Covers the six Hawaiian islands, Key West, Nantucket, Hilton Head, Fiji and Bora Bora, plus the passport rules for US citizens.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Traveling alone in Hawaii comes down to one question: will you rent a car? A solo traveler pays for the whole room and the whole rental, so the islands where you can get by without one pull ahead fast. We ranked the six islands on our six-factor score, then lifted the ones our editors tag as good for solo travel.
Only Oahu carries that tag, and it wins by 1.3 points. Waikiki is walkable, buses and tours reach the rest of the island, and the rooms are the cheapest in the state. Maui is the better island on paper, but alone and without a car you would miss most of it.
Score = the island's overall score, with islands that suit this kind of trip ranked first. How we score
| # | Island | Score | Weather | Beaches | Things | Access | Value | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oahu | 9.4 | 9.7 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 3.9 |
| 2 | Maui | 8.1 | 9.7 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 6.9 | 4.3 | 5.6 |
| 3 | Big Island (Hawaii Island) | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 6.9 | 4.2 | 9.1 |
| 4 | Kauai | 6.7 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 4.7 | 6.1 |
| 5 | Lanai | 5.9 | 9.3 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 1.0 | 10.0 |
| 6 | Molokai | 5.4 | 9.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 10.0 |
1Oahu wins by 1.3 points because it is the one Hawaiian island built for traveling alone: the solo tag adds 1.5 to a base of 7.9. Waikiki is walkable, TheBus goes around the island and tours cover the North Shore. Stay Hotel Waikiki was $139 on January 13, 2027 and $169 on July 14, the cheapest in the state. Things to do score 9: Pearl Harbor (free), Diamond Head, Iolani Palace, Chinatown. The catch is crowds, with a crowd score of 3.9, and small, viewless budget rooms.
2Maui is second on its base score of 8.1, the highest in Hawaii, with beaches at 9 and things to do at 9. It has no solo tag because the island runs on rental cars: the Hana Highway, Haleakala and the West Maui beaches are spread far apart. Alone, you carry the whole room and the whole car. The cheapest Kihei hotel was $296 in January and $216 in July. If you will drive, it is a great solo trip; if not, start on Oahu.
3The Big Island is third on a base of 7.7 and suits independent travelers who like long drives and hiking. Things to do score 9: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ($30 a vehicle for seven days), manta ray night snorkels from Kona, Kona coffee farms. Crowds score 9.1, so trails and overlooks feel open. You need a car for everything, and a loop of the island is a full day. Kailua-Kona was $261 to $269 a night, and the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook, a basic hotel, was $85.
4Kauai is fourth on a base of 6.7. It suits solo hikers and kayakers, but Hurricane Lowell hit on September 7 and 8, 2026, and on October 19 Koke'e Road and most state parks were still closed, a conditional verdict. Haena and the Kalalau Trail reopened on October 15, with reservations at $5 a person plus $10 parking. One main road does not loop the island, so you need a car. Kapaa hotels were $233 to $236. Lihue's nonstops come only from the western US.
5Lanai is fifth and hard to justify alone. The only 3-star-or-better hotel with a rate was the Four Seasons, at $1,959 to $2,642 a night, all of which you pay yourself; Hotel Lanai in town, rated 2 stars, was $423 in January. Things to do score 5, and there are few restaurants outside the resorts. As a solo day trip from Maui it works: the ferry from Maalaea starts at $30 and you can walk from the harbor to Hulopoe Bay.
6Molokai is last. It is quiet, with 23,482 air visitors in 2025, but beaches and things to do both score 4 and there is little to do in the evening. Hotel Molokai was $328 to $356 a night. You arrive by small plane, Lanai Air from Honolulu at $169 one way, and need a car for the one long road. A guided Kalaupapa tour is the reason a solo traveler might come; book it before the flights.
In this guide
Each island starts from its overall score out of 10: weather 20%, beaches 25%, things to do 25%, and access, value and crowds 10% each, with 0.4 points off when our island page gives a conditional verdict. An island our editors tag as good for solo travelers, meaning safe, social and easy to get around without a car, gets 1.5 points added. Only Oahu has the tag, so the other five keep their base order. Method: how we score islands.
Base yourself in Waikiki. You can walk to the beach and to Diamond Head, which needs a reservation ($5 entry plus $10 parking for non-residents, so you save the parking on foot or by bus). TheBus runs around the island, and tour operators cover the North Shore and the windward coast. Pearl Harbor National Memorial is free to enter; book the USS Arizona Memorial program ahead, because capacity is scheduled.
Rooms are the cheapest in Hawaii. Stay Hotel Waikiki was $139 on January 13, 2027 and $169 on July 14, and our Oahu page found at least nine more Waikiki hotels under $200 on the January date. The trade-off: cheap Waikiki rooms are often small, with no view and a walk to the sand.
Both islands work alone if you rent a car, and both score 9 for things to do. Maui gives you better beaches, the Hana Highway and Haleakala at sunrise, for which every vehicle entering between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. needs a $1 reservation on top of the $30 entrance fee. The Big Island gives you the volcano and the most room: its crowd score is 9.1 against Maui's 5.6. Expect to pay $216 to $296 a night in Kihei or $261 to $269 in Kailua-Kona, plus the car, so a week costs roughly twice a week in Waikiki.
A useful middle path is to start on Oahu without a car, then fly to Maui or Kona for three nights and rent one there.
Swimming and snorkeling alone is the real solo risk in Hawaii. Pick lifeguarded beaches, and tell someone where you are going. On Oahu, Waikiki and Ala Moana are calm; the North Shore's Waimea Bay and Pipeline are dangerous in winter swells. On Maui, Makena's shorebreak injures swimmers. On Kauai, our island page warns of strong currents at unguarded beaches. For snorkeling, a boat tour gives you a buddy and a crew.
Honolulu has nonstops from 28 US airports, the most in the state, including Atlanta, Boston (seasonal), Detroit, Houston, New York JFK and Washington Dulles. It is a domestic flight, so a REAL ID-compliant license or a passport is enough; TSA charges a $45 ConfirmID fee without one. The Central Pacific hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, per NOAA. For solo options beyond Hawaii, see the best islands for solo travelers.
A snack and water are included but lunch is not, and Dole train or maze tickets are extra. It is a large-coach tour; a rental car covers the same loop at your own pace.
Rating as shown on Viator
Breakfast, a deli lunch and water are included; tips are not. It is a long day in a van on a narrow road, and the sign-up page lists pickup at hotels or a Kahului meeting point, so check which applies to you.
Rating as shown on Viator
Lunch and park entry are included; tips are not, and vacation rentals are not picked up. With a rental car the park pass is $15 to $30, but the round trip from Kona is long, which is what this tour saves you.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Oahu. Waikiki is walkable, TheBus covers the island, tours run to the North Shore and the cheapest 3-star-or-better room was $139 a night on January 13, 2027. It is the only Hawaiian island where you can skip the rental car.
On Oahu, yes, if you stay in Waikiki. On Maui, the Big Island and Kauai, the main sights are spread out and you will want a car or a lot of booked tours.
Yes, if you drive. Maui has the best beaches in Hawaii and big day trips, but no tag from our editors for solo travel, because the sights are far apart and the cheapest Kihei hotel was $216 to $296 a night.
The room is the big cost, and you pay it alone. A week at the cheapest Waikiki hotel we found would be about $973 in January and $1,183 in July, taxes in. Since January 1, 2026 the state lodging tax is 11%, plus county and excise taxes.
Further reading
