how to plan an affordable trip to easter island

Many folks have Easter Island (or Rapa Nui to islanders) on their bucket list. Unfortunately, many people are deterred because it could be pricey. Fear not. Try to follow these tips and hopefully, you'll soon be on your way.

A Moai statue from the quarry.

1.  Miles, miles, miles. You don't have to be a literal frequent flyer to accumulate miles. You can do it by signing up for credit cards with at least a 40,000 signing bonus and charging everything on that card (but pay off your balance every month), and linking your airline mileage program with a hotel/car rental/dining loyalty program. It is easier to earn miles than you think. For this trip, you will need to use two frequent flyer programs: Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, and One World, which includes American Airlines.

For a roundtrip flight between Chile and the US, the Star Alliance network can get you to Santiago and back for about 60,000 miles and under $100 or so. That is, if you book a "saver" award nine months or so in advance ("standard" awards for economy require 130,000 miles, "saver" awards for first/business class require 110,000 and "standard" awards for first/business class require 300,000 miles), accept that you will have two stops, and turn right when you enter the plane (a.k.a. economy class). If you use One World for this leg, they will charge you high fuel fees and taxes.

A view of 15 Moai statues at Ahu Tongariki.

For a roundtrip flight between Easter Island and Santiago, you will need One World.  See, there is only one airline that regularly flies to Rapa Nui: LAN Airlines, which is part of One World. For in-country flights, One World does not charge ridiculously high gas fees and taxes. I was able to get a roundtrip flight through my British Airways miles (part of One World) for 25,000 miles and $26.

Just remember that when using miles, booking well in advance (I do it about eight or nine months in advance) is the key to get your award seats. Think of it this way, you made the decision to put Easter Island on your bucket list -- doesn't it deserve the extra advance planning?

2.  Don't stay at the fancy hotels. There is one town in the island and most locals and tourists stay there (most of the island is part of the national park). So, accommodations tend to be on the pricey side. To save some money, I used Airbnb.com to rent an apartment where not only did I have a lot of private space but also a fully functioning kitchen to prepare meals. If renting an apartment is not your thing, there are other basic hotels and guesthouses you can check out.

Some of the Moai statues have slowly been restored. 

3.  Splurge on a tour guide. Now that you've saved hundreds of dollars on airfare and accommodations, don't skimp on hiring a tour guide. You can spend some time reading literature and driving around the island but there will be plenty of things you'll miss. My travel companions and I hired a private guide one day and drove around in our rental car the next few days (because we were cheap). Although a private guide was pricey, I definitely thought that I learned and saw a lot of things. In comparison, when we only had travel books with us, I didn't get the same sense of history and detail, and there were times when we couldn't find certain items of interest. If a private tour guide is too pricey, joining a group tour is the next best option. If you want to save on a tour, I thought that seeing the sunrise over Ahu Tongariki could be done independently but you will need to rent a car and be disciplined enough to wake up early.

If you have been to Easter Island, what tips do you have for lowering your costs?