sureshot - my tickets were 700 for the roundtrip, but they get in the sub 500 range every so often. you just have to wait for them.
Hilo is ok, but not somewhere to spend alot of time really, it rains ALL the time there haha. If you do get to the big island tho, go to volcano national park and do the 8 mile hike to the lava flow, it’s a long ass hike, but if you stay there until its dark, it’s really amazing. and walking back in the dark with a flashlight isn’t that bad at all.
Marcus - depends on what you want to do there. if you surf or want to see huge waves, winter time dec-feb is crazy, but more prone to rain. this year got little rain anyway, but even still, it usually only rains for a couple minutes when it does rain. plus it’s a little more bearable of temperatures. highs are about 80 during the winter but in the summer they hit 90.
BikerFry - thats the way to do it man, just explore. where did you end up with that jeep?