What can I do to prepare to move to HI? (Kahului: relocating, travel)

[TERRIE]

it's basically about feeling closed in on the rock (island)...not being able to drive a long distance.....seeing the same scenery over and over...also, missing family and friends from where you come from....it can feel isolating at times...with the different culture here etc....hope this helps

[saltofearth85]

Thanks for the info. I thought that it was a disease or something
Well I live now in Delaware, but I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Do you think that it might happen to me?
I know for a fact that I am going to miss my family, but their support should help me on!

[amperez]

SaltofEarth- have you already moved to HI? I am looking to move in June and I have tried to be prepared as possible. If you just moved there, can you spare some advice that might make the move a lil easier?

[saltofearth85]

Originally Posted by amperez

SaltofEarth- have you already moved to HI? I am looking to move in June and I have tried to be prepared as possible. If you just moved there, can you spare some advice that might make the move a lil easier?

No I haven't moved to Hawaii, I am planning to on April of next year if not then in around 2 Years. This is why I started this thread. Feel free to look at the comments on this tread. They are helping me.
What i can say is that you should save all the money that you can, and their is a book that you should read "So You Want To Live In Hawaii?". I haven't read it yet, but I hear is very good for people that are moving to Hawaii.
I hope that this helps you and if you find anything that will help me to please do let me know.

[Genxor]

We are embarking on our move in 2 days , to the Big Island.
The Big Island became our choice simply because of home / land prices.
Our initial plan was to retire on Oahu , but then it became "why wait ?" and plus Oahu became too expensive for a home. ( we do not rent and like a large yard).
It is an extensive planning process for dogs, cars,shipping items etc. Not something to make a rash decision about.
Do visit your potential island and subdivision area.
Pets can be "direct release" at the airport if you follow rules with documents etc.
Our cars cost $3600 to ship from the east coast to Hilo.
As previous posters stated, and I have read alot about, it seems that quite a high number of people ( usually from the west coast) move to Hawaii and are out of there in months/ year/ 2 years.
The cost of living is higher, but if you cannot afford to spend an extra dollar ( give or take) on items that you normally purchase, then you really shouldnt be there anyway. That works for Hawaii or NYC.
Do sell everything. We sold everything in our home except limited decor, keepsakes, the basics. Ship things Parcel Post through the post office. It takes approx. 3-5 wks to arrive, but a 70 lb. box or tote ( within specific dimensions) costs about $46 to ship. The price can't be beat.

[TERRIE]

genexor....i truly wish it was just a dollar or two....all those little dollar or twos add up!.....we make a very good living and are quite frugal...and still feel the crunch. it doesn't make sense to spend money here that we could be saving on the mainland. and just visit here a few times a year!!... there are many beautiful places on the mainland to live..but, the only way to know is to move here and experience it yourself....just like we did...good luck!

[Kalona]

Aloha,
I am moving over to the Big Island in two weeks. I've been preparing for 3 years. Moving to Hawaii is not just relocating, it is choosing a different lifestyle. If you move over with mainland expectations it will be more difficult than if you move over with flexibility of living life in a different flow than where you left. Embracing the Hawaiian flow of life (rather than trying to change it) will give the move over more chance of success.

As far as the cost of living factor... I find it to be relative to what your experience is now. I am moving over from California... and right now gasoline cost less in Hawaii than it does here! I just had to put a new windshield in my Jeep because someone whipped by at warp-speed on the freeway and kicked up a rock that blasted into my windshield hard enough to crack it. The only soothing thought for me was that in two weeks time, I will not have to drive freeways as part of my daily experience. That is worth a lot to me! Here in the bay area, I cannot afford to buy a home even though I make a very good income. In Hawaii I've already bought land and am building a log cabin on 3 acres. For me, this is bliss. I know that the quiet, sometimes solitary living style will suit me. The small community of Volcano will suit me. As with any move to "foreign" land, learning about the culture, and living in harmony within that style opens up more possibilities for joining successfully in the existing community.

Choosing where you will move to is crucial for success. The "feel" of the land in Hawaii varies from place to place tremendously. Go, look, walk around, feel it and slowly choose where you will feel at home. Of course, as so many before me have said, also research for safety; which areas are safer neighborhoods, what are the lava zones and the earthquake zones rates where you are looking. What other services are there, what services are not. You have to ask yourself if you can live happily with what is available to you, and with what you can create.

As far as moving over, I chose a Matson container. I am shipping my Jeep and my limited amount of "stuff" in a container together. They will arrive in Hilo in about one week from when they leave here. I chose this option because it was the most cost effective when I looked at the cost of replacing as opposed to shipping some essentials.

I hope this is helpful information. Good luck to you!

[hi2nc]

Originally Posted by Kalona

Aloha,
I am moving over to the Big Island in two weeks. I've been preparing for 3 years. Moving to Hawaii is not just relocating, it is choosing a different lifestyle. If you move over with mainland expectations it will be more difficult than if you move over with flexibility of living life in a different flow than where you left. Embracing the Hawaiian flow of life (rather than trying to change it) will give the move over more chance of success.

As far as the cost of living factor... I find it to be relative to what your experience is now. I am moving over from California... and right now gasoline cost less in Hawaii than it does here! I just had to put a new windshield in my Jeep because someone whipped by at warp-speed on the freeway and kicked up a rock that blasted into my windshield hard enough to crack it. The only soothing thought for me was that in two weeks time, I will not have to drive freeways as part of my daily experience. That is worth a lot to me! Here in the bay area, I cannot afford to buy a home even though I make a very good income. In Hawaii I've already bought land and am building a log cabin on 3 acres. For me, this is bliss. I know that the quiet, sometimes solitary living style will suit me. The small community of Volcano will suit me. As with any move to "foreign" land, learning about the culture, and living in harmony within that style opens up more possibilities for joining successfully in the existing community.

Choosing where you will move to is crucial for success. The "feel" of the land in Hawaii varies from place to place tremendously. Go, look, walk around, feel it and slowly choose where you will feel at home. Of course, as so many before me have said, also research for safety; which areas are safer neighborhoods, what are the lava zones and the earthquake zones rates where you are looking. What other services are there, what services are not. You have to ask yourself if you can live happily with what is available to you, and with what you can create.

As far as moving over, I chose a Matson container. I am shipping my Jeep and my limited amount of "stuff" in a container together. They will arrive in Hilo in about one week from when they leave here. I chose this option because it was the most cost effective when I looked at the cost of replacing as opposed to shipping some essentials.

I hope this is helpful information. Good luck to you!

Kalona provide some great insights and advice on making the move. I've lived here most of my life and only visited the mainly occassionally, so can't make the comparison on the lifestyle change. But his approach is definitely worth considering. Trips out here may be costly, but the extended stay would probably be priceless. Nothing like experiencing it yourself...not just a quickie visit.

A few things to note though:
-The neighbor islands are VERY different from Oahu. Oahu (Honolulu mostly) is very metro. On the outskirts, we have older neighborhoods, as well as suburbs (such as Mililani, Kapolei, Waikele, etc.), country style living (North Shore, Windward side) and unbelievably expensive areas where there's basically no chance of getting into the neighborhoods, unless you're a bizzillionaire
-Essentially, Oahu itself has VERY diverse neighborhoods. Not so much for the neighbor islands, although they are very different from each other.
-Lava flow is only on the Big Island. Large eruptions can trigger earthquakes and tsunamis (very seldom) but can be felt on the other islands as well

That's all I can think of right now. Feel free to shoot over more questions.

[from az]

First of all, think TWICE, before you move. We left Dallas for Oahu in 2004, just because we had vacationed there so many times and fell in love with the island. We left our jobs, sold our 4 bdrm home, everything that wasn't necessary to continue a life with...including furniture, and went to Oahu with nothing but our suitcases. We shipped our belongings by regular mail, which took a few wks to arrive, and sent our car over on Matson for $1,000.00, which took almost 5 weeks, with no guarantee of an actual arrival date.

Once there, we spent a ton of money in a hotel, which are not too cheap on Oahu. We contacted a realty company, which was given to us by the concierge service at a hotel, and they took us out to Aiea, which is near Pearl Harbor. We lived in a 36 story hi-rise that overlooked I-1 on one side, and the Pearlridge Mall on the other, with Pearl Harbor in the distance. The view was beautiful, however we were in a 2bdrm/2bath 726sq ft place with only a window AC unit (no ceiling fans because the building is surrounded by concrete for possible tsunamis) all for $1400.00/mo plus utilities!

I worked at a title company and my husband worked at Home Depot, both near the financial downtown area, and we were about 12 miles to/from work, but the traffic was terrible. It would take us a good 50-60 minutes each way for such a short distance. Coming from Dallas, traffic tie ups were an issue, but never like this!

So, besides that, it was nice. Weather always beautiful...well most of the time. We got used to paying $7 for a gallon of milk, $5 for a loaf of bread,
$20 for a Pizza Hut pizza, and found that there was always an abundance of rice at the WalMart. The pay didn't offset the cost of living, but just the opportunity to live there was enough for us. Sadly, we could no longer afford the possibility of living there when we found that our little apartment was being sold for $400,000.00 and having to look for 2nd or even 3rd jobs like most of our friends had to stay there, so we decided to move back to the mainland. We now live in sunny Phoenix. We miss the water and the peacefulness that we found there on Oahu. It was a good experience.

There's a book out called "So you Want to Live in Hawaii" and it is a good starting source we highly recommend.

Hope this helps!

[viking2001]

Originally Posted by TERRIE

it's basically about feeling closed in on the rock (island)...not being able to drive a long distance.....seeing the same scenery over and over...also, missing family and friends from where you come from....it can feel isolating at times...with the different culture here etc....hope this helps

I live in Alaska which is the largest state in the USA & I have seen the same scenery all my life here too in the city where I live (Anchorage). I think most people do with the exception of travelling salesmen or nomads.