Moving from Hawaii to Iowa. Any helpful pointers needed.

[IowaRose]

Sell off as much of your furniture and things as possible. It's expensive to ship big stuff to the mainland. If you have seasonal decorations or clothes, consider boxing them up and mailing them ahead to one of your relatives.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by atler8

In the case of Hawaii, which is so completely geographically removed from the mainland 48, and extremely isolated from EVERYWHERE on the planet, do your homework & take my "visit" advice.

This is great advice!

In addition, it pays to be extra careful when moving anywhere geographically isolated, and that applies to Alaska, too. If it doesn't work out, it will cost hundreds (maybe thousands in some cases) of dollars to fix.

Given the crappy economies in a lot of places, I would suggest making a list of what you desire and see if there are cheaper alternatives to Hawaii. I understand about wanting to get away from Iowa winters, but a move to a place like Houston, TX would be far cheaper and would give you lots of sunshine and heat, as well as a decent economy, at least in some fields.

[Meemur]

OP, when you move back to Iowa, give yourself two years to adjust back to the winters. I moved here from Ohio, which is warmer. But I grew up in Michigan, which is more similar to Iowa.

Also remember to refresh your memory on winter car kits and practice stopping in an empty parking lot after the first significant snow. If you grew up here, all of those skills will come back, but you should practice them for greater safety. It won't take long!