Ah, Hawaii. A vacation paradise! Have you always dreamed of taking a family trip to Hawaii but need to stay on a budget? Imagine clear tranquil blue water, lying on a hammock, lounge chair, or a beach towel and enjoying the warm tropical sun and gentle ocean breeze (sounds so cliche but it is so true). And umbrella drinks of course, something nice and fruity. What could be nicer and more relaxing?

Sound expensive? Well, it doesn’t have to be anywhere near as costly as you thought.

Even though Hawaii is a notoriously expensive travel destination, with some research you can find some deals for the budget minded and hold onto more of your cash. Let’s check out some tips on getting really cheap airfare and how to spend some time in Hawaii with as little pain to your pocketbook as possible.

First, you have to get there, so let’s explore some different ways you can find inexpensive airline tickets.

You’ve probably heard of the discount air carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest, and often you can find great deals with these airlines. However, what you may not know is the major airlines, due to problems of late such as bankruptcy, are actually making an effort to undercut the prices of some of the cheaper smaller carriers. So don’t automatically cross the larger companies off your list right off the bat. Check their websites and see what kind of deals they are offering.

I recommend checking with the larger online travel sites such as Expedia and Travelocity, but don’t assume that just because you have checked there, all other travel sites will offer the same airline fares. The lowest fares may be at another site so check as many as possible. And of course, as I mentioned, check the individual airline websites as well. Fares are always changing, remember to try different times of the day and different days too.

You can use a travel agent at a physical location (as opposed to online) to help you look for deals on hotels, rental cars, etc. Often they have package deals available that can save you a bundle.

Scheduling your trip for the off season will help you save money. Don’t worry, the weather will still be gorgeous!

You might consider finding a travel message board or forum and ask local residents to give you some advice on the area you plan to visit. They will know what hotels are the cheapest, where you can go to eat for less money, and lots of fun and often free activities. Forums like this are gold, do use them!

Now, once you have secured your airline travel tickets for a cheap price, how can you enjoy this vacation oasis without taking out a second mortgage?

Choosing to plan your trip to Oahu has a great advantage in that public transportation can be found to pretty much anywhere on the island. This can save you a bundle because you might decide to forego a rental car.

Once you arrive, you can take in free nightly hula shows at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki. They often also show free films in the evenings on the beach.

The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center is another great tip for how to travel cheap. Here you can find some more freebies as they offer free lessons in hula dancing, ukulele, and lessons on how to make a lei. They will also provide lesson in Hawaiian quilting. Now where else can you learn things like this without spending a dime? Great fun.

If you choose to save money by not renting a car, you can save by taking the bus everywhere, or you can rent a bike for about 20 bucks a day. If you do rent a bike and need to take the bus somewhere, you can take your bike along with you on the racks of the city buses. Cool huh?

Remember that if there are decent waves, the surfers will be out, and most any day you can find a surf contest going on. For the cost of some sun screen you can enjoy some absolutely amazing tricks and performances put on by the surfers. This is an extremely fun and inexpensive way to spend a day in Hawaii.

On Saturday there is a farmer’s market at the Kapiolani Community College. This is a super way to soak up local culture and find some local produce and crafts, and you can find some spectacular deals here too. It’s a great place to save money on all those souvenirs you need to bring back home to friends and family. You know they’re expecting something! You can find cheap eats here too, or you can even just wander around and people watch.

So if you have always wanted to travel to Hawaii but had no idea how to find really cheap airfare, take advantage of these tips and you can have an awesome dream vacation to this beautiful state without spending too much cash.