Hawaii Family Vacation for Nearly Free
This past Spring Break, I took Will and the kids on a bucket list trip to Hawaii for nearly free. We visited the island of Kauai and quickly fell in love with its golden pristine beaches, lush green mountains, jaw-dropping Napali Coastline, and vibrant culture. I was particularly looking for adventure, and, OMG, did Kauai deliver!
The BEST part? I booked the whole trip for a FRACTION of what most people pay! Learning how to earn and optimize credit card points has allowed my family to go on so many more bucket list vacations than I EVER thought possible! And you can do this too. It really is NOT too good to be true
Here’s how to visit Hawaii, and pay only the cost of your food:
1. Fly to Hawaii on POINTS!
If you are skeptical of the whole points and miles world (like I was in the beginning), I encourage you to try it just once. If it’s not for you, no problem. Worse case scenario, you end up with one heavily discounted vacation. And your credit score will either stay the same or even go UP! And, if you are new to this whole points thing, check out my Free beginner’s guide to getting started. I promise, it is waaaayyy easier than you think!
We flew Southwest using our Companion pass along with 120,000 SW points (total for 4 of us), and $11.20 in taxes each. The Total cost: $44.80.
If Southwest is NOT common at your local airport, you can also try American Airlines via British Airways Avios – 26,000 points R/T from the west coast. Another option is Delta and Alaska Airlines via AirFrance/KLM Flying Blue for 35,000 points p/p. If you aren’t sure how to find and redeem flights like these, then this guide is for you!
2. Stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, Hawaii!
Instead of paying around $6,000 for this luxury hotel for 5 nights, you can book 5 nights at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for 35,000 points per night and $0! In order to earn the points that transfer to Hyatt, I opened the Ink Preferred Business Card (see my Best Offers page for the current offer)
At the time, this earned me 100,000 flexible points after spending $8,000 in 3 months. THEN, I referred the card to my husband, which gave me a 15K point referral bonus. And then he opened the card and earned another 100K points. I then called Chase to combine all of our points.
Once you’ve earned the points, you can call Chase to combine all of your points and then transfer them to Hyatt to book 5 nights using your points.
3. Airbnb/VRBO – Hawaii on a Budget
I tend to prefer staying in Airbnbs/Vacasas/VrBOs mainly because its easier when traveling with little kids. Having your own kitchen and washer/dryer comes in super handy! After leaving the Grand Hyatt, we stayed a few more nights at this Vacasa property for it’s central location! This allowed us to explore more of the north side of the island without a super long drive.
In order to cut costs for this property, I used my Capital One Venture X credit card and used the “travel eraser” on the bank’s website to erase 3-4 nights of the Vacasa/Airbnb costs.
Hawaii Family Vacation on a Budget!
Over the past 15 years I have accumulated MILLIONS of miles and learned how to strategize and optimize credit card points to take tons of discounted vacations like this one, multiple times a year. Using points and credit card bonuses IS your answer to budget travel! Please don’t hesitate to send me any questions you have!
And Follow us on Instagram @LazyLaurenTravelsFree to check out my Hawaii Highlight bubble for a detailed Itinerary and Tips on fun things to do in Kauai!
| Also, thank you so very much for using our links when you sign up for a new card! These affiliate links allow me to keep sharing ALLL the new elevated offers and travel HELP (at ZERO cost to you), so you can travel more with your family for a fraction of the actual cost! 🥰 |
| And please don’t hesitate to hit reply if you ever have any questions! I’m happy to help! |
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