Before jumping on the plane to Hawaii, Sidney and I decided to make the decision to Uber while on the island. We came to this conclusion for a couple reasons. First, rental car rates were astronomical and reservations were tough to nail down. Second, we had three wedding events to attend that naturally served alcohol. We wanted to celebrate with Kailey and Corbin without worrying about operating a motor vehicle afterwards.

But the first day we were there, something became apparent. There were not many Uber drivers working in Kauai. We had to wait long periods of time for a ride and in one instance we had to resort to calling a cab. So we decided to pivot, but that didn’t mean we rented a car through a traditional rental car company.

Instead, we tried something called Turo.

Turo worked out nicely for us in Hawaii.

Sidney describes Turo as an Airbnb service for cars. You contract with individual vehicle owners (who use the Turo platform) to use their personal vehicles for designated periods of time. Thus, the concept is similar to that of a traditional rental car company but rates are far less. Hawaii is home to a thriving Turo community and we were encouraged by a couple of our Uber drivers to give it a shot. Sensing that it might be our best option, Sid made a Turo reservation while we were on an Uber ride to a wedding event.

We ended up renting a Jeep Renegade via Turo.

The next day, we were cruising in a Jeep Renegade. The Turo reservation and pick up processes were both simple and convenient. Best of all, we paid half as much for the Turo vehicle as we would have if we opted for a traditional rental car. It was like we were meeting right in the middle of our Uber vs. rental car dilemma.

Sidney reporting on the condition of our Turo vehicle.

Going with Turo allowed us to explore the entire island of Kauai and permitted us to attend the wedding events without stressing over whether an Uber would be available to drop us off/pick us up at our convenience. It took a little responsibility on our part but it wasn’t an issue at all.

One of the first photos I snapped from inside our Turo vehicle.

Turo is huge in Hawaii but it has a presence nationwide. If you want to do something a little different than going with Hertz or Budget, you know what to Google. Don’t Blink.