Living the Dream: Relocating (Temporarily) to Hawaii

I’ve learned a lot in the last three months about making a move to paradise and living aloha. Evidently, it is part of a new trend and one that the Hawaiian government is trying to promote. “Movers & Shakas" launches Sunday as a campaign to attract former residents and those from elsewhere to set up remote offices with a view. People are given a free ticket to Honolulu as part of the program.

Should you do it? Yes. Do not hesitate, especially if you don’t have kids or pets. Coming here gives you a quality of life missing from many of the urban centers. Living in paradise is not perfect, especially when you’re bringing some the same hassles with you: distance learning, Covid-19 safety, paying bills. Yet, almost any bad day can end with your toes in the sand and breathing fresh saltwater air.

Another Beautiful day at salt pond beach park in kauai.

We chose an island, Kauai, we were familiar with so we could experience it more as a resident and less as a tourist. We watch Hawaii Life regularly and always think about what if we moved here. Only coming for a month was short-sighted, especially with the cost of the testing. We should have planned for two to three months. I underestimated the benefits of being here, especially for my own health. My resting heart rate has dropped ten points being here.

Think about the space you will need. With a large family (six of us), a house was the right call. My kids are loud and thumpers. Trying to keep them quiet in a condominium complex would have been challenging. Work directly with local rental agencies versus the third-party aggregators when you can.

Lots of space for the kids to run around at the poipu dream hale.

I worried ahead of time about the supply chain. You’re living on an island after all. Some conversations with the locals will help you figure out what days the shipments come in. Our biggest miss was not bringing tennis shoes for the kids. They’ve been able to participate in sports programs here. I miss having my mouse for my laptop. We still call for Alexa at times. I’m tired of wearing the same shirts, but all in all I’m happy that we packed light and have room to take some of my island favorite foods home.

Before you book your flights, have a testing plan. I suspect that the Covid-19 test requirement is going to be around for awhile. Hopefully, results will start coming faster and there will be less worry about having them in time. Also, I can’t stress enough to research and understand the current Covid-19 requirements on the island you’re visiting. They are changing all the time. Kauai opted out of the Safe Travels program while we were there.

Remember that you’re on island time and everything is going to take longer. From renting a car to refilling medications, just relax and appreciate the slow down moments. If you are returning to an island you’ve been before, you might find that the hours of stores and restaurants are reduced, or gone completely. Plan ahead, especially if you want a takeout holiday dinner.

footprints are the only thing we are leaving at the beach.

Most of all, take this time to live aloha. Part of the reason we created She Lives Aloha is that we found that the Silicon Valley lifestyle was making it difficult to connect with people, ourselves, and nature. For those who have Hawaii in their soul, the draw to return over and over again is real. The pandemic has presented an opportunity like no other to live the dream. For now, we will just think about Kēia lā (today) and live in the moment.