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A little bit about me.. I am 25 years old female, very laid back spiritual person..i love the outdoors, hiking, yoga and just being around all different type of people and cultures so why not take my chances to move somewhere where it has it all, right?
I wanna be in a environment where i can give back to the community, i don't just wanna live on some island i wanna be apart of the island.. i wanna help out and meet as many people as i can..and just enjoy as much of this life that i can.
I am doing this trip for myself and only myself, i dont have any ties holding me back, no parents, relationships and i know the friends i have met along my journey will come visit.. I have always just been a free spirit and i am looking for the most in life.. i want adventure everyday, i wanna learn and experience and just to be continue to be happy..and i gotta say that view that i have seen only in pictures so far is definitely worth the experience.
I plan on getting a motorcycle when i do move down, and yes i know it rains alot but that was never been a issue to me.. i enjoy the rain and i will work around it
I plan on saving 5000 dollars not including motorcyle/moped cost that i plan on buying, i am looking to either work on a farm for living or live with others, (craigslist finds) until i know exactly where i wanna be..
i am gonna try to work at a hotel since i have about 6 years hotel experience, but i am keeping my options open as well.. i have alot of trades and experiences, so i will look more into job 3 months prior to moving
but i guess my big question is, after looking through all the zillion articles i have read which would be the best fit for me? Maui or Oahu?
I know everyone probably asks that question but to me its just a draw between which one is more suitable..
i know i will have more job opportunities in oahu, and i also know that the vibes in Maui are more my style...
so any local information, or tips, would be greatly appreciated!
Well, if you start out on Oahu, the public transport system is good enough that you'd not need the motorcycle right away. That would save on purchase price, insurance & licensing right off the bad and conserve your cash for if you needed it. Find a hostel or some sort of shared housing situation for a month. Look around for employment and see if you like Oahu. It's a great island to be young on, not so good for buying property on, though, due to high costs.
If Oahu doesn't feel right, then pop over to Maui. Since you'd not have the motorcycle yet, you'd not need to ship it. See if you can find a hostel or shared housing there while looking around. If it looks good and you find employment, then look around for more permanent housing and the motorcycle.
Make sure you have enough $$ put aside for an airline ticket back if you need it and don't burn any bridges on your way to Hawaii since if all falls through, you'd need somewhere to return to.
My daughter moved to Honolulu two years ago as a single, free spirited adult. She loves Hawaii, but life has been difficult. Her first efficiency apartment cost $1,000 a month plus $1,000 deposit. This was a room with kitchen, living, and bedroom combined. The only privacy was the bathroom door. Her apartment was right by the highway so you hear traffic and ambulances all day long if you sat on the balcony. She was able to ride her bicycle to work which was five blocks away. Living near your job is vital due to horrible traffic and gas prices currently running $4.39 a gallon. (I just came back from a visit) Do not go over without a job!!!! She interviewed for an Allstate insurance position on Skype. Her boss did not pay for her flight over or shipping of her car which cost $2,000. Money was very tight and continues to be for her. She finally found two roommates and they share the rent of a three bedroom house with yard. It still costs her $1,000 a month for her share of an old 50's style house (no air conditioning) with a beautiful view of the ocean. She has a dog and so do her roommates so they needed a yard. She also changed jobs because her boss never gave raises and treated her badly (overworked). Her new job is still selling insurance and she sometimes has to stay at the dealership until midnight. Many of her friends work two jobs to make ends meet. Eligible guys that she has dated are mostly military and get shipped out after a couple of years. She did buy a motorcycle to get to work because the gas prices are very high and she seldom uses her car now. She is thinking about moving back to the mainland in a year. The reality is she will never be able to buy a home there and saving up money is next to impossible with the high cost of food, rent, and gas. If you love beach, think about Florida or California. I think you will enjoy life where you can afford to live comfortably. Hawaii is a great place to visit, but please don't think it is all paradise!
Last edited by LadyDonna; 05-28-2014 at 12:23 PM..
Reason: clarification
That sounds like a typical story of a young person wanting to live in Hawaii, despite the fact that they can't afford it. Working one or two low paying jobs, struggling with finances, being constantly broke, saving zero or next to zero for retirement is not a viable long term life plan.
The young people should be concentrating on getting an education in a field where they can prepare themselves for a career that has the potiental for earning a high income. They should then live below their means, saving a lot of money for retirement. With some skill, some luck, and other wise choices, they will eventually be able afford to live in Hawaii. At that point in their life, they will be able to afford living in Hawaii. However, they might decide that it isn't worth the price.
My daughter moved to Honolulu two years ago as a single, free spirited adult. She loves Hawaii, but life has been difficult. Her first efficiency apartment cost $1,000 a month plus $1,000 deposit. This was a room with kitchen, living, and bedroom combined. The only privacy was the bathroom door. Her apartment was right by the highway so you hear traffic and ambulances all day long if you sat on the balcony. She was able to ride her bicycle to work which was five blocks away. Living near your job is vital due to horrible traffic and gas prices currently running $4.39 a gallon. (I just came back from a visit) Do not go over without a job!!!! She interviewed for an Allstate insurance position on Skype. Her boss did not pay for her flight over or shipping of her car which cost $2,000. Money was very tight and continues to be for her. She finally found two roommates and they share the rent of a three bedroom house with yard. It still costs her $1,000 a month for her share of an old 50's style house (no air conditioning) with a beautiful view of the ocean. She has a dog and so do her roommates so they needed a yard. She also changed jobs because her boss never gave raises and treated her badly (overworked). Her new job is still selling insurance and she sometimes has to stay at the dealership until midnight. Many of her friends work two jobs to make ends meet. Eligible guys that she has dated are mostly military and get shipped out after a couple of years. She did buy a motorcycle to get to work because the gas prices are very high and she seldom uses her car now. She is thinking about moving back to the mainland in a year. The reality is she will never be able to buy a home there and saving up money is next to impossible with the high cost of food, rent, and gas. If you love beach, think about Florida or California. I think you will enjoy life where you can afford to live comfortably. Hawaii is a great place to visit, but please don't think it is all paradise!
Very good points LadyDonna, thank you for the post. The only reason i stayed in Honolulu. When i was in the Navy stationed here. I was very, very luck my last duty station was at the Ship yard, and was offered a Job upon Retirement, two months after. The Ship yard likes to have ex-navy personnel to be liaison between the ship yard and the ships. We already know the lifesyle on the ships. We've lived them before in our time, so we can relate and get the paperwork through the ships to start repair work. I would not have been able to stay and work another job. Would have been working two jobs for sure to make up the difference. Would have moved back to Washinton state for sure. Even now i cannot afford to own a House/Condo anything, i rent. Rent, food, gas, Utilities, eat up a lot of my earnings, but i get by and have saved up a slush fund for Emergencies. Its just the wife and i now. I do not take vacations, do not eat out, or go to movies. I do walk a lot so that doesn't cost a lot. Thanks again for the post. Hope somebody else reads your post and thinks hard before jumping.
I think Maui is my first choice when moving to Hawaii because of wonderful location and views, beautiful grounds and gardens, great pools and fitness center. The downside in Maui is the cost of living too high, the apartment rooms are beyond expensive, I can't afford to stay there.
Maui has an excess of spiritual seekers. Chances are you won't be helping this island or its people by coming here. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to live here, but you have to be realistic and understand that this isn't a third world country and you won't be blessing Hawaii with your presence. Actually with the poverty wages that farms pay, the state would be helping you with food stamps...
That sounds like a typical story of a young person wanting to live in Hawaii, despite the fact that they can't afford it. Working one or two low paying jobs, struggling with finances, being constantly broke, saving zero or next to zero for retirement is not a viable long term life plan.
The young people should be concentrating on getting an education in a field where they can prepare themselves for a career that has the potiental for earning a high income. They should then live below their means, saving a lot of money for retirement. With some skill, some luck, and other wise choices, they will eventually be able afford to live in Hawaii. At that point in their life, they will be able to afford living in Hawaii. However, they might decide that it isn't worth the price.
Thanks for the advice, sounds like the perfect recipe for an extremely boring life. Hawai'i is expensive, but there are many success stories. You never know until you try. Take chances while you're young, jump into the deep end and you'll learn to swim. If not, you can always move back to the mainland, but at least you gave your dream of living here a go.
Thanks for the advice, sounds like the perfect recipe for an extremely boring life. Hawai'i is expensive, but there are many success stories. You never know until you try. Take chances while you're young, jump into the deep end and you'll learn to swim. If not, you can always move back to the mainland, but at least you gave your dream of living here a go.
That sounds like something a young person would say that has very little life experience. I agree that it is possible you could move to Hawaii, be successful, and have a good life. However, the chances of a young person being successful without the job skills necessary to earn a high income make chance of being successful extremely unlikely.
While you are still young, you have the opportunity to significantly improve your standard of living. When you reach age 40, it becomes very difficult, and becomes very unlikely as you reach age 50. I used to work at low wage, lousy working conditions jobs, mostly with no benefits. At age 40, I changed my life. It was a very hard thing to do. I've lived on very low wages in the past and now I am in the top 5%. The top 5% is much better than close to minimum wage!
You can shuffle through life when you are young, partying, having fun, working for multiple low pay jobs, poor or no benefits, constantly being broke, and living very close to the edge of homelessness all the time. Or, you can invest in yourself. You suffer for a few years educating yourself for a career with high income potential. You enter the work force at a much higher pay than just a high school graduate. Over the next decade, your income doubles, triples, or more. You live below your means, at a fraction of your income, and save a lot of money for retirement. You can buy new cars with cash since you don't need to take out auto loans. You can pay off a 15 year mortgage in 10 years. Since you are saving a lot of money, your investments make even more money, making your income even higher.
Every year you work at a low level, low pay job, party or goof off, time marches on. It becomes more and more difficult to ever change your life. Eventually, you will be old, you won't be able to retire until you can't work anymore. Then you'll retire and live in abject poverty and likely have a miserable life. At that point it will be too late to do anything about it. You can then think about how your life could have been different, if only you were willing to listen to the advise others gave you.
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Moving to Hawaii is not always paradise!
