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read, study, know EVERY SINGLE detail in all the paperwork for shipping your furbabies. and i mean, KNOW IT. attention to detail is key there. it's alot of work and you better do it right or you could end up in a jam.
I would say to everyone who is moving to Hawaii-DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING. Put it away in storage on the mainland, and come here with nothing, stay here for a few months, and when you know for sure that you will be here long term-then ship your stuff. and dont buy anything here right away-wait a couple of months. also dont sing a lease for long term, get something short term first.
I would say to everyone who is moving to Hawaii-DO NOT SHIP ANYTHING. Put it away in storage on the mainland, and come here with nothing, stay here for a few months, and when you know for sure that you will be here long term-then ship your stuff. and dont buy anything here right away-wait a couple of months. also dont sing a lease for long term, get something short term first.
I understand the reason behind this, and it is certainly valid. But I would also note a counterpoint - my transition has been made easier, in some indefinable respect, by the presence of a few familiar 'comfort items' brought from my prior home. A few pieces of furniture, my computer, my books, some clothes, and some weird things like the wedge-shaped pillow I use to sit up in bed and read at night, have helped this oh-so-strange-in-so-many-ways (most of them good, but still, different) place feel a little more comfortable at times. I would think this would be even more important for kids, even teens. It is great to be able to shed things and adjust to new ways at a slow pace, if it suits you - I was SO happy to get rid of most of my shoes, and buy 3 new pairs of slippers the day after we arrived, but my mother is still wearing her comfy loafers with little socks, and resists the whole idea of slippers. She'll come around, but in her own time. Having to change everything all at once is sometimes just too much. Maybe that's one reason people wash out here - they think they have to change everything instantly, they sell or leave everything behind, and it's just too much, with a new home, new job, new climate, new culture. If you can at least come home, and in the privacy of your bedroom, wear your fuzzy bedroom slippers at night (or hug your teddy, or curl up under your favorite blanket with the A/C blaring), maybe it will make it easier to absorb all the other stresses of moving.
Just an idea. Of course you have to weigh the benefit to be gained against the cost and hassle of possibly having to move stuff and then move it back.
"Third-world country" is how a lot of former mainlanders (including me) describe the Big Island. We're missing all kinds of products and services, but that's probably because they're either too expensive to ship over here or there isn't enough demand for them.
Things I would love to see here, just to give you some ideas: full medical care, Trader Joes, dollar stores (we have one in Hilo; same items as in a mainland 99 cent store, but everything is $3 or more), reliable contractors and other service people, a plastics store like TAP, used building supply... I'm sure there's more, that's just what came to mind first.
Ship only the essentials. One friend brought her grandmother's oak furniture and it doesn't look right here, and it gets mold like crazy. Another friend brought every single thing from the mainland and complains that her house doesn't look tropical. Furniture is more expensive here than on the mainland, but we do have craigslist and freecycle to keep costs down.
Also, a lot of mainlanders can't get used to living here, and many leave in less than 3 years. You might be facing the prospect of shipping stuff back if you find you don't like it here.
But if you have a truck, bring it on over. Big Islanders love trucks, and they go for a premium here. And you'll need it to take your garbage to the transfer station; most areas don't have garbage pick up. Or home mail delivery. Or water lines...
Too funny...when we moved to Hawaii we kept telling ourselves this is a 3rd world country with a Walmart...but LOVE living in Hawaii and hope to return someday.
At least we have a Wal-mart now, that's a fairly new addition, you should have seen it before. Also not all islands have a Wally's World. (Not that I ever shop there, I do not approve of Wally's World and will not shop there but some folks like it.)
The internet has done a lot to make getting things easier. We used to have to send off for mail order catalogs, find the stuff we wanted and then send off for it and wait six to eight weeks for it to arrive. Now we can find more stuff although it still takes forever for it to get here.
Overnight and express mail take three to five days to get to the Big Island. So that is an indication of "Hawaii time" I guess?
Look up the quarantine laws for your pets. It will be at least a four month wait AFTER you get the blood draw for the special rabies test sent off if you're not wanting them to be placed in quarantine. They also need to have current rabies vac's and microchips. There are other things, but these are ones you need to do right away. So plan on at least four months.
I would say to bring things with you. You will need clothes of course. Mostly summer wear, but bring light long-sleeves and pants b/c it gets windy at night. It's more casual here, but you will still need work clothes.
Try to find furnished housing. Look on Craigslist. That's really going to be your best resource for a place to live, IMO.
Bring any personal things you enjoy- books, hobbies, laptops, movies, ect. Once you're here, you can't really just hop in the car and go anywhere else if you start getting antsy. There are a lot of things to do outdoors, but some things get pricey.
It is wildly expensive. I know you keep hearing this, but until you move out here, you really have no idea. If your GF is looking at a retail job, especially Big Island- I wouldn't count on that to be sufficient income to live on while you're looking for work, especially if you don't have any savings to live off of.
You can ship your car over for around $2000. I don't know if BI offers TheBus or other public transit.
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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Don't bring any cannibals with you, if you're moving to Hawaii, but, then again,,,if you're moving to Hawaii, with cannibals,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,never mind..............
Is that cannibals or cannabis? Well, whichever, don't bring either. What have you been into, JJ, to think they would be bringing cannibals? We didn't have cannibals here it was those other islands.
To prepare to move to Hawaii, I'd visit first if possible. Pack up all your stuff and stash it at your friend's or parents houses, clean your apartment as if you weren't coming back, take a "vacation" at work and then vacation in Hawaii. If you can find a job within that amount of time, then move to Hawaii. If you can't, then go back and pretend it was just a vacation.
We didn't have cannibals here it was those other islands.
he is from maui you know?!
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move on . Hawai'i
