Last-Minute Trip to Hawaii: 15 Minutes to Book & Save

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You got five days off work, you just won $5,000 in the lottery, you have a long weekend, or you want to surprise your partner. Whatever the reason, you need to book a last-minute trip to Hawaii. Let’s get you started, without the stress.

Here is how to have the best possible trip to Hawaii, with help from someone who visits Hawaii multiple times a year. No matter what time of year you’re departing, this last-minute trip will work for you.

Booking a last-minute trip is best done by you, not a vacation package.

• Hawaii doesn’t have all-inclusive resorts.
• You will find travel packages by the likes of Costco and TripAdvisor. But it’s hard to know whether you’ll truly save money. And, is the hotel a good one?

Here is your simple guide to booking a last-minute trip to Hawaii.

Quick Tips for Booking a Last-Minute Trip to Hawaii

• Why book a last-minute trip to Hawaii? Hotels, airlines, and other providers lower prices to fill empty rooms and seats, which can mean premium experiences at a fraction of the usual cost. With tourism down in Hawaii, you can find some great last-minute deals.
• Hawaii doesn’t have all-inclusive resorts or packages. Travel packages will include your hotel, flight, and rental car. Some packages may include breakfast vouchers.
• Pick one island for a last-minute trip to Hawaii! Oahu is a great island for a last-minute booking, as you will find the most flights and hotel availability.
• Avoid going to multiple islands! Island-hopping isn’t hard, but it takes 5+ hours and adds cost and stress to a last-minute trip to Hawaii.
• Keep it simple! Book your hotel, your flight, and a rental car all at once. We find that the best deals and the most flexibility for last-minute bookings are available when you DIY your bookings!
• Last-minute travel packages, like Costco, may save you money, but only if you book your hotel, flight, and rental car with them. They can also be hard, or even impossible, to cancel or modify!
• Shopping for last-minute deals will take time, and it is hard to compare hotels and locations.
• What are the can’t-miss tours you need to book? See our Last-Minute Trip to the Big Island for our cheat sheet.

Last Minute Hawaii Cruise

Consider a cruise on Pride of America with Norwegian Cruise Lines! You can visit all four major islands on a one-week trip.

The cruise leaves every Saturday, so they are eager to fill cabins, but you will have to pay for shore excursions! See here for Last-Minute Cruise Deals!

The cruise starts in Honolulu and then visits Maui, Hawaii Island, and Kauai. See our Hawaii Cruise Ports and Hawaii Cruise Guide for more information.

How to Book a Last-Minute Trip to Hawaii

Here is your step-by-step guide to booking a last-minute trip to Hawaii.

For guidance on booking a family getaway or a romantic retreat, see our articles here:

• Hawaii with Kids Ultimate Guide
• 22 Honeymoon Things to Do in Hawaii
• How to Plan the Best Hawaii Romantic Vacation

0. Daily Spending for a Trip to Hawaii

The cost of a trip to Hawaii may be at the top of your mind for your wallet. While many visitors enjoy the luxury hotels and fine dining of Hawaii, you may prefer to spend your money on a value hotel and book luxury tours!

The personal daily spend for a trip to Hawaii in September 2025 was $272. Lodging is the largest item at $119 per day. Second was food at $62 per day. See Hawaii Tourism Authority for details.

For a five-day trip to Oahu for a couple, you can expect to pay $3,000 to $4,500. The most significant variable is whether you stay in a budget hotel or a luxury hotel.

We share budgets for a trip to Hawaii here:

• Cost for Two People to Visit Hawaii
• Trip to Hawaii for a Family of Four
• 9 Steps to Plan a Hawaii Vacation on a Budget

1. Which Hawaiian Island Should You Visit?

To help you decide, you can take our Which Hawaiian Island to Visit Quiz or watch our >1 million views video on Which Hawaiian Island to Visit.

Or, trust me when I recommend you visit Oahu, home to Honolulu.

I recommend visiting Oahu for the following reasons when booking a last-minute trip to Hawaii:

• A blend of town and country provides a full experience of visiting Hawaii
• So many things to do! You won’t have a problem getting onto tours or getting into popular sites.
• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu has the most flights from and to the mainland, making it ideal for a last-minute flight deal to Hawaii.
• Hotels are competitive on Oahu. Thanks to having a large number of visitors going to Oahu, there is a bountiful selection of hotels, and they are competing for your business.
• Thanks to a broad range of hotel prices and lots of cheap, yet delicious, places to eat on Oahu, Oahu is the cheapest Hawaiian Island to visit.

2. Book Your Flight to Hawaii

You should have two tabs open on your computer, one for flights and the other for hotel rooms. As a hotel may be your most expensive line item, make sure you have an idea of what hotel you can afford with your budget before you book a flight to Hawaii.

Airlines do offer last-minute deals to Hawaii. The best last-minute flight deals are in the shoulder seasons: September to before Thanksgiving and April and May.

Your best shot is to avoid the busy seasons of Christmas, January and February, Spring Break in Hawaii, and the summer months of June through August.

I recommend using Skyscanner to compare flights and find deals.

Budget airlines to Hawaii are Southwest, Hawaiian, and Alaska. See if you can find a deal with those carriers.

3. Book Your Hotel in Waikiki

Waikiki is a 2-mile-by-half-mile neighborhood in Honolulu. In this seaside area, you will find hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, hostels, and more. The options are limitless, and a bit overwhelming.

You can search on TripAdvisor, Vrbo, Airbnb, or check out our shortlists of our favorite Waikiki hotels below.

• 7 Luxury Hotels in Waikiki
• Where to Stay on Oahu: best locations and hotels
• Where to Stay in Honolulu: The 10 Best Spots

Staying in Waikiki is ideal for a last-minute trip to Hawaii, with its high vacancy rates and numerous hotels. Waikiki is a great place to stay! Enjoy Waikiki Beach, all the great places to eat, things to do, lively nightlife, and you can explore Oahu from here.

If you’re looking at another Hawaiian island, see our Where to Stay in Hawaii for hotels by island. If you’re looking to use points for your stay, see our Where to Stay in Hawaii with Points.

4. Reserve Your Rental Car

We enjoy renting a car when we visit Oahu. It gives us the freedom to explore the island. We drive to the North Shore, head to Lanikai Beach on the Windward Coast, or make the hour drive to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Find last-minute deals to Hawaii with Discount Hawaii Car Rental – no pre-payment and great prices with national car rental companies. We use them on most of our trips to Hawaii.

Waikiki is a great place for a beach vacation. Avoid the rental car and $50 Waikiki parking fees by taking the Waikiki Trolley, public transport, Biki bikes, or scooter rentals. See our How to Get Around Oahu for details.

Our newsletter readers recommend taking a Circle Island Tour. Then you can see the island without renting a car.

5. Book One or Two Tours

I can’t help but recommend a tour when visiting Hawaii. Some of the best experiences can be had on a snorkel, sunset, whale-watching, or circle island tour.

Mix up your vacation with one of our vetted and recommended tours in our Tours & Activities Directory.

We share our discounts on Hawaii tours, including Oahu, here: HVG Coupon Codes.

6. Last-Minute Itinerary for Hawaii

How are you going to fill your days? What can you do without a reservation? You don’t have time to plan a detailed itinerary, and AI doesn’t know Hawaii like we do.

For the best last-minute itinerary for Hawaii, grab our Wayfinder Itineraries. Our Oahu Wayfinder Itinerary has seven excursion days. Pick your favorites, and enjoy a dream vacation to Hawaii. Click below to learn more!

Everything is booked, you’re ready to go! Thanks for booking your last-minute trip to Hawaii with The Hawaii Vacation Guide. You will have a blast. We always do!

Make sure to check out our Hawaii Packing List so you don’t forget anything.

Last-Minute Things to Do in Hawaii

Here are things to do in Hawaii that don’t require reservations and have availability. See our things to do articles below for more ideas!

• Pearl Harbor National Memorial can be visited without a reservation. You can also get same-day USS Arizona Memorial tickets at the dock. See our DIY Pearl Harbor Guide or book a tour to Pearl Harbor; they will have tickets!
• Attend a luau! The Polynesian Cultural Center can sell out a month in advance during the summer, but there are a lot of luaus on Oahu! See our favorite Oahu Luaus.
• Find a secluded beach on Oahu! Escape from Waikiki with our Best Beaches on Oahu.
• Drive to Oahu’s iconic North Shore for big wave surfing, hiking, waterfall swims, and local grindz (food). See our Things to Do in Laie and North Shore Things to Do.

Our Wayfinder Itineraries provide more things to do, learn more here:

More Last-Minute Things to Do on Oahu

• 7 Must-Do Things on Oahu
• 6 Best & Accessible Waterfalls on Oahu
• 7 Best Private Tours on Oahu
• Things to Do on Oahu with Kids
• 14 of the Calmest Beaches in Hawaii

Dive Deeper on Booking a Trip to Hawaii

If you are not in a panic to book a trip to Hawaii, here are more resources to help you plan your trip.

First off, consider visiting Maui. We find Maui and Oahu to be the best islands for first-time visitors to Hawaii. They both offer a diverse selection of activities and are easy to get around.

You don’t need a reservation to visit Haleakala National Park or drive the Road to Hana!

• Maui Travel Guide
• Big Island Travel Guide
• Kauai Travel Guide

I can’t help but make one final recommendation: grab one of our Wayfinder Itineraries. They really are a wonderful resource for planning a last-minute trip to Hawaii.