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Old 11-07-2012, 09:13 PM
 
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Ok so Expat forums and one's like this are full of people who give you every reason in the world why you shouldn't and couldn't move to any city of your heart's desire.

I moved to Hawaii from Upstate NY 5 Years go with little job experience, a GED and some cushion money. Yes I spent 2 years in a crappy job, the commutes were long, the wage was terrible but I stuck it out until gratuitous fortune and opportunity came my way.

For young people who have the spirit to move to any particular area, if you can't rough it without all the comforts of home, you lost half the battle already. As long as I've lived here I haven't owned a TV, I eat rice not bread, I drink water not soda(or juice). If you want to 'Make-It' in a place that is desirable to live you have to make sacrifices, but as long as you can maintain those sacrifices and survive eventually things will turn your way.

Honestly there isn't any reason why a single person couldn't come here, wait tables (you get full minimum wage +tips) and totally earn a decent living and have a nice lifestyle.

To sum it up, Fortune Favors the Bold.
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Old 11-08-2012, 12:32 AM
 
Location: Volcano
12,969 posts, read 28,521,103 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VMTGlobal View Post
Ok so Expat forums and one's like this are full of people who give you every reason in the world why you shouldn't and couldn't move to any city of your heart's desire...
...To sum it up, Fortune Favors the Bold.
I'm one of those who tend to favor bold moves for people for whom the circumstances are right, because I've made such moves myself and treasure them all.

If you're young and want an adventure and have no responsibilities, why not? As long as you're willing to behave responsibly I'll give you some pointers about ways to keep the risk manageable... like making sure you always have a way to get back home if things don't work out.

Or maybe you're an empty nester, who's given and given and given now you're ready for some "me" time and you want to do something fun for yourself, and a few years or more in Hawai'i seems like it might be just right.

Or you have some other scenario that isn't entirely preplanned and laid out and buttoned down and it's maybe a little crazier than anything you've done before. Well why not?

To think that life is predictable and you can just fill out a spreadsheet and figure out all the right moves in advance is an illusion. My sister was saving pennies for a very long time for her first trip to Hawai'i when her car was t-boned by a speeding driver and she was killed instantly. So yes, carpe diem.

On the other hand, if you there are other people than yourself in the equation, especially children or other dependents, then I'll encourage you to do a lot of research and examine every detail of your plan in very sharp detail, because a move to Hawai'i when you have other mouths to feed besides your own can be a brutal experience.
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Old 11-08-2012, 12:54 AM
 
Location: Hawai'i
1,392 posts, read 3,060,971 times
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I totally agree with VMTGlobal and OpenD. Sense of adventure, and openmindedness about living conditions, and no dependents? Sure!!!

On the other hand, people with a lot of kids who say they will come here and work a bunch of part-time jobs to afford to live here...what are they thinking? What, they are going to work 2-3 jobs to pay for childcare for the kids they will be paying others to raise? Naw, bad idea. OTOH single with no dependents or other obligations? (Which means debt free too!) Then give it a try. Later in life when (IF!) you want to settle down into a more profitable career, you will find that fortune smiles on the bold and the adventurous.
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Old 11-08-2012, 09:25 PM
 
1,730 posts, read 3,821,746 times
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OpenD,Oh that is a sad story about your sister, I am sorry your family had such a tragic loss.
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Old 11-09-2012, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Middle of the valley
48,590 posts, read 35,070,562 times
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Of course you can. But why would I WANT to live like that? For good weather and beaches?
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Old 11-09-2012, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Hawai'i
1,392 posts, read 3,060,971 times
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Originally Posted by Mikala43 View Post
Of course you can. But why would I WANT to live like that? For good weather and beaches?
Evidently, you don't want to. Everyone has different wants, needs, likes. I simply could not live in a cold place no matter how much money I made. Perhaps you are satisfied to only spend your two weeks vacation a year enjoying the weather. Some of us need to enjoy it every morning when we wake up. Different strokes for different folks.
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Old 11-09-2012, 08:18 PM
 
1,730 posts, read 3,821,746 times
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People find value in different things. Good weather is on my list of priorities. I can live about anywhere I want, and I want to live where I can go barefoot/slippahs year round, have sunshine on my face year round, and take a walk day or night without needing more than tossing on a sweatshirt over my tank top and shorts ..... year round!

That's the good thing about being an adult, you get to choose priorities for yourself.

[Insert mini-rant here] And also choose for the best for your children if you are a parent (which I am adding so that there is not the usual drift to "I will gladly live in a tent and eat papaya as long as I can move to Hawaii, and I will just home-school my children since I cannot afford to work around the school problems").
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Old 11-09-2012, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Hawai'i
1,392 posts, read 3,060,971 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CyberCity View Post
People find value in different things. Good weather is on my list of priorities. I can live about anywhere I want, and I want to live where I can go barefoot/slippahs year round, have sunshine on my face year round, and take a walk day or night without needing more than tossing on a sweatshirt over my tank top and shorts ..... year round!

That's the good thing about being an adult, you get to choose priorities for yourself.
Agree, agree, agree.

And, one size fits all type of advice fits about the same as one size fits all clothing. In other words...it doesn't really fit anyone well. We all have different wants and needs. If I never had to wear shoes again, I'd be delighted, I love slippahs (and have them in every color ...and have for years before I ever knew I'd be moving here.) I don't want to have to live where the weather is cold just so that I can afford snow tires, boots, parkas, heating oil, etc. Not to mention the high expense of a few island vacations per year...I'm saving thousands right there.

Quote:
[Insert mini-rant here] And also choose for the best for your children if you are a parent (which I am adding so that there is not the usual drift to "I will gladly live in a tent and eat papaya as long as I can move to Hawaii, and I will just home-school my children since I cannot afford to work around the school problems").
Or my other rant, "I'll work three jobs just so I can make it" without the thought that much of that income will go toward the babysitters who will be raising their children for them while they work those three jobs.
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Old 11-09-2012, 11:32 PM
 
Location: Volcano
12,969 posts, read 28,521,103 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HiloDiver View Post
Or my other rant, "I'll work three jobs just so I can make it" without the thought that much of that income will go toward the babysitters who will be raising their children for them while they work those three jobs.
Or the "I've always done well wherever I go, so now I just need to live somewhere the kids and I can go to the beach every day." But on analysis, it would take a salary of $79K in Hawai'i to match the same standard of living they have on $50K back in Illinopolis, but unfortunately the same job only pays $39K in Hawai'i, so it would take TWO full-time jobs in Hawai'i to achieve financial parity with their mainland position, and they are practically NEVER going to have time for the beach.

Being bold in life, and stepping out in new directions without having everything figured out in advance is something I can get behind when circumstances offer a reasonable opening.

But to just plow headfirst into a hopeless situation, with no clue that you're in over your head before you start, that's something I can't support.

And the way you can tell the difference is that the former actually pay attention to the advice they get here.
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Old 11-10-2012, 12:08 AM
 
Location: Hawai'i
1,392 posts, read 3,060,971 times
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And to add to your sage advice, it's one thing to rush headlong into a new life when you have nobody to answer to, but quite another to drag children into it.
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