Hawaii Family Vacation with Travel Mom Jacquie

Jacquie, husband Elliot and their two boys (13 and 15 years old) had the ultimate Hawaii family vacation adventure this summer spending time on Maui and Oahu. We sat down with Jacquie to hear all about it and get her itinerary, tips, and tricks for you!

How long was your trip?

We went for 8 days total to Maui (“The Valley Isle,” second-largest Hawaiian island) and Oahu (“The Gathering Place,” third largest island) with 3 days on each island. We also had two days of travel and a 40-minute flight between the islands.

What made you pick these places?

It’s a bucket list trip for me and Elliot and our first time to Hawaii. Our boys, 13 and 15, could also appreciate and enjoy it.

How did you find the information for your trip?

• I used our travel agent for hotels and flights.
• Adventure Maui has tons of information and you can book excursions through them too.
• Oahu was mostly word of mouth from friends.

What was the BEST part of the trip for you?

Family time and time away from the routine. Also, going to Pearl Harbor and taking the kids to a place where they can visualize history.

What was the BEST part of the trip for the family?

The UTV Tour of Kualoa Ranch where Jurassic Park was filmed. It has an insane landscape and the boys in toys in mud was fun for everyone. It definitely added to the ‘ultimate’ Hawaii family vacation.

What was the BEST part of the trip for the kids?

Cliff jumping on Oahu’s North Shore at Waimea Bay Jump Rock (you can jump in summer when there is no surf). AND on Maui, Haleakala volcano ziplining.

Favorite meal of the Hawaii Family Vacation

Hands down…Banzai Sushi on Oahu’s North Shore with traditional Japanese seating and the Maui Wowi sashimi. It was one of the top 3 sushi meals of my life.

Top Tips and Advice

• If coming from the East Coast, plan to arrive in the evening and plan early morning activities for that first day. We did a 6 am departure fishing trip or you could do the sunrise on Haleakala.
• Sleep on the plane. We used the Calm app and neck pillows.
• Bring lots to do on the plane and lots of snacks. Having connecting flights was actually a positive with the kids as it broke up the trip.

Anything you missed, wished you did?

• We didn’t relax so I would go for longer, 6 days wasn’t enough to include just being on the beach.
• Pineapple Farm for pineapple picking.
• Get a malasada (doughnut) from Leonard’s Bakery on Oahu.
• Go in the winter so we can see big wave surfing on Oahu’s North Shore.

Where would you go back to?

• Oahu
• The Big Island for Kona Coffee
• Maui if we just wanted to relax and potentially – Lanai – the island off Maui with its beautiful resort.

Why do you travel with the kids?

I’m a bit of a nomad in my soul and want the kids to experience that. I want them to see how other people live, understand other languages and that people don’t just speak English.

Next trip you’re planning or dreaming about?

We’re going to Europe this winter for 10 days…London, Prague and the boys get to choose the third location. We’re definitely going to take our skates and skate in as many places as we can.

We’ll use our travel agent to help us figure out how many days, what order of places and to book flights and hotels. Then we’ll figure out the rest by talking to friends.