Well, I have found a way to arrange for cheap travel while feeling the thrill of gambling all in one site:Hotwire.
I don't consider myself much of a gambler, but after spending almost every waking hour of the last 2 or 3 days online trying to arrange for rental car, hotels and interisland flights in Hawaii next week, it all seems like a crapshoot. At least Hotwire lets you admit it. They offer really low rates on flights, car rentals and hotels, but you don't find out the details (like the name of the hotel) until after you have purchased. Since we are splitting our time in Hawaii into three parts-- Oahu, Maui, Oahu-- I figure we can take a chance with a few days worth of accomodation. We leave in 4 days and so far I have managed to book us the first four nights of lodging, only. Something will come through. Nantoka naru.
The problem with dealing with companies in Hawaii is that they all operate on Hawaiian Time. What this means is that someone living in Japan, like myself, expects anything business oriented to be dealt with lighting fast. If I send an email inquiry to a Japanese company I expect I will hear back from them within 2 or 3 hours maximum. Hawaii doesn't work like that. I lived there for 4 years. I should know better than to expect instant responses.
If it comes down to the wire I'll just book most everything through Hotwire and be done with it.