in answer to questions people have been posting, yes, we are young, motivated, hard working, "country" people. we don't expect to sit on our asses and do nothing. we don't expect a cake walk. we are looking for jobs before we come over. we are prepaying for a place. and no, the rents are horrible everywhere..here is boston it's damn expensive anyway. we are used to high heat, electricity, expensive gas and health insurance.
and no, i'm not getting my hopes up about any job..i'm just saying there are things out there. i will work 5 jobs if i have to. i already work at least 50 hours. what's adding on a few more?
i thank you all for the warnings, but let it be known that we are not expecting paradise to be handed to us. we are fully researching before we move(that's why i came to this lovely forum for some daily-updated been-there-done-that info)
i understand that there are a lot of people that sell everything and don't expect the negatives or hardships and move back. wee are selling a lot becuase i own a lot of junk i don't want it anyway.
so, thank you..i hope i didn't sound too defensive..it's just that we are working hard to make this work, not just simply 'running to maui'

As I posted above, the www.konaweb.com "Moving to Hawaii" forum is a wonderful resource for anyone moving to Hawaii.

Just returned from vacation in Maui and life is beautiful when you have the money to burn... but there are dozens of places on the Mainland that offer the climate and beauty of Hawaii without the drastic lifestyle change needed to move there... If you want to leave Boston... research southern US cities that offer better job opportunities and cost of living... that way you won't go totally bust and be stuck undoing your move...

auntimaria, I was repeating what John and his wife Zade had said to me about living in Honolulu. Personally, I don't care where I am as long as it is on the beach and I think home is where the heart is.

thanks for your help. we definitely want to go to hawaii. our jobs both ended, and we want the adventure. if it works, it works. if not, then we go from there. we have no plan for how long we stay. we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make it work. if we don't do it now, then when? when we get saddled down with mortgages and kids? we are childless and we don't have baggage back in mass. good time for a life experience i think

GoTravel, I noticed that you said "This was a guy making over six figures a year and his wife also had to work full time to come close to maintaining the lifestyle they had on the mainland."

I believe this may have been their downfall. It has been my experience that when people come here with expectations of maintaining the lifestyle that had on the mainland, they often fail. We just said aloha to a neighbor who went back for that very reason--he was not ready to succomb to island living.

Melyssalee, do be aware that things are differnt here, and they are very different when you live here than when you are a visitor. I am lucky that I have a job that allows me to work from virtually anywhere in the world, and I try to get the beach at least once a day, even if it is just for sunset. I know you work many hours now and are willing to work very hard. But when you get here it can be very hard to work two jobs, everyday and not be able to play at the beach like you would like. We have a construction company here called "Not When the Surf is Up Construction." That kind of sums it up.

here2day..thanks for your advice. i know it will be hard to work in such a beautiful place..but my days and times off will be just as nice as the ones i worked...
can i have your email address? i'd like to talk to you about island life..if that's ok..
melyssa

As long as you are not a bank robber, you can move to Hawaii. If you ARE a bank robber, and rob a bank, how are you gonna make a getaway?

Don't feel bad melyssalee. DH & I often talk about living in Maui. It just seems so perfect for our lifestyle too. Such a peaceful and spiritual place. Ahhhh!!! But I do understand that Hawaii isn't a place for everyone. Especially if your close to your family. We way the pros and cons. Maybe oneday if I come into a big winfall. Otherwise, I'll keep dreaming. Keep us posted on your move! Aloha!

I moved to Kauai from the East Coast one year ago next month and several members here were kind enough to share their experiences with me a while ago when I was freaking out. Well I'm still here but I can't say it's been a breeze settling in. Before I left the mainland I remember convincing myself that I would be a person who would adjust to island life without a hitch. I can chuckle about that now but I've paid some dues. I went totally deaf there for a while and could not hear the advice that people were shouting at me. Maybe I should put the following in capital letters. ; )))))))

1) Until you live here you will not know how you will feel about living here. It'a good idea give yourself a "trial period" of say a few months and then keep extending it if you like island life. That will take the pressure off of "moving here".

2) Hawaii is geographically far away from everything else and it feels that way. You may come from a small town but your town is not surrounded by several thousand miles of ocean in all directions. You can get into your car and drive to the next town but you can't do that here. Locals live on the island we are from and not on all the islands in the entire State. It is very expensive to go to other islands ($500-600 minimum for a weekend for 2 and they have mostly the same stuff we do, so why bother?).

3) There are different kinds of things in Hawaii to stimulate your brain than what you are accustomed to. Your brain will like some new things but it will miss some old things. Some of these things are so subtle that you will miss them subconsciously until you figure out what they are. It took a trip to the Mainland for me to figure out what some of them were. : )

4) I would not come to Hawaii without a job lined up especially for any job over minimum wage. The number of jobs available are fewer overall and I've found that it really is a matter of who you know. After a long search, as soon as I knew some people, doors opened up to me. It's a personal handshake kind of process and not really a merit or resume based process. I did find a position but the opportunities are not as good as on the Mainland overall.

5) The culture here is largely Asian(Japanese/Chinese/Korean/Filipino)/Polynesian (Hawaiian/Samoan)/Californian Did I miss anybody?(I'm not saying that there's noone else here I'm just saying that's the majority). If you will miss any other culture think about it.

6) It rained for weeks on end here this winter (Kauai) and it has been rather warm during the day since June (without air-conditioning). The locals are accustomed to it, you may not be. Evenings are generally cool for sleeping.

7) It helps to have a hobby that you are very, very dedicated to and excited about, surfing, fishing, golfing, gardening. There's not as much casual "entertainment" generated for you as on the Mainland. You have to make it for yourself.

8) The other things are details and not nearly as important to my way of thinking.

a) Housing - I know someone who has an apartment in a basement for $600 but to rent a whole house or condo is about $1200 and up w/most average around $1500. Many young newcomers share housing.
b) Our cellphones work here but we can't get high speed internet access on all parts of the island.
c) We can buy inexpensive groceries at a Costco type store. Also v. inexpensive meat and fish at another store. Vegetables at Farmer's Market. We pick our own fruit, a real treat!
d) Walmart is the social place and everyone shops there. K-Mart less popular. We also have a Sears and Macy's.
e) We installed a satellite dish and subscribe to Mainland channels to keep up with news.
f) Buy an island car when you get here. Someone is always leaving and wants to sell one fast. Look in the paper.

Thank you for the previous tips everyone and good luck to you Melyssa!

Kakalena is 100% on the mark about moving to Hawaii, specifically Kauai.
I could write a book about my 6 years there raising our family! My kids had the most unique life on Kauai, lots of travel, lots of island experiences, lots of freedom. It was a fabulous, sometimes hair raising experience ... no regrets. HOWEVER, I am thrilled to be living back on the mainland in a major city. One thing learned about myself on Kauai: I love city life, which Kauai does not offer, LOL.

kakalena,
you posted a great post! we are in a sense doing a trial period, in that we plan on at least 4-6 months, and if it works, excellent!! our jobs have ended here. i was a nanny for over 5 years and they are moving next week. we have family we love, but are supportive of our adventure..you gave very good advice, thank you!
melyssa

heretody, that was one of Zade's downfalls. She had a big ole house in Pinehurst on a golf course and wanted the same in Hawaii.

I certainly don't get that.

We have experience with Oahu and Kauai. Kauai doesn't have enough rentals now that it is booming. Good jobs are hard to come by. Oahu will offer the most- still tough though. Last year my husband lived on Maui for a year in a $5 million company house. We couldn't find anything just for our own family under $2,500 - 2 bedroom and clean.

I'm not saying you shouldn't move. Just know the cheap rentals on any island will be nasty and will have over 100 people applying for the place.

2,500. a month??

In Kauai, once a mainlander moves in to the neighborhood, how are they treated? Are they welcomed with Aloha spirit or is trust withheld until they get to know the newcomers?

Ashley- It depends upon which Kauai neighborhood...

If you move to Princeville or Poipu it will be similar to living in an upscale suburb on the mainland; the residents are mostly white transplants. There are association rules, the communities are tidy and fairly uniform, almost country-clubbish. We nixed Poipu and P-Ville from our list right away when we were househunting for that very reason.

If you move to a more "local" area your reception may vary. I would not move to Anahola, Kekaha, Eleele, or Waimea tho the rent will be much cheaper there. Your best bet is to find an affordable place in the Kapa'a/Wailua area or Kalaheo which are fairly convenient for commuting. Lihue is the most convenient of all but not as scenic; there are modest neighborhoods in Lihue and there is also a pricey new upscale area of homes. Neighborhoods on Kauai can vary wildy. You can drive through the neighborhoods and get an idea of the environs by looking at how much junk is stacked up in the carports, LOL. For example, I would not move into a rental next door to a house with wild boar jaws nailed all over the carport and a pit bull on a chain, LOL. I have many haole friends on Kauai who live in local-type neighborhoods in Wailua and Kapaa; they get along just fine.

Kauai definitely has the "haves" and the "have nots." The expensive neighborhoods of custom homes will usually be filled with mainlanders, the older neighborhoods of modest homes will usually be long time locals and working class haoles.

Nice homes in my old Wailua neighborhood rent for 3000+ a month. There are cheaper sections of Wailua where houses rent for 1800+.

The housing prices on Kauai have skyrocketed; it is becoming very difficult for working class people to afford to own a home. We bought Kauai our home in 1998 during a downturn in the market, so it was quite a "deal" even tho I was horrified at the high price. We sold it in April 2004(to a mainlander, of course) for double of what we paid.

I knew I forgot something: Kilauea. This is a great little community, a good mix of locals and haoles, still relatively affordable.

vivi,

I could not have put it better about learning things about yourself from your experiences living here! I'm a city girl too but have lived for shorter periods in much less developed places (Costa Rica Jungle and Artic Circle Alaska) without affect. It's the idea of being out here permanently without hope of having a world-class city here until about 2300AD that is hard to accept. ; ))))))

You have also described the housing situation so well. I'll say again that it is often "who you know" that helps in finding a nice place. Two of our friends' friends rent them apartments for $600. We live in probably a more beautiful house than anyone deserves on the ocean for $1800/month. The owners got tired of finding weekly vacationers and listed it for $2200 but gave it to us at a discount because they trusted us. At least half of the houses in our neighborhood are rented under similar situations. People buy houses and condos here and get tired of managing them from the Mainland. They pay the huge mortgages at a monthly loss intending to sell them as investments in the future.

We also live in a community that many locals have never heard of. It helps to be very dedicated in your search and look under every "rock". : )))

As vivi says the North Shore is haole heaven and locals call it haolewood (howlywood, like hollywood, get it?).

We found our community to be friendly ultimately but don't expect the welcome wagon to come rolling up to your door. ; )))))

Here are the asking monthly rental prices for all "houses to rent" on the island from one day in the local paper last week.

anahola $750
haena $2000
hanapepe $800 -2195
Kalaheo $1200 - 2800
Kapaa $ 1200 -1850
Kapahi $2000
kekaha $1100 -1950
kilauea $ 1550 - 2850
Koloa $ 1650- 1800
Lawai $ 1500
Lihue $ 1200 -1600
Princeville $ 1600 -3900
Wailua -$1000 - 2400

Vivi's right that fancy houses can be mixed in with shacks so it's up to you to find the gem. We looked at 5 houses when we rented ours. We didn't feel any pressure to take something because of competition several of them had benn on the market for weeks, if not months. The other houses were in the $1500 range but not oceanfront.

Now as for buying a house or land... ; ))))))))))) that's another "talkstory" Auntie! : D

kakalena

Let me add a few more things about Kauai living.

I agree with Kakalena about the occasional desire to be near a world class city!! Honolulu is as cultured as it gets in the Central Pacific. I went there about 50 times in my 6 years on Kauai. It is almost like an extension of Kauai; I always ran into somebody I knew from Kauai at Ala Moana shopping center, especially around Christmas, back-to-school, or prom season, LOL. (I am going to Honolulu next month and fully expect to run into acquaintances from Kauai there!)

Since 9/11 the interisland flight schedule has been drastically trimmed and the prices have gone waaaaay up. It is very hard for working families to now afford a trip to a neighbor island to shop or visit family/friends. The reduced schedule has made travel frustrating, no longer can it be a last minute lark.

The new auto ferry service scheduled to begin in 2006 will be a blessing for families as the cost will be half of the airfare and they can take their cars.

If you are a lover of theater and symphony, a trip to Honolulu to see a Broadway-type play can be exorbitant as there are no flights back to Kauai late in the evening. For example, a jaunt over to see Miss Saigon cost us a whopping $600 (air, hotel, meals, theater tix.) The biggest cultural event that Kauai has to offer is the yearly KPAC musical which combines all the high schools into one theatrical extravaganza; usually it is pretty good but it ain't Broadway.

If you are a dedicated nature lover and are quite content to relax on the beach or hike the gorgeous trails and shop at Walmart then Kauai may not seem clasuterphobic.

Omigosh, I could write a book on moving to the tropics with your family, LOL.