You should try to spend at least a week exploring each of the four islands if at all possible. If you do not have a full month, however, you should plan to spend four to five days on each island and then choose one or two locations within each of those islands.

Create a list of the tasks you wish to do, ranking them from most important to least important. This will assist you in determining where to establish a base of operations on each island as well as what to remove, if necessary. Book a few nights at the historic Volcano House — the only lodging within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park — on the Hilo side of  driving directions  the Island of Hawaii, and then book a few nights at Mauna Kea Resort or The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort on the Kona side, where you can join a guided small group night snorkel with Manta Ray Advocates. For example, if sleeping near an active volcano and night snorkeling with manta rays are two activities that are

Remember to account for the amount of time required for the flight as well as the driving. Although while some islands seem relatively tiny on the map, factors such as weather, road conditions, and traffic may significantly affect the total amount of time it takes to travel between them.

Likewise, think about the best time to leave. The weather in Hawaii may be unpredictable due to the presence of many microclimates, although in general, the summer is dry and pleasant. While this is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year since schools are out for the summer, beach lovers will find this to be the best time to come. You should budget for higher prices and more crowds around this time of year, as well as the weeks leading up to key holidays in the United States like as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year's holiday.

If you travel to Hawaii during the months of November through March, you should be prepared for cooler temperatures, rain, and the possibility of road closures and activity cancellations. This is because the winter months are generally wetter than the warmer months. However, if you travel to Hawaii during this time, you may find lower rates and thinner crowds (with the exception of the holiday season). Shoulder seasons, which run from March to May (with the exception of spring break and Easter), and from September to October, tend to have pleasant weather conditions and significantly less visitors than peak seasons, which run from June to August.