Looking to move to Hawaii

Big Island would probably be the cheapest.

 

Get a job first or have a marketable skills. No sense moving here and then working three jobs just to make ends meet.

 

My roommate and a couple buddies got hammered at crushfest about 6 months ago and drunkenly decided to buy a one way ticket that night to Hawaii. They progressed from living on the beach in hammocks, to a couple beater vans that both broke down, and now are living in an apartment in Maui and sounds like there having a blast. Surprisingly, they said it was pretty easy to find work, as long as you were actually willing to work while there. Doesn't really help much with location though, but if they can pull it off, anyone can.

 

just go
figure it out
if you have any gumption you will make it

 

Go n just have fun. Everyone else does. Shoulda, coulda, woulda? Live it n have good memories

 

windward side is probably has the nicest neighborhoods, but if you are looking for cheap the westside is your best option. Has a reputation of theft though

 

Oahu:
pros- near constant surf (a summer on NS is better than a summer on EC) surf/tiny bikinis/weather/seafood/multiple 'coasts' and town or country life, depending on your choice

cons- brazzos and lots of military 'bros' driving up rent prices

 

ohh wonderful point! you gotta love that Socialist institution called the US Military for really gumming up the housing market in areas near bases. It's bad here in Wilmington bc we're an hour away from a USMC base (not to mention a college town and a retirement mecca now) i wonder what the "free money" housing allowance is these days for the Military? haaa "Free Money"

 

Hawaii is part of the United States. It's not a third world! You can get a job and place to live fairly easily but it is expensive to live there. Not just housing but food, gas, clothes, etc.... Just like anywhere else though they have their rich areas and also the hood! Lots of crackheads, so if they can do it you should have no problem!

Check out Kauai, little less expensive and little more off the minds of tourists. Plenty of surf! My cousin lived in a little bungalow on a farm there pretty cheap!

 

What? That makes no sense. Between my parents and my wife I've lived the military life my whole existence. Unless Hawaii is somehow different from everywhere else I have lived the areas around bases are total turd holes with cheap rent, crime, and a mix of 18 -20 year old junior enlisted and assorted vagrants.

 

Definitely check out Kauai. No city life like Oahu but so much more outdoor activities, awesome hikes, waves, waterfalls, etc. I would move there in a second.

 

I've never been to Hawaii, but I've made risky moves in my life: moving to a new town without a job lined up, quitting a job with no prospects simply because I hated it, changing careers, etc. Every time I made one of those decisions, the last thought I had was "but if I don't do this now, I will never do it."

If you're savvy, smart, and willing to work whatever job you need to take, follow your gut. Whenever I really wanted to make something work, things seem to fall into place for me in time. As people have said here, what you want to do has been done before. Might not be easy, but it's doable.

You ain't gettin' any younger. Go for it. Worst that happens is you can't find work and have to move back...and regardless you'll still have an adventure to remember and cool stories to tell.

 

If you're open to the idea of doing farm work, you can find some small organic farms in Hawaii from the http://www.wwoofusa.org/ site. Most wwoofing arrangements are you agree to work 25-30 hrs / week on the farm for a place to stay and most meals.

I lived on Oahu for 15+ years (originally from MD), having originally gone over there as part of that great socialist institution previously mentioned in this thread. If you're moving over there without a job, it may be easier to start on Oahu. Waikiki has a lot of "churn" with regards to jobs and cheap (for Oahu) rooms/apts for rent. Oahu also has a bus system that can get you to pretty much any part of the island (no surfboards but I used to occasionally see someone with a bodyboard on the bus).

Surfwise, Oahu and Kauai have the most spots and most sandy beaches for water entry. Maui and Molokai are next to each other, which interferes with some swells (although both islands do have great surf spots - just not as many as Oahu and Kauai). Big Island is geologically younger, so erosion has not had time to make nice sandy beaches. There are surf spots, but trickier entries and exits from the water.

You should go.

 

You are absolutely correct about the demographics of areas near Military bases... what I think MIS and myself were trying to point out is that housing markets and prices are heavily distorted (as in inflated upwards) around these areas because of the housing allowances and other "free money" perks given to servicemen and women. $1500-2000 or so a month has become the price "floor" in these areas. That's probably reasonable and somewhat expected in an area like HI bc there isn't much land to go around..but there are other areas (like Eastern NC) where these allowances make it really difficult for anyone besides those getting their rent paid by the tax payer, to find affordable accommodations.

 

^^^This. It's the same around Va. Beach including "areas around bases are total turd holes with cheap rent, crime, and a mix of 18 -20 year old junior enlisted and assorted vagrants"

 

Honolulu is a pretty sweet city. Its no PHL, but SO MANY HOT ASIAN CHICS. Halloween block party was amazing, it was like a giant slut contest, and they all won!

and everywhere just off base is expensive even if it is a meth addled disaster, the island can be drivin across in one hour and circumnavigated in under 3 going slow.

the rents are high EVERYWHERE, hence Uncle Deep-pockets gives his boys a sheet ton of money and Uncle has LOTS of kids, hence thousands of people who could never afford to realistically live here, do and are driving up rent prices.

So stranded in Smithfeild, yes Hawaii is unlike any place you have lived before.

 

"like" a giant slut contest? In PHL they have Actual Giant Slut contests! or so I've imagined over my post-surf coffee