We are planning for Hawaii next year but not sure whether to visit a travel agent for advise or try DIYing it
I keep changing my mind about itinerary...
I think we may fly London to LAS and spend a couple of days there then fly on to Oahu but not sure whether to spend 10 days there or split it with another island. This will be our first visit and have mostly only done all inclusive beach holidays with the kids.
We will be bringing our 18 yr old son who is very easy going.
Have looked around some really useful threads here.
Can anyone recommend any TA's in the UK or would you strongly suggest DIY?

Personally, I have never used a travel agent for personal travel.

If you are willing to be patient and do your research, you can put together a great vacation... especially with all our help here!

You do need to decide the major issues first. One island or two? What is the purpose of the vacation - lounging or exploring? Budget?

Personally, I would never come to Hawaii without spending time on the Big Island... it is my favorite of all the islands. It has the best of all worlds....

Oh no...another island thrown into the mix
Was looking at Oahu and Maui as we fancy a few days cultural and then some beach and hiking time
I can't book travel for a few months but will spend time doing research until then.
Thanks for the reply

Personally, and everyone has a different view, I would focus on the Big Island and Oahu.

I just find the Big Island amazing.... some many different climates... you can go from 80 degrees in Kona or Hilo to snow and freezing temperatures at Mauna Kea. The stargazing at night is amazing. Visit to Volcano National Park, Waipio Valley and other attractions are not to be missed. On the Big Island, you have to consider time in the car... things are spread out.

On Oahu, Pearl Harbor is the most popular site and not to be missed. Personally, I do not find much more there that you cannot find on the Big Island.

But, then again, I could be a Goodwill Ambassador for The Big Island!

No matter where you go in Hawaii, you are in for a treat!

I traveled to Hawaii 12 times before finally moving to the Big Island.

Each island has pluses and minuses and which ones you like depend upon your activity level and whether you like exploring.

Oahu is small and filled with people. Lots of competition for your money, especially Waikiki and Honolulu. The north shore is surfing and beaches, however many are not easily accessible because there will be houses between the road and the water. Many places will be familiar if you watch Hawaii-50, or the many other shows and movies produced here.

Kauai is green and photogenic but a relatively small island.

Maui is a nice stay.

Molokai is VERY laid back and although a great place to visit, some might get bored.

I like recommending the Big Island because of its sheer size and variety of climates. Mostly rural, there are many varied activities like horseback riding, zip lines, hiking, snow sometimes and the volcano. You would do a lot of driving.

There are a number of "Wizard" books like Big Island Revealed and Oahu Revealed, etc. I was not impressed with the app for Android, but the books are excellent. You can probably find them at your local bookstore.

For a few days, almost any island will be a treat. If you can visit a couple islands, even better. You should understand that every island is different enough that you will not feel that you are on just another island.

Big Island with a one day,day trip to visit Pearl Harbor. Have spent time on every inhabited island except Nihau. The Varity available on the Big Island is awesome.

I have newbys coming over next month that want to see all the islands in a week. There is so much to see here; a week does not even come close.

Flew tours on four islands before retiring. This is the BEST island in my opinion. Maybe EX living on an another island shades my opinion.

Great....After spending a few hours yesterday doing some research, I think I'm down to this...
Fly London to Las Vegas...stay for 3 nights..
Vegas to HNL...stay for 5 nights..
HNL to OGG...stay for 5 nights..
OGG to Las Vegas...stay for 4 nights..then back to London
The Hawaiian airline website was great and agree that this makes it a lot easier to do a DIY holiday.
Just need to decide on areas and hotels to stay at now..
Budget for flights and hotels �9000 to �10000 so this would be economy flights
3 people

Just my opinion, but I think that you're going to regret you didn't spend more of this trip in Hawaii.

Why so much time in Las Vegas? (While lots love it, I just don't get the attraction of it.)

We want to do the grand canyon, hoover dam and to make sure that we have a bit of chill out before and after the 11 hour flights back to the UK
So maybe 5 nights Vegas and 12 Hawaii?

Just to be clear, the recommendations for the "Big Island" is the island named Hawaii; the southernmost of the main islands (also the southernmost location in the U.S.). The primary airports are Hilo (ITO) and Kona (KOA).

I have no idea why people get confused :-)

The one with the ACTIVE volcano, because each island was created by volcanic action.

The state Hawaii was named after the county of Hawaii, the Big Island which as mentioned is named Hawaii.

Honolulu, which people think of as "Hawaii" is on Oahu which is the state capitol.

The state of Hawaii is comprised of some 182 islands and atolls stretching from the Big Island some 1500 miles to the west to Kure Atoll (near Midway). the grandson of the owner of Parker Ranch, the largest family-owned ranch in the U.S. The town is called that because there are many Waimeas in the state and the U.S. Post Office only allows one post office to carry the name of a town in that state. Another Waimea is on Kauai next to the Hawaiian Grand Canyon, which you now know IS a post office. That means that Waimea over there is Waimea Hawaii but not the only Waimea and certainly IN Hawaii but not ON Hawaii.

The Big Island contains an airport KOA which people call Kona. The name KONA is actually a district (one of 5) on the Big Island. A district is like a parish and this county has 5 of them. Locals call the town Kona-town sometimes on the kona side of the island, but the real name is Kauilu. So why not call it Kaulua? Well over on Oahu, near the beach called Waimea is the town of Kailua.
Hawaii is the only state NOT in the Americas and if you were to travel due east from the Big Island, you would hit Mexico City.

So is it cold or warm in Hawaii? Well both. Hawaii boasts 11 of the 13 world climate zones, ranging from desert to tropical to polar tundra. We have had blizzards here but at the same time you could swim in the ocean in warm water just an hour away.

Although the state boasts very old land, it is also the youngest of all states in more ways than one. Hawaii was admitted to the Union in 1959, the last of the current states. There is much discussion amongst experts in International Law who feel that Hawaii is not and never has been a legal part of the U.S. because of how it was acquired. If that was true, it would also mean that people born here are not U.S. citizens. I'll leave that up to the "birthers" to debate further.

Hawaii Island, called the Big Island because, swell, it is so big (the size of Connecticut) is growing every day in size as new land is created from the active volcano. There also is debate about which volcanoes are actually "active" as one has lava flowing and another COULD leak lava again soon.

Speaking of leaking, Hawaii was the current home of Edward Snowden who released secrets about spying. Hawaii hosts a quiet part of that spying.

Parts of the islands will be very familiar to movie and TV buffs because Hawaii-50, Lost, Jurassic Park, Magnum PI, Hawaiian Eye and others were filmed here. Speaking of private investigators and police, there is no state police here. Each County as its own police, so Hawaii-50 doesn't exist. The name Five-O really comes from Hawaii being the 50th state, although you now know it might not be.

There are at least 109 mountains with elevations of greater than 7,200 meters (23,622 ft) above sea level, the highest is Mt Everest at 29,029. Highest, but not the TALLEST. High, tall, HUH? The tallest mountain, measured from base to tip is Mauna Kea on the Big Island at 13,796 feet. So how come it is the tallest but not the highest? Because as you travel down 13,796 feet from the top you find yourself at the ocean. As you continue to climb down (with a good diving suit) you will keep going until you reach the ocean floor, another 20,000 feet down. That makes the whole thing about 33,000 feet tall but 1/2 covered with water.

I could go on, but as you see, this is all pretty simple to understand, as simple as the Hawaiian Language which only has a few letters and by the 1980's was only spoken by about 2,000 people. That has changed now and many street names reflect that.

There is an actual law that states that you MUST show aloha spirit to others. Hawaii Revised Statutes 5-7.5.

So what does "aloha" mean, after all, Hawaii is the Aloha State?

Aloha means that people have a mutual respect for others so that they may live together. It means love. It is also said when people first meet and people leave.

Now, are you still confused?