How long did it take from deciding to arriving?

[RugbyDave]

My story's not typical either but was offered an excellent job at the Hilo Medical Center as well as Easter Seals Hawai'i. Salaries are great here for my line of work, even for my residency, which is about 9 months to a year. There's a monthly bonus for 'rural health' which the BI is considered, and which helped seal the deal for me. I was always planning on opening my practice on the BI but didn't think I could find a residency here so easily.

I interviewed on Skype April of this year and I'm starting work Monday July 8th, so about 2 months from soup to nuts for me.

Now, those 2 months involved a lot of work/emails/phone calls, but knowing the island from my youth (and the realities of BI life) helped a lot.

[khyron]

It was sometime just after Y2K that my wife (then fiancée) and I sat across the kitchen table and first theorized about it, at the time she was considering which medical schools to apply to and I was planning out my IT career (and eventual retirement). Through several job changes for me, moves across the country for us, and the progression of medical school through residency and eventually fellowship for her, we refined our plans year after year. All along the way there was networking, feasibility research, financial planning, etc. and late last year it came time for her to finally fly out for some interviews. Having grown up on Oahu, it was a magical experience for her to return and just as magical for me to discover, in person, so many experiences I had only read about (even if that reading had been in pretty excruciating detail by that point). More interviews spawned repeat trips to Oahu. Several months ago, one of those interviews turned into a job offer and shortly thereafter a contract was in place and our detailed final planning began. This week we fly to Oahu again, this time with our brand new daughter, to hunt rentals for our "landing pad." Next month, the car goes on a truck and our stuff goes in a container, and we fly out again, this time on one way tickets. It's been quite a trip, but now the real journey is beginning. We can't wait!

[Dthraco]

Great stories everyone! Very interesting.

[KauaiPono]

I am in the beginning of my planning/moving stage. Bought a 2 bedroom 1200 sq ft condo in Princeville, Kauai in 2011, have been renting it out ever since and will move in about 10 years when I retire. (That is the plan anyway).

[hunterseat]

Got the job offer in Oct, moved the end of Dec.