The Vegas vacation vs. the Hawaii staycation

A gentleman emailed me with price comparisons for flying to Vegas versus staying at a resort on Maui. He wonders why anyone would do a staycation when Vegas remains cheaper. If all you want on vacation is lots and lots of food for low prices, then Las Vegas is the "island" for you. Even with Hawaii hotels slashing rates 10% to 20%, Las Vegas will always be cheaper, because Las Vegas is cutting rates, too. The appeal of a staycation is the scenery, since every island is different, local cuisine, local people, and avoiding the hassle of a transpacific flight. Las Vegas can't match the scenery but to some extent you can stay local on food and people if you work it right. So if you take the scenery for granted, you may conclude that a trip to another island from the one you live on is still too expensive. But if you live on Oahu, you should experience the beauty of Molokai. And Molokai could really use the cash infusion of neighbor islanders who will leave the island the way they found it. Live on Maui? Experience Hilo. Kona? Check out Kauai. All of our islands have breathtaking scenery, including a lot of places that don't appear in the guidebooks. As a local resident you have the opportunity to experience it in a deeper way than a visitor from elsewhere may be able to.

Comments

[Sensei J, Richard Kirkham B.Sc.]

I'm barely a staycation guy. That's the beauty of living in Hawaii. Everyone wants to come see you

Rick

[Stan]

Howard, Molokai is so beautiful and so different than everywhere else that if I could find a good paying job over there, I'd move!

[j. k.]

I agree. Keep your money in the local economy once and a while.