hind sight (transporting, rent, home)

[Tomsjem]

Aloha!!! Thought I would share some things I would do, in hindsight.
Get your resume ready before your move. Most jobs require one and after sending them, it takes time, for me 3 months, before you hear anything. Get a letter of reference from any employer you can, it is difficult and time consuming to verify employment with the time difference. Make the hiring managers job as easy as possible!!!
Before leaving your home town, go to your local police precinct and ask for a letter of good conduct and get your drivers abstract. They are time consuming to acquire once you leave and forfeit your old drivers license to obtain a Hawaii Drivers license.
Register with an employment service. The positions may be on call and temporary, but you never know where it may lead.
Hope this advice will help someone!
Good luck!!!!

[KonaKat]

And, when you arrive, get a cell phone with a Hawaii number. Nothing says transient like using your old phone number.

[Tomsjem]

Absolutely KonaKat!!!
If you are transporting an animal, drill 4 holes by the front grill of the crate. The airline will secure the door with ties. My cat escaped during the drilling. Then came the alarm to shut all the doors!!!!! secure the area!!! and thats how the trip started!!

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by KonaKat

And, when you arrive, get a cell phone with a Hawaii number. Nothing says transient like using your old phone number.

Your mileage may vary. I never had a problem with it.* I needed to keep my old number going for a while because I still had business to complete back in Texas. And cell phone companies typically do not have a referral service to a new number so you have to personally notify your contacts of the change. For me that amounted to hundreds of contacts. Plus, in my field (computer projects) it is common for people to retain one cell phone number while moving around the country.

I'd say, if you can afford to add a second line with an 808 number right away, do it. Or get a landline as soon as you can.

*I literally only can remember one individual who had an issue with it, because he had a limited calling plan with no long distance. I told him to text me when he wanted to talk to me and I'd call him. Problem solved.

[henry1]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Your mileage may vary. I never had a problem with it.* I needed to keep my old number going for a while because I still had business to complete back in Texas. And cell phone companies typically do not have a referral service to a new number so you have to personally notify your contacts of the change. For me that amounted to hundreds of contacts. Plus, in my field (computer projects) it is common for people to retain one cell phone number while moving around the country.

I'd say, if you can afford to add a second line with an 808 number right away, do it. Or get a landline as soon as you can.

*I literally only can remember one individual who had an issue with it, because he had a limited calling plan with no long distance. I told him to text me when he wanted to talk to me and I'd call him. Problem solved.

i have kept the same number for 10 years now and beening in a business that likes to move you around when opening up new places for them and i do get alot your are not from around here line a few times when giveing them my phone number for something ..

but i did go out and get a local cell phone service phone and phone number that is the local number and i check it once a day for calls to the voice mail ..so when dealing with a Hawaii based company i give them the hawaiian number not the mainland number ..

plus i change my i.d card over to the hawaii id card for better deals when i do go into the island for things when i dealing with people there ..

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by henry1

plus i change my i.d card over to the hawaii id card for better deals when i do go into the island for things when i dealing with people there ..

Absolutely. This is Tip One on my list. And you can open a local checking account online before you even arrive, and even reserve a post office box in advance (though you must actually rent it in person). It's almost impossible to get a mainland check accepted with a mainland driver's license.

[hotzcatz]

A lot of businesses don't have cell phones as their office phones so they would have to pay the long distance to call a mainland cell phone number. Some of my neighbors have mainland cell phone numbers and I can't call them unless I use the cell phone so they don't get invited to as many things as the neighbors who aren't a long distance phone number away.

While you are gathering up mainland papers, it might also be nice to get a copy of any and all medical records you have there. Medical, dental, etc. Also if you are possibly going to be taking classes, school transcripts, too. It's much easier to get these sorts of things when you are near the people who have them than to try and get them long distance.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

A lot of businesses don't have cell phones as their office phones so they would have to pay the long distance to call a mainland cell phone number.

True, but since 1/4 of all cell phone users today have no landline at all, most businesses are used to it and don't have a problem with it. Not even my corner convenience store.

I realize this is one of those issues that kind of divides along age lines. Nobody under 30 is even going to think twice about this, because area codes become irrelevant when you have an unlimited calling plan. And since I'm ageless in spirit, I was one of the first to get rid of my landline. And my cable tv connection.

[hotzcatz]

Hey, I'm just glad I have touch tone! The land-line-stuck-to-the-wall phone still works during big earthquakes when the cell phone died so we keep both around. Someone did ask to borrow the phone awhile back and I handed the land line phone to them and they couldn't find the "send" button. However, I still find myself listening for a dial tone from my cell phone, so I can't laugh at them!

The phone reception with cell phones still can't beat the land line, though. It's not that they work better than land lines, it's that they work in more places than land lines. The stuck to the wall phone is still a lot cheaper than the cell phone, too.

I think small businesses might be concerned about long distance calls, although there's probably at least one person in their office with a cell phone with unlimited calling on it. Still, having a local number just sort of shows you are intending to stick around for awhile.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Your mileage may vary. I never had a problem with it.* I needed to keep my old number going for a while because I still had business to complete back in Texas. And cell phone companies typically do not have a referral service to a new number so you have to personally notify your contacts of the change. For me that amounted to hundreds of contacts. Plus, in my field (computer projects) it is common for people to retain one cell phone number while moving around the country.

I'd say, if you can afford to add a second line with an 808 number right away, do it. Or get a landline as soon as you can.

*I literally only can remember one individual who had an issue with it, because he had a limited calling plan with no long distance. I told him to text me when he wanted to talk to me and I'd call him. Problem solved.

A prepaid Tmobile phone costs $20, and about $50 for 400 minutes.