holiday for most children is in the summer. Even those without children seem to be locked into the summer vacation tradition or they are busy with the winter holidays.

So, if you don't have ties to home during the winter, take heart. The cheapest time of year to go to Hawaii is winter with fall running a close second/tying and spring next best. However you look at it, summer is hands down the most expensive time to not only fly to Hawaii, but to vacation in Hawaii.

Our off-season rates at hotels and resorts, for example, are found at just about anytime but the summer. There are a few exceptions, and they are centered around, as you may have guessed, school vacations.

When most colleges are out for spring break, airfare and hotel rates soar. The same holds true for Christmas/winter break. But even then, the expense doesn't come close to summer. On average, a summer Hawaiian vacation will cost you double the amount of a winter Hawaiian vacation.

If you are one of the lucky ones who can manage to go to Hawaii in the winter, keep in mind that rates fluctuate daily, and that you'll save the most by shopping the online discount sites like Orbitz and Hotwire as well as Hawaiian Air. This is true for any time of the year.

And you know a really nice thing at traveling in the winter (besides the usual itinerary of balmy breezes, inviting ocean temperatures, warm sands, luau and shopping) is the holiday season! Christmas in Hawaii is not like anywhere on Earth.

While the cheapest time to go to Hawaii is winter, airfares do go up as schools break for winter holiday and as Christmas approaches. The days just before and including New Year's are also more expensive.

But if you go earlier in December, there's plenty of time to enjoy the Honolulu City Lights festivities.

For example, I just found a rate at Hawaiian Airline's site of $224 roundtrip - leaving L.A. December 9 for Honolulu and returning December 17.

So as you can see, not only is the cheapest time of year to go to Hawaii, winter. It's a great time of year to visit our islands of aloha (in my opinion, but then I'm a sucker for Hawaiian Christmas choirs and Santa in his red canoe)!

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