Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Aloha everybody!
I have started reading through the forum, such a wonderful wealth of information that I have read thus far. I read through the topic of moving and that was pretty helpful, Maholo! I am 30 years old, my husband is 37. I have many health issues, one being Fibromyalgia. I do much better in a warmer climate and we have been talking about moving to Hawaii. We are vacationing there next month in Oahu for 10 days. My husband is in banking and I am wondering how hard it would be to move and make a living there? We have 2 little adorable dogs, 2 cars and a 2 bedroom condo worth of furniture. Question: How hard is it to find jobs in Hawaii? I do not mind struggling a little as we are definitely not "rolling in it" here by any means. NJ is VERY expensive. A 2 bedroom apartment is $1700-2000 here. Jobs are not too hard to come by, but not that easy either. I could really use a lower key type of living as my anxiety with my Fibro is horrible. I have no quality of life here. The winters take a major toll on me. If not Hawaii, we will be looking in to Florida or the like. Any advice is so helpful and appreciated.
Aloha,
If you are even remotely seriously considering this move, my main piece of advice from what you have written is to go over to the Hawaii Agriculture site (or search this forum about moving dogs to Hawaii) and check out the timeline for getting your pets approved for moving into Hawaii without quarantine. It's a complex, but not complicated, system, and probably about $500 per animal total (not including the flight cost) but the main thing is that there is a very specific time line that must be followed. You are probably looking at 4 to 6 months to clear your pets for immediate airport release if you start the process right away. I made a reckless miscalculation on rabies shot timing, and we are now rolled out 60 days before we can move, when only a few months ago, our pets were ready to go (it was a follow-up rabies shot that I missed, dogs have three year vaccines, and cats have one year vaccines). So, all things being equal, you can probably arrange jobs, moving, finding accommodations, etc., on your own timeline, but when it comes to bringing the pets, ya gotta play by Hawaii's rules.
Good luck!
And then finding a place to stay which accepts multiple dogs (good thing they are small dogs) can be more complex, too. It is much easier to move to Hawaii without pets or much stuff, but folks still manage to move here with a lot of things and pets.
See if your husband can set up several job interviews during your vacation next month. Fortunately, Oahu is the island which has most of the finance folks on it. Once he has a job at a bank or financial institution, then perhaps he can pull the nepotism string and get you employed there, too. Also, if you are planning on moving, check out the different areas on Oahu so you'll have an idea of where you'd want to live.
You can also drop into Queens, Kapiolani or Saint Francis hospitals and inquire about their services for your fibro. Those are the three biggest hospitals in the state and Oahu does have most of the medical care, too. See if it will be adequate for your condition since if they can't handle it, you'll have to go to the mainland for health services. Hmm, a lot of folks have been going to Thailand for medical services lately, though.
Maholo for the replies! I am pushing him to get some interviews lined up for next month, so hopefully he will do it. He is on the VERY laid back end(too much) so I think he will fit in very well. Our dogs are very small. Together their weight is about 10 pounds. They're trained and crated during the day while we work. They're not really barkers and very well behaved. I am going to go ahead and get them their titers and rabies vaccinations and such lined up JUST in case we can move (fingers crossed). Thank you for the advice on the hospitals for my condition. I found a doctor after years of research here who has gotten me on pain medication that is helping me. I have years of experience with child care and personal assistant. Perhaps I will be able to find some work there too. I do worry about the health insurance there as we have it here and couldn't live without it. We pay out of pocket about $300+ even with being covered, so if it stays the same or is less, fantastic!
Funny that you mention Thailand. My husband actually worked and lived there for years, but we're not looking to relocate there as I would like to stay in the USA with a 12 hour plane flight rather than a 24 hour one for visiting family and vice versa. I'm sure with us living in Hawaii, we'll see them more than we want and do NOW (and they live a few miles from us LOL)
I do hope there are banking jobs available out there. That would make life easier !
Mahola again! I think we'd love the people and the enviroment. We are hard workers, not looking to mooch off the government. We have a small savings, and we are VERY respectful and peaceful and sick of the people in the North East here. They are so rude!!
One more things about your doggies, Andi, many people move over with their pets, and it works out fine (the pet moving process itself, can't vouch for ease of finding pet-friendly accommodations though). Here is a nice link, with photos, that gives a great view of The Big Pet Moving Day.
Good luck!
Mom of Number One Pomeranian! Flying / Moving Pets to Hawaii!: The Big Day (AKA the day you fly with your pets to Hawaii)
Since you said you have many health issues, i would first check to make sure the care you need is going to be available in the way you want it before getting to wrapped up in the idea of moving to Hawaii. Hawaii does have the same big medical operations as on the mainland but because the outer islands may not, lots of medical needs are routed to Oahu and that may mean a long wait for specialize care and even routine care. You may also find that even if the care is overall really good, some areas may be below par due to a lack of specialist or too many patients for the avauilable doctors.
You keep your dogs in crates all day while you work??
Yes, we do. It's actually called an "exercise pen" . They have access to food and water, bedding, toys and a pee pad to relieve themselves if needed. I don't want my dogs walking around and getting hurt, or peeing on something (even though they are trained) finding a pill I dropped and eating it, etc. They are much safer and content in a pen while I am not home. It is large mind you. 2x4, with enough room to move around. Plenty of people gate their dogs in a bathroom (which is actually where my one is and the other in a pen) I assure you I am a very responsible pet owner. These two little guys are my babies. I would only do what's right for them.
Also, thank you kindly for the link to how to move dogs to Hawaii successfully. I also will definitely look in to health coverage in Hawaii and such. If there wouldn't be the type of care I require, I certainly would not move there (much to my dismay).
Maholo for the warm welcome and helpful tips! I am looking forward to visiting in a few weeks!
Maholo for the warm welcome and helpful tips! I am looking forward to visiting in a few weeks!
Andi
Just a tip.. It's mahalo.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(even though they are trained) finding a pill I dropped and eating it, etc. They are much safer and content in a pen while I am not home. It is large mind you. 2x4, with enough room to move around. Plenty of people gate their dogs in a bathroom (which is actually where my one is and the other in a pen) I assure you I am a very responsible pet owner. These two little guys are my babies. I would only do what's right for them. 
