I flew to the 'least touristy' island in Hawaii. I'd only suggest this wild trip to certain travelers.

Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? . I flew from Maui to Molokai, a Hawaiian island known for being quite rural and not touristy. The commuter plane was small, and the 20-minute flight offered me gorgeous aerial views. I'd only recommend this trip to travelers who can handle turbulence and want an off-grid adventure . I grew up on Maui and have spent much of my adult life living in and exploring Hawaii's many islands. However, I'd never visited Molokai - one of three populated islands in Maui County - until recently. Molokai isn't popular with tourists, and the island can only be visited by commuter plane. Often described as Hawaii's "least touristy" island , Molokai hosted around 30,000 visitors in 2024, a minuscule percentage of the millions of tourists who came to our state. Home to about 7,400 residents, much of the island's land remains dedicated to agriculture, cultural preservation, and rural areas. The island has no big-box resorts, not much nightlife, no permanent traffic lights, and limited visitor infrastructure. The tight-knit community has historically resisted large-scale tourism to protect its slower pace of life. Until 2016, travelers could reach Molokai by ferry from my hometown of Lahaina, but the service was discontinued due to competition from commuter air travel and declining ridership, Maui News reported . Today, small commuter planes are the only way to access the island. I paid $190 for my round-trip ticket from Maui, and the turbulent 20-minute flight quickly made it clear to me why this trip isn't for everyone. I confidently arrived at the airport just 15 minutes before my flight. Having traveled on Mokulele Airlines, a Hawaiian airline popular with commuters and island hoppers, before, I knew what to expect. Check-in is usually quick, there's no security checkpoint, and passengers receive their seat assignments before walking out to the plane as a group. I knew 15 minutes would be more than enough time, even if I just checked in and went straight to the plane. Weight is a major factor on commuter planes. All baggage must be weighed upon check-in. I had provided my weight ahead of time, but I was also asked to step on the scale with my carry-on items for the most accurate measurement. From there, seating assignments are based on the safest way to distribute everyone's weight. Only in Hawaii would you run into someone you know in a terminal with fewer than 20 people. I ended up on the same flight as a childhood friend. She was traveling to see her parents, who had moved to the island after their retirement. She told me she loves visiting Molokai and unplugging by putting her phone on airplane mode for the duration of her trip - not that reception is always easy to come by on the island anyway. We ended up boarding the plane at 11:10 a.m. The day before my flight, I received an email notifying me that my 9:50 a.m. departure had...

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