I surprised my partner with a trip to Oahu for his birthday. We love exploring on a whim, trying new things, and not being bound to set plans. We also love camping. All of this combined with the rental car shortage linked to COVID-19 led to the awesome decision to book this super comfortable and fun van for our trip. We had such an amazing time. We honestly debated staying longer but didn't have pet care sorted (otherwise we would have tried to stay a few extra days).
The camping van came with everything we needed - GPS, cooler, towels, sheets, pillows, phone adapter for car charging, and a bunch of small stuff I'm forgetting like a flashlight, etc.! It was super easy to pick up and very close to the airport. Molly was in quick communication the entire time and super helpful. The van also felt spacious and we never felt cramped or felt a lack of space. We each traveled with one smaller hiking backpack. I carried a small purse and my partner carried a small bag, as well. It was more than enough for what we needed and I even fit long freediving fins in the mix!
My only word of advice is that the airport taxis did not want to take us to the van pick-up location because it was so close to the airport. We don't have any reason for Uber or Lyft at home and didn't have the app, so we weren't super prepared for that situation. Luckily, someone did pick us up and we got a ride from a random pedestrian on the way back. We experienced some true aloha and didn't even need to download Uber/Lyft (but maybe download it before your trip...just in case; walking also seemed feasible - but not super fun with our heavy backpacks and all of the highways!).
The bed was super, super comfortable and we were knocked out each night a few minutes upon laying own and only waking up the next morning to the sound of crashing waves, grabbing our iced coffees we bought the night before, and then taking a walk on an empty white sand beach for sunrise. It was truly perfect, relaxing, and picturesque. Some of the best sleep I've gotten in years.
The van gets great gas mileage and what we spent on gas seemed more than fair for the awesome time we had!
If you are a fan of camping and want to be flexible with your Oahu plans, I highly suggest renting this van. I also contacted people ahead of time on Instagram of people who had tagged #vanlifeoahu in their posts, did some research on Reddit, and Molly sent her own list of free places to park (all campsites on the island were booked up by the time we booked our trip, although I'd like to return and be able to get camping permits in the future), and we had more than enough safe, beautiful, free, and quiet spots to park overnight. It never felt sketchy or unwise despite what some Reddit users have posted in the past.
This is an awesome way to spend a vacation and I can't recommend it enough for a single traveler, two people, or a couple!