I am only a few weeks removed from my trip Thailand and Japan. The trip was filled with missed flights and my debit card was compromised. I had a great time anyway because those experiences are what makes travel great for me. I was happy to return home, but I was not happy about the days of jetlag that followed. Since I have my legs and wits about me, it was time to plan another trip.
This trip is a bit different because I am letting someone tag along, my mom! She has wanted to visit Hawaii for some time, but we could not make the dates work in the past. The last date that fell through was in late May, as you may recall, I ended up visiting Central America. The stars have aligned and we will be visiting Hawaii in a few short weeks.
I booked the following itinerary through Expedia for $3,000 USD. Two Basic Economy roundtrip tickets on Delta Airlines, a rental car for five days, and two rooms at the Hotel Renew in Waikiki for five days. Why did I go with Expedia? Bundling the flight, hotel, and rental car through Expedia was way cheaper than booking each item separately. The basic economy should not be bad because I should be able to use Delta Airlines Military Benefits.
Delta is not usually my first choice of airlines. I decided to fly aboard them again because I did not want United Airlines to continue to be my only choice of airlines. I flew Delta RJ-175 from Boston to Nashville a year or so ago and was not impressed, however, my flights to Atlanta and Fort Walton Beach this year were decent. On the trip to Hawaii, I get to travel aboard Delta’s A320, 737-900ER, B767, and A220-100.
One of the craziest parts of the bundle was that the car was added absolutely free. How? I priced the trip with and without the car, it was the same price. MIND. BLOWN. A car is essential for me because I want to show my mom more than Waikiki.
Hotel Renew is not one that I ever noticed while in Waiki or even heard of before, but I decided to give it a try. I could have stayed at the Hale Koa Hotel, but decided against it after visiting a few years ago. The Hotel Renew is steps from Waikiki Beach and the Honolulu Zoo. Another bundling hack I found was that the price for two people in a room or two separate rooms, was the same. I ended up going with the two king rooms to give us some space after long days of sightseeing.
Final Word
I am excited for another trip to Hawaii, but most importantly, I am happy that I will get to spend some time with my mom. The only plans we have are to have as much fun as we can. I will make sure we go on some guided tours, but mostly, jaunts around Oahu in the rental car. This trip should be amazing, I am thankful we could make it work this time.
