Getting Around: A Car Rental in Maui is a MUST!

Maui is a pretty big place, and by far the easiest way to get around the island is via a car rental.

Maui does have some public transportation, but most of the best spots on the island that any tourist like you and I would want to see are NOT on these public bus routes.

What about the other transportation options?

Well, you could opt to take a taxi everywhere, but that will get expensive quickly! I suppose depending on taxis would be ok if you planned on spending the vast majority of your time on Maui at your resort, but if you're like me, you'd rather be exploring all that this beautiful island has to offer - a taxi would simply be too expensive for this!

Another option for getting around Maui is to use your hotel shuttle service, but this, too, has its limitations. For example, if you want to go hiking in the middle of Haleakala National Park, you'll probably be out of luck if you're hoping to take a hotel shuttle. On the other hand, if you want to go shopping or check out a luau, you may find your hotel's shuttle service useful. My husband and I took advantage of our hotel shuttle service when we went to the Old Lahaina Luau, as we didn't want to worry about driving after indulging in a Mai Tai or two! For this purpose, the hotel shuttle was great, but we still used our car rental in Maui for most of our transportation needs.

All in all, a car rental in Maui is the best and cheapest option if you plan on doing a lot of exploring during your time on Maui.

Here's a good tip that will save you money on your car rental in Maui:

But first, the background story!

When my husband and I took our first trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon, we rented a car. We booked ahead on-line, and were thrilled with the inexpensive rate we got. But, when we arrived in Hawaii at our car rental pick-up spot, we were asked by the car rental employee if we required car insurance for our stay. We assumed that we needed it, so agreed to pay for insurance directly through the car rental company. Well, our sweet low car rental rate was now out the window - the insurance added a LOT of extra money to the daily rate.

Prior to leaving for our NEXT trip to Hawaii, we asked our hometown insurance agent if our car insurance would cover us while driving a rental car in Maui - it turns out that it did! This little piece of knowledge allowed us to decline the car rental company's offer of insurance with complete peace of mind, since we knew we were already covered.

Before you leave, find out if your existing car insurance where you live will cover you while driving in Maui. If not, then you may be able to purchase additional car insurance at home to cover you while driving your rental car. It is very likely that your hometown insurance agent can get you the car insurance coverage you need for a much cheaper rate than you would pay on the spot once you arrive to pick up your Maui rental car.

More articles of interest:

1) It's always helpful to know how long it will take to get from point A to point B. Here is our listing of Maui travel time estimates to help you plan your trip!

2) For more info on getting around Maui, go to Maui Rental Cars: What You Need to Know to Make Getting Around Stress-Free!

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