On this episode of the Travel Fun and Adventure Podcast, we go over our tips to help you plan a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. In a previous podcast, we went over our tips for travel to Oahu, and while some of the tips may seem familiar, there are many that are exclusive to the Big Island. 

1. Be sure to plan your trip well in advance; however, avoid prepaying for hotels and car rentals. 
2. If you're flying direct from the mainland, you will most likely land in Kona, but if you change planes in Honolulu, then you fly into Kona or Hilo. 
3. If you have the time, split time between Hilo and Kona so that you don't have to travel across the island and back in one day. 
4. When booking an Airbnb/Vrbo, be careful about where the place is located. While the condos are probably in either Kona or Hilo, single-family homes could be far from the cities and maybe a very long drive to even a small store or any restaurants, but if you want to be far from people, they will be perfect. 
5. The best time to visit is either November to April or April to October. April to October is usually drier, but as we experienced, it can still rain a lot in certain points on the island, while November to April will have fewer tourists. 
6. The island is bigger than you think, and the drives can be long, so plan ahead on where you want to go to keep from multiple long drives on back-to-back days. 
7. Even attractions need to be booked in advance as they can sell out and be booked directly from the attraction. 
8. Plan to rent from the major rental car companies as there are a few smaller companies, and the ones I found were more expensive than the big boys with fewer options in types of vehicles and may require to taxi to their location from the airport. 
9. Book your car rentals and lodging in advance so you have something reserved but check rates about a month and only a week out because you might find some better rates. We saved $500 on our car rentals between Oahu and the Big Island by checking back to see if some lower rates popped up, but if they didn't, I still have something reserved. 
10. Be sure to get involved in the local culture which I found harder on the Big Island than on Oahu, which I was surprised at, but still seek out the cultural opportunities. 
11. Remember that most restaurants close by 7 p.m., and even McDonalds will close by 8 or 9 p.m., so plan on eating earlier. 

Those are our tips. Book that trip and have a great time. 

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