Planning move to islands need help!

[hotzcatz]

Wow! Four or five trips a year to the mainland is significant $$$$. We don't even manage that many trips to Oahu.

Family just doesn't visit all that often. They say they will, but then something happens so they don't. Some of them don't like to fly, some don't have the cash. There are a variety of reasons, but it ends up that we see family in quantity about every ten years and that's when we visit them during some sort of gathering. Otherwise we see them in small groups every other year or so.

[PaliPatty]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Wow! Four or five trips a year to the mainland is significant $$$$. We don't even manage that many trips to Oahu.

Family just doesn't visit all that often. They say they will, but then something happens so they don't. Some of them don't like to fly, some don't have the cash. There are a variety of reasons, but it ends up that we see family in quantity about every ten years and that's when we visit them during some sort of gathering. Otherwise we see them in small groups every other year or so.

We have kids on both coasts and a parent in Texas who has had health issues recently so yeah, we do tend to budget a lot for travel. It's the price we pay for being a real part of their lives, not just a card with a check in it at birthday and holiday times. We are lucky enough to be able to afford it, for the time being. After retirement? Not so sure.
But honestly, we'd like to do something other than spend our travel budget on visiting relatives or having them visit us. Flying ANYWHERE from Hawaii is expensive. For the price of flying from HNL to SFO I could fly from NY to Europe and see a whole other world. Hawaii to Europe is insanely expensive, not to mention grueling. Air travel truly sucks now.
When you start to see your lifespan in finite terms you start to think a bit differently. Things change when you think of yourself as having, maybe, twenty good years left as opposed to having forty good years left. Yes, of course you develop friendships here but it's surprising how many of the friends you make here end up moving to the mainland, both locals and transplants!! Lots of goodbyes.
When we first moved here you could get bargain inter-island flight coupons for $38, one way. Buy a bunch, put them in your wallet, show up at the airport and jump on a plane. It was fun. Not so now. Inter-island travel also means a hotel stay and a car rental at ridiculous rates too, both of which have gone up in price tremendously (kama'aina, my ass). I love the BI but haven't been there in a couple of years---just not worth it, sadly.
Sheesh....Is it too early to break out the wine?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We moved to Hawaii after retiring. We handled the whole visiting-the-family issue by spending our summers on the mainland. That way we have just one round trip flight to the mainland every year. At over $1,500 for two round trip tickets, doing more than one per year would be impossible.

We know that none of our children or grandchildren can afford to come visit us here. And in the nearly four years that we've been here, not very many of our friends have come to visit either.

[PaliPatty]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

We moved to Hawaii after retiring. We handled the whole visiting-the-family issue by spending our summers on the mainland. That way we have just one round trip flight to the mainland every year. At over $1,500 for two round trip tickets, doing more than one per year would be impossible.

We know that none of our children or grandchildren can afford to come visit us here. And in the nearly four years that we've been here, not very many of our friends have come to visit either.

I suppose that might work, to a point, if your family is in just one area. Our families are spread all over the place. We would still have that issue if we decided to move back but travel would be much less expensive from any area on the mainland to any other mainland area than it would be from Hawaii. A good part of our family would also be pretty close to where we would probably end up, too.
And (OMG) we could possibly DRIVE to see them!!! Or take a train!!! Dare I say WOOHOOO!!!???
We've had quite a few friends and family visit us and they loved it here but few have come more than once, except for the kids. The grandkids are still quite young so independent travel isn't possible but I'm sure that they'll be infrequent visitors once they are out on their own, unless we supply the tickets.
At the risk of getting unbearably maudlin I'll skip on recounting the scenarios I've been witness to at work (RN) involving those who have moved here, lived many years here, and ended up so very alone at the end. Brought not only me but many co-workers to tears, many times.
Sigh....just more stuff to add to the "column A/column B" list that, right now, is only in my head. Hubby is formulating one, too, and gently mentions it once in a while. He's retired already and I am thinking retirement is looking better and better and closer and closer. I want to do it while I can still enjoy whatever is left.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by PaliPatty

I suppose that might work, to a point, if your family is in just one area. Our families are spread all over the place. We would still have that issue if we decided to move back but travel would be much less expensive from any area on the mainland to any other mainland area than it would be from Hawaii. A good part of our family would also be pretty close to where we would probably end up, too.
And (OMG) we could possibly DRIVE to see them!!! Or take a train!!! Dare I say WOOHOOO!!!???
We've had quite a few friends and family visit us and they loved it here but few have come more than once, except for the kids. The grandkids are still quite young so independent travel isn't possible but I'm sure that they'll be infrequent visitors once they are out on their own, unless we supply the tickets.
At the risk of getting unbearably maudlin I'll skip on recounting the scenarios I've been witness to at work (RN) involving those who have moved here, lived many years here, and ended up so very alone at the end. Brought not only me but many co-workers to tears, many times.
Sigh....just more stuff to add to the "column A/column B" list that, right now, is only in my head. Hubby is formulating one, too, and gently mentions it once in a while. He's retired already and I am thinking retirement is looking better and better and closer and closer. I want to do it while I can still enjoy whatever is left.

I know exactly what you are talking about being alone at the end. Right now that's not an issue for us (luckily), but we know that's something that may happen in ten or twenty years.

Regarding the family being all over the place, we fly to Portland Oregon where my daughter lives, pick up the car that they've been caring for over the winter, and then drive to Colorado via Yellowstone, Yosemite, or whatever else we feel like doing. We've got plenty of time, so we can take whatever circuitous route we chose.

Fortunately the rest of the family is in Colorado, so we can usually see most of them together. By giving ourselves the entire summer on the mainland, we are able to travel all over the country to see friends and family. This summer I hope to visit the last four states that I haven't been to.

Yes, driving! Yes, train! People who haven't lived in Hawaii don't understand how exciting that is.

[PaliPatty]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Here's a solution to the pepper problem: U of H Seed Program It's a dollar for a packet of seeds. Find a container of some sort that has drainage, put some soil in it, add in a bunch of bunny manure if you can or some compost, put in the seeds and add sun and water. If you get an old washing machine tub at the dump, they make great planters. (Add a pink plastic flamingo and folks won't even notice the washing machine tub.)

Or go to the Filipino store where the vegetables aren't made of gold. They have a limited selection since I think they are all local grown things, but they aren't near as expensive as the big name brand grocery stores, either.

Of all the stores listed, we generally choose KTA since they buy more produce from local producers. There are also farmer's markets, but that's not always less expensive, it depends on the market.

I grow a bunch of vegetables but never had luck here with bell peppers. They seem to end up with thin flesh and unfriendly inhabitants, wormy things that burrow into the fruit and take up residence.
I've had great success with them on the East Coast, growing plenty for eating and freezing. Not so here.
Chinatown has cheaper produce here so that would be an option too, I guess. Not necessarily locally grown, though, and by the time I find parking and pay for it, not worth it to me.
But I like the pink flamingo idea.