Ever dream of one day living out the rest of your life in a tropical paradise? Where you can sleep in a hammock and sip on a beverage while watching the waves roll back and forth all day. Pure bliss and relaxation are what come from that image, and people search all their lives to attain it; naturally many people find moving to Hawaii an appealing idea. For good reason too, with beautiful and pristine beaches, fun nightlife, stunning natural beauty, and a relaxed atmosphere, Hawaiian life seems like the life everyone deserves.
Before you start planning your move out to Hawaii though, you should know a number of things that will be very important to anyone wanting to relocate to this island getaway. It is important to research the planning of moving, the actual moving, and what to expect should you live here.
How to Move to Hawaii
First and foremost, you should know a bit about Hawaii before moving out here. Sure you have seen the pictures and heard the stories, but like any other place you, wouldn’t want to move without looking at the area first. Before you buy land or a home, you should first come to Hawaii and explore a little bit. More than just taking the tourist routes, you should look around and find what area suits your living style the best, as each island is different for its own unique reason.
For example, if you are looking for a place with nightlife and great surfing, you may want to look at the island of Oahu. Home to the famous Waikiki, Oahu has both of these things and more; however, the island does get very crowded as it’s a popular tourist attraction. This means if you want to live here, you need to be ready to put up with traffic, hard to find parking spots and lots of people. Oahu is also home to the state’s capital city, Honolulu.
However, if you are looking for a place with a bit more solitude, you may want to find a smaller island with fewer people, like Kauai or Lanai. It should be noted that areas like this have fewer jobs to offer transplants.
Which place to move to really depends on what kind of lifestyle you are looking for, and even more important is where you will work and what you will do. These are the decisions you need to make before you plan your trip!
Commuting
Another thing to take into account is transportation, some of the islands do have a public bus service, and other islands such as Lanai or Molokai don’t have one. Be sure to look into this if you don’t have a car or another mode of transportation. Even if you do have a car, places like Honolulu become very congested, and to ensure yourself a parking spot every day some people rent out a monthly parking spot.
Cost of Living
Speaking of paying extra money, you should also be warned that things cost more in Hawaii. An estimated 90% of the food in Hawaii must be shipped in, leading to high food prices while the average income is lower than the average income in the continental United States. So once you move out here, expect to make less and pay more.
All these things are important to consider before you make any big decisions, but once you figure them out, you’ll be able to relax into your new home in Hawaii! Here are a few tips that will make the move a bit easier on yourself and everyone else involved.
What’s the Best Time for Moving to Hawaii?
You definitely want to pick the right time to move. If you were moving to a place in the mountains, you wouldn’t want to move when it’s snowing, and if you’re moving to Hawaii, you certainly don’t want to try and make the move during peak tourist months. With this in mind, the ideal times to move to Hawaii are between the months of January and May, or between the months of September and November. With fewer tourists in the area, you can find cheaper flights; finding a car rental and short term accommodations will be a lot easier.
Another thing to know before you start shipping out all of your furniture is that many places in Hawaii come fully furnished. That means that some of the homes have more than just couches and bedroom furniture, but things like cookware are also provided. So don’t start shipping everything over if you may already have it there for you. You should do some research and find out before you make any assumptions.
Should You Bring Your Furniture?
Things can take a long time to be shipped from the mainland to Hawaii, and you must make the right preparations for it to go smoothly. Some shipping companies in Hawaii can take care of everything for you, from shipping to delivery, but you must be sure that everything is allowed to come into the island beforehand. For example, a car must meet high expectations to be allowed in and some foreign-made cars simply don’t make the cut.
Is Your Pet Moving to Hawaii?
Speaking of not being allowed to enter, if you plan on bringing any plants or animals, be sure to have all the correct paperwork taken care of. All plants must be inspected before being allowed entry into Hawaii as the state is very protective of the natural ecosystem in place. Some animals are not allowed at all, including ferrets, wolves, and many others. You should look at the list of animals that are not allowed, just in case you try to make the move with a beloved pet only to discover they aren’t allowed.
Should your pet be okay to make the trip, they still need to have the correct medical work and documents that go with it. Without it, they could be subjected to 120-day quarantine as opposed to the usual 5-day program which makes the process far easier.
Although none of this is meant to scare you off from coming to live in these beautiful islands, it’s always a good idea to know exactly what you need to do so that your transition into living in this paradise can be as smooth as possible.
More Information
If you’re not quite ready to start packing, browse our blog for more tips or follow us on most social media sites @RoyalHawaiinMV. You can also get a free quote to include in your estimated moving costs.
