Is the grass greener in Maui? Contemplating relocating from Saint Paul. (Hilo: leasing, homes)

[Big Island Cat]

Heck I'd settle for just going to visit New Zealand, never mind that first or business class stuff. I am just waiting for my kid sister to move there, so I would have a free place to stay even.

And don't forget the Haleakala sunrises too. Nice fun list for the next year, hope you get it all done.

[davephan]

Maui-Intoxicated, it sounds like you are quickly becoming a resident expert on things in Maui!

The weather yesterday was hot and sticky, and mid-week is supposed to be even hotter and stickier in the Twin Cities. The mosquitoes are really bad this summer, maybe because all of the rain. A mosquitoes control department's contracted helicopter crashed and killed the pilot several weeks ago. I don't know if that cut down or ended the aerial spraying in the Twin Cities. This summer I have to use mosquito spray, even during sunny daytime hours, which is unusual here. I don't know if mosquitoes are a problem there.

New Zealand is also on our list. However, so is Australia. The upcoming vacation to this coming winter to Australia is causing the trip to Hawaii to be moved up to November between Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays while kids are stuck in school, which is a better time for us to travel since we have no kids - the cost may be a little lower and maybe less crowds. I still have to get going and book airfare and accommodations first, then rental cars. I've been looking at VRBO and trying to decide what part of Maui and the Big Island to stay. We'll probably book a hotel in Oahu. We don't have to be close to the beach, we can drive there. Does a GPS work pretty well in Maui? Usually our GPS works pretty well, but rarely, it can't find things, but that's usually in rural areas.

Is a 4x4 a better option than a 2x4 truck on Maui? We don't own a pickup truck yet, but we thought about buying a used one to haul stuff for our gardening and landscaping, or maybe a new one in about five years as a one of our 'retirement' vehicles. I think I could get by in Minnesota with only a 2x4 if I stay home during the bad snow storms and wait a day for the roads to be plowed, which is what I do. I just telecommute during those days, especially the first ones of the season where a lot of people crash into each other or run into the ditch. You'll be missing out on all that fun this winter!

[maui-intoxicated]

Davephan, the mosquito's can be equally annoying here. The good thing is where I live there is a constant trade wind to reduce the amount of mosquito's so I only notice them on muggy calm days.

As for 4x4 you don't need it really. I haven't been anywhere or seen or heard of anywhere you would need it. As I am typing I do see guys get to some creative spots on the beaches with there vehicles...and that might require 4x4.

Your right, no need to be right on the beach. Its merely a convenience thing. Depending on what beach you stay on you would most-likely have a lot of traffic during the day around your place. Good call on not being right on the beach.

Driving has been a breeze, parking my big truck in tight spaces is the difficult part.

I just passed my drivers written test, I failed the motorcycle as I didn't study, so I now have to retest in a week, if I fail I will just skip the motorcycle endorsement. I wasn't a fan of the questions on the motorcycle test. It had a lot to do with when to use the front / rear break... in combo or alone, which I kind of ride my bike the way I ride my bike and break the way I break, apparently I got some of those questions wrong so I know I will need to study the state of Hawaii manual for the right answers.

It was $2 per written test, and I believe $10 for the license... don't quote me on that. I will follow-up with that info later.

[maui-intoxicated]

Surviving a tropical storm was not on my list of things I wanted to accomplish, but it happened. Flossie came and went with minimal damage. We had some tree limbs down but nothing terrible, no major flooding and no slides.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

Surviving a tropical storm was not on my list of things I wanted to accomplish, but it happened. Flossie came and went with minimal damage. We had some tree limbs down but nothing terrible, no major flooding and no slides.

This one was really mild. We really only had a few hours of rain, but the wind was pretty strong this time. When it rains like yesterday for a straight week is when we have real problems. 2011 was really bad, and you can youtube alof of the aftermath.

[MauiOlya]

Aloha, guys, I finally moved to Maui in July and I am sorry, I was too busy so this is the first day I can actually write something. So just came to say "hi". So far everything looks good. I am from a big city in Russia and I was afraid I would be bored a little bit, but so far everything is great, I really enjoy Maui!

[mauimac]

braddah,
foa dat trip. u goin get eattin li one doggie biskit oer hea. no matta wot u tink u kno frum one fass kine visit.
save urself allkine problems an misery, cuz u goin get it regardless. southside n westside, goin eat u up n spit u out ,
eh, u can always live in ur over priced gated communities n sounds like ur dat kine oa folks , ull neva get hawaii let alone maui.


CUZ, U NO KAN BUYEM IN DA STORE......

[Dthraco]

mauimac - Your whole rant could easily be compared to a gang banger in south central Dallas speaking in ebonics trying to tell a middle class person that they would not like being in the ghetto or bad areas.

Nice Trollin.

[FloridaPirate355]

I don't live in Hawaii, however my best advice is I highly recommend you visit first before you jump in without looking. And by visit I don't mean being a tourist there on Vacation, I mean really getting a feel for what life is like there, what do the locals do? What kind of jobs do they have? Where do they shop at? What do they do? What advice could they offer you? What are the pros and cons of living in Hawaii? Maui specifically?

I think you really need to do this first. A very good friend of mine who lives on Maui, he moved there with his girlfriend without proper planning or prior visiting and kind of got stuck out there. They both thought that life was going to just be hanging out at the beach all day long and relaxing. Nope, he works multiple jobs and can barely afford his rent do to the very high cost of living. He works so much he rarely ever get's to go to the beach. He really wants to come back here to the mainland but cannot afford the price of a ticket (flying to and from Hawaii is expensive) as he has to pay his rent and food etc...He's basically just scraping by. He also hates feeling stuck on an island and how none of his family comes to visit him. He's been on Maui for the past 4 years and not once has he ever left it, not even to the other Hawaiian islands.

However I know other people who did move to Hawaii and are very happy. They are doing very well, however this is because they really planned it out and visited enough first BEFORE they decided to move. They didn't just jump in blind. They looked at the COL and lowered their "standards" in a sense, got to know the locals and everything turned out great.

So really I think that's something you should try. Be like the second group of people, not the first. I think you have some good things going for you with the job interview and whatnot, but I still think you should pay a serious visit to Maui first.

[maui-intoxicated]

Originally Posted by FloridaPirate355

I don't live in Hawaii, however my best advice is I highly recommend you visit first before you jump in without looking. And by visit I don't mean being a tourist there on Vacation, I mean really getting a feel for what life is like there, what do the locals do? What kind of jobs do they have? Where do they shop at? What do they do? What advice could they offer you? What are the pros and cons of living in Hawaii? Maui specifically?

I think you really need to do this first. A very good friend of mine who lives on Maui, he moved there with his girlfriend without proper planning or prior visiting and kind of got stuck out there. They both thought that life was going to just be hanging out at the beach all day long and relaxing. Nope, he works multiple jobs and can barely afford his rent do to the very high cost of living. He works so much he rarely ever get's to go to the beach. He really wants to come back here to the mainland but cannot afford the price of a ticket (flying to and from Hawaii is expensive) as he has to pay his rent and food etc...He's basically just scraping by. He also hates feeling stuck on an island and how none of his family comes to visit him. He's been on Maui for the past 4 years and not once has he ever left it, not even to the other Hawaiian islands.

However I know other people who did move to Hawaii and are very happy. They are doing very well, however this is because they really planned it out and visited enough first BEFORE they decided to move. They didn't just jump in blind. They looked at the COL and lowered their "standards" in a sense, got to know the locals and everything turned out great.

So really I think that's something you should try. Be like the second group of people, not the first. I think you have some good things going for you with the job interview and whatnot, but I still think you should pay a serious visit to Maui first.

I could see how lowering your standard of living might be a real problem for some folks. If you are used to the finite little details of your everyday lives then you may not adjust well to rural island living in Maui. There is a smaller pool of resources to pool here which contributes to the lack of progression that most people feel they need or will perhaps MISS by moving here.

If you are content without these small intricate details, and have some patience you will be just fine. It's a slow going life here compared to many bustling cities folks are used to living in and these small intricate details all add to the overall bucket of things people take for granite once they move to Maui.

Here is a trick for the folks who are thinking about moving here. Save enough money for 1year of living here. Heck people should really be doing this regardless of where you live. I saved enough money so me and my wife could live here a year EASILY even if neither of us had a job.

People tend to make big mistakes when under pressure and stress, and by saving up all of that money you eliminate the financial stress. If you are running from financial stress, just stay put and don't come to Maui or you will create more problems for yourself. Relocating should be a well thought out experience. On the flip I have read on this forum people planning for years to relocate to Maui but they never do. The bottom line is that it's not for everyone. Just like living in Tribeca, New York, or Beverly Hills, CA or New Orleans, LA is not for everyone, living on Maui is simply not for everyone.

High income is not as sustainable here as it is in the mainland. I am not saying it can't happen, but the reality is these government and nursing jobs are usually contract jobs that only last 6months, or a year and then that person goes back to the mainland saying "wow that was a fun experience living on maui."

My next door neighbor said to me to be honest and tell me that he usually doesn't get too close to folks because they are always leaving shortly after they get here. I could imagine after your friends you make constantly leave you behind it could take its toll. You may not be leaving the island anytime soon, but that doesn't mean the good friend you made won't leave tomorrow.