On our latest Hawaii Vacation Podcast, Aloha Bruce discusses the question: “When is the best time to plan a Hawaii vacation?” Bruce talks about some of Hawaii Aloha Travel’s recent bookings to give listeners an idea of what pricing is like right now.

Bruce says that now is an excellent time to vacation in Hawaii, as international travel remains difficult or impossible and Hawaii is relatively close to home on the mainland. “It’s just really the best place to visit right now,” Bruce says.

The busiest time of year for Hawaii tourism is in the late/spring-summer and in the winter, Bruce says, and he discusses the “high season” that begins in December. Bruce gets into some detail about specific times of the year and what visitors can expect for weather and pricing, and the kinds of annual events and attractions that are happening.Bruce says May and September are also good for weather and pricing. October and November, Bruce says, are usually the months with the best deals, as it is Hawaii shoulder season.

Bruce follows up with a month-by-month breakdown of weather and visitor patterns, as well as pricing trends for specific dates and holidays. He notes that tourism generally dips slightly in May before demand begins to peak and prices (and temperatures) rise. Bruce says this is the best reason to book a Hawaii vacation early. “Don’t wait, at all,” Bruce says about booking July and August Hawaii vacations.

“October is absolutely the slowest month,” Bruce says, noting that it is the month to find the best deals. Late November into December is when Hawaii sees demand spike again. Peak season runs through Christmas into the second week of January, after which deals and airfare wars begin.

Bruce shares a 6-person group (the Tolbert family) booking for Oahu at the Aston Waikiki Beach that was a fantastic deal. He also notes a September honeymoon booking also at the Aston Waikiki as well as the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore that got a terrific rate