5 Tips for how to Travel Maui on a Budget
Who wouldn’t want to save money on a trip to Hawaii if they could? According to USA Today, Hawaii is one of the most expensive places to visit, and Maui is known to be particularly pricey. When people think of traveling on a budget, they often think of an inferior or lesser experience, but with proper planning, this absolutely does not need to be the case. In fact, there are many reasons why you may want to economize on your trip to Maui.
The first reason being that the island can be expensive! Saving any bit of money during your travels means that you can have more to spend on things you may decide to splurge on later, like an excursion to go whale watching, or a night on the town!
Secondly, when you commit to saving, you’ll often make choices that help you to avoid tourist traps, and an added bonus is that you will meet more of the wonderful people of the islands.
Finally, saving money and environmental stewardship often go hand in hand. And for anyone who loves the beauty and splendor of the Hawaiian Islands, like we do at Dive Maui, that’s a great fringe benefit of being frugal.
We will go into detail further on in the article, but if you’re short on time you’ll find our list of tips below:
Table of Contents
Rent Snorkel Gear
Many people mistakenly think that snorkeling and scuba diving is a hobby exclusively for the yacht club set. In reality, it doesn’t have to be a prohibitively expensive pastime to take up on vacation. And while there is a certainly a cost associated with renting quality equipment, there are ways to save money and still enjoy your time exploring the waters off the island.
One way to save money is to rent your snorkel or dive gear from Dive Maui and snorkel and scuba on your own. Not only will you save money by not having to buy and bring your own equipment, but you will also be renting from the dive shop with the best rental selection on Maui. We are happy to offer a wide range of SCUBA, free dive, and snorkeling equipment. All of our equipment is from top brands, like Aqualung, and everything is available at the most competitive rates around.
While this is obviously not recommended for true beginners, snorkeling on your own can be done by almost anyone comfortable enough to swim alone in the ocean. And for our customers who choose to rent their dive gear from us, we are always more than happy to recommend local highlights and overlooked gems for you to explore in the waters around Maui.
Cook Your Own Food and Have Beach Picnics
Eating out in Maui can set you back. If you plan on eating out during your trip, you should budget at least $10 dollars per person for breakfast, at least $15 for lunch, and know that a nice dinner on Maui can be many times more expensive than lunch. As you can see, the cost of meals can quickly add up, which is why making your own food and enjoying picnics can be not only fun, but also a great savings tool.
There are many great picnic spots around the island, from the beach to the mountains, many with tables and public restrooms. This makes planning a picnic lunch a breeze. For dinner, consider getting a room that will allow you to cook a few meals and feel free to use local ingredients to spice up your favorite dishes (we will detail Farmers markets below).
If you are planning on going out, think about purchasing your liquor from the local grocery store instead of bars and restaurants and saving on your tab in the process.
Shop for Produce at the Farmers Market
Delving into local flavors has never been easier, or more enjoyable, than sourcing your own ingredients from a local Maui Farmers Market. This is produce that is fresher than you ever find at the grocery store. Luckily, Maui has many popular farmers markets to choose from, one is almost certain to be convenient for you.
One of the best around is local favorite Farmer’s Market Maui, with two locations, (one which is conveniently located on Lahaina Island, at 3636 Lower Honoapiilani Rd.). This farmers market has been serving the community for 46 years and is the place to get anything and everything that is fresh and vegetarian. The storefront is open 7 days a week 8am to 7pm and the original outdoor market on Kihei is open Monday-Saturday (from 8am to 4pm Mon-Thurs, open till 5pm on Fri and Sat, open at 7am Sat.)
Plan on Visiting During the Off-Season
The last tip we have is a simple piece of advice that can end up saving you big bucks in the long run: visit Maui during the off-peak tourist season. Instead, plan your trip for either late spring, the end of April through June, or for the fall, September to December. During these times, flights and accommodation to the islands are often at their cheapest, which can easily end up saving you hundreds of dollars.
The great thing about this tip is that you’ll be able to avoid crowds of tourists, enjoy the always seasonable Maui weather, and, with proper planning, you can save you a bunch of money in the process. Like all of our previous tips, it’s a win-win!
If you’ve learned something new, and enjoyed yourself along the way, please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or comments. All of us at Dive Maui, instructors and staff, are true professionals, people who know diving in and out. Not only are we a dive shop that cares about making sure our customers have the best possible experience, but we also take the time to be sure we are conserving our beautiful Hawaiian nature for future generations.
Best of all, we can finally tell you what the acronym SCUBA really stands for, so you can return from your trip and impress all your friends, until then, aloha!
