About Hawaii’s Best Travel

How Hawaii’s Best Started

In 2017, I posted a few Hawaii photos on Instagram. Tips I wished I’d had before my early trips. Spots that surprised us. Things I’d learned the hard way.

Friends started asking questions. Then friends of friends. Then strangers.

The same questions kept coming up: Which island? How many days? Is it worth it with little kids? What do I actually need to book in advance?

I realized something: there was no shortage of Hawaii content online.

There was a shortage of clarity.

People weren’t under-informed. They were overwhelmed. Every blog contradicted the last one.

Every “ultimate guide” left them with more tabs open and less confidence than when they started.

So in 2019, I launched the podcast. One episode a week. Real answers. Local voices. No fluff.

It grew faster than I expected.

Today, Hawaii’s Best is a top-30 U.S. travel podcast with over 650,000 downloads, a 4.9-star rating from 280+ reviews, and a community of travelers who come back because they trust what we share.

Top-30 Podcast

U.S. Places & Travel

But here’s the part I don’t talk about much.

The Decision That Shaped Everything

Early on, the obvious move was to become a travel agent or go heavy on affiliate commissions.

That’s how most travel creators monetize. Recommend a hotel, get a kickback. Book a flight, earn a cut.

I didn’t do it.

Not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because I wanted people to trust that when I recommended something, it was because it was right for them, not because it paid me.

Instead, I built a completely separate business to pay the bills. It grew.

It gave me the freedom to protect Hawaii’s Best from financial pressure. I didn’t need it to make money right away, which meant I never had to compromise the advice.

That decision cost me years. But it’s why the brand is what it is today: independent.

No commission-driven recommendations. No travel-agent upsells. When I tell you a hotel, a tour, or an island is the right fit, it’s because I believe it. That’s it.

What I Bring to Hawaii Travel

I’m not from Hawaii. I was born and raised in Southern California. I don’t claim local knowledge and I never will.

What I do bring is 10 years of deep, consistent work.

30+ trips across every major island. With Ali as a couple. With babies in carriers. With toddlers melting down in rental cars. With teenagers who’d rather be on their phones. With grandparents who need a different pace. I’ve traveled Hawaii through every age and stage, and that shapes the advice I give.

Hundreds of podcast conversations with local businesses, cultural practitioners, and residents.

I’ve learned directly from Native Hawaiian voices. Not to speak for them, but to help connect visitors with them.

Active membership in the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau since 2019.

Not just a logo on my website. I attend monthly meetings, in-person gatherings, and annual events. I stay connected to what’s actually happening across the islands.

Certified Hawaii Destination Expert since 2020 through the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s formal training program.

Featured in Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, Yahoo!, Simple Flying, USA Today, Parents, and Fox.

Partnerships with organizations across the islands, from Hawaiian Airlines to Aulani to HI Honey Farm, because the work I do is built on real relationships, not Google searches.

For business, media, or partnership inquiries, email aloha [at] hawaiisbesttravel.com

How I Think About Hawaii Trip Planning

When someone books a consultation with me, I don’t start with “what do you want to do?”

I start with: how do you want your days to feel?

Because most people don’t actually want to do 14 things in a day. They want to feel like they’re not wasting their trip.

Those are two very different problems, and they need two very different plans.

I anchor itineraries around where you’re staying.

I limit driving.

I build one anchor experience per day and let the rest breathe. I leave open space, because some of the best moments in Hawaii happen when you’re not rushing to the next thing.

And I always run the plan through a simple filter: Is this respectful? Does this support the community? Will this family actually enjoy this, or will they be exhausted by 2pm?

That’s the difference between a checklist and a plan.

Who We Help

We work with everyone: first-timers who don’t know where to start, repeat visitors who want to go deeper, families with toddlers, families with teenagers, couples on honeymoons, multi-generational groups trying to keep everyone happy, anniversary trips, friend groups, solo travelers who just want someone to gut-check their plan.

If you care about doing Hawaii well, not just checking boxes but actually enjoying it and leaving the islands better than you found them, you’re in the right place.

What People Say

The Bottom Line

Planning a Hawaii trip should feel like the start of something amazing. Not another chore. Not another 34-tab research spiral.

Whether you’re binging the podcast, reading the guides, or booking a 1-on-1 session, we’re here to help you plan a trip that’s simple, meaningful, and full of the kind of moments your family will actually remember.

You’ve found us. You can stop searching.

Let’s make it happen.

[Listen to the Podcast] | [Book a Consultation] | [Start Planning]