Hawaii questions

[Orangezoo]

Any full time islanders or even part timers? Wife and I seriously considering a plan to make a permanent move out there in 5 years. She has been to Oahu and nowhere else. Since I work remote full time and that is not changing anytime soon we are thinking of selling our current home once we finish all the work and finding a nice condo on the ocean once we sell this and also have everything else minus one student loan paid off. Research wise I am really thinking dry side of Maui in quiet section near Maui Ocean Center. We are big outdoor life lovers so plan is have a home base and adventure on the water and island hop from there. Curious on things like high speed internet quality etc. Fairly well versed cost of living already. Just starting to think about how location and looking for tips/recommendations.

 

[ssbriefcase]

Any full time islanders or even part timers? Wife and I seriously considering a plan to make a permanent move out there in 5 years. She has been to Oahu and nowhere else. Since I work remote full time and that is not changing anytime soon we are thinking of selling our current home once we finish all the work and finding a nice condo on the ocean once we sell this and also have everything else minus one student loan paid off. Research wise I am really thinking dry side of Maui in quiet section near Maui Ocean Center. We are big outdoor life lovers so plan is have a home base and adventure on the water and island hop from there. Curious on things like high speed internet quality etc. Fairly well versed cost of living already. Just starting to think about how location and looking for tips/recommendations.

As far as internet, I know that they've been laying new undersea cable to make redundant rings throughout the islands, this should be as good as it's ever been and getting better. There's plenty of places you can get 1 gig now. Not sure on the specific areas. You're also talking 5 years out, no reason they wouldn't have anything you need for speed in most places. Any to do or eat options on the Big Island I can help you out some, Maui not so much. There's a few old threads on here if you search you'll find plenty of recommendations for a lot of places. Lastly, that's a fabulous life move I'm jealous.

 

[Orangezoo]

As far as internet, I know that they've been laying new undersea cable to make redundant rings throughout the islands, this should be as good as it's ever been and getting better. There's plenty of places you can get 1 gig now. Not sure on the specific areas. You're also talking 5 years out, no reason they wouldn't have anything you need for speed in most places. Any to do or eat options on the Big Island I can help you out some, Maui not so much. There's a few old threads on here if you search you'll find plenty of recommendations for a lot of places. Lastly, that's a fabulous life move I'm jealous.

Thanks I will do some digging. I will be honest it wasn't the first plan. With just the state of things today and lamenting that we are 11 yrs since our last vacation we just discussed how we could make a tropical home a reality while still young ( late 30s now). Also we are a bit different in that due to medical condition kids are not an option for Mrs Zoo. Thus we would be older but not too old to consider adoption if we had a large enough kid friendly condo. The sacrifice is that we would leave basically 95 pct of things behind, some family included. Looking forward to learning more.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Moving from NE PA to Hawaii could be the biggest geographic upgrade in the United States. (I have no additional insight whatsoever)

 

[Orangezoo]

Moving from NE PA to Hawaii could be the biggest geographic upgrade in the United States. (I have no additional insight whatsoever)

This is true. Had considered California having been employed by a company for a few years based there and having spent many weeks for work historically but that ain't Tropical. Go big or go home was our thought.

 

[chugg21]

This is true. Had considered California having been employed by a company for a few years based there and having spent many weeks for work historically but that ain't Tropical. Go big or go home was our thought.

Don't have any Hawaii specifics beyond that I've been to the Northshore of Oahu once and loved it but what I can tell you is to just go for it. You will never regret it if you try and you absolutely will if you won't. My wife and I left Buffalo for just outside Big Sur in Monterey, CA in 2013 when we were both 29 and only regret is living in a place with miserable winter even that long. If you were to hedge and no go all the way to Hawaii, that is an extraordinary landing spot and the cost of living can't be that much different than Hawaii. We continue to explore since, moved from Monterey to San Diego to Tampa to College Station, TX and now to DC. Imagine we'll do another year or 2 here and head somewhere new after that. Only thing we know is that we have to live by the water, brings us both a happiness that trumps all other needs or concerns.
If you love the outdoors then no reason at all to stay in a place where the weather is unpredictable and mostly depressing for 3-5 months a year. Some people can and will justify it but unless you're into snow activities than you are just wasting so much.

Getting back and forth to home to visit or the holidays was a pain from Cali and will be horrible from Hawaii but if neither of you are big family people then that shouldn't be too big of an issue. You just go home to visit once or twice a year and your close friends and family will be wanting to visit you anyway.

 

[Orangezoo]

Don't have any Hawaii specifics beyond that I've been to the Northshore of Oahu once and loved it but what I can tell you is to just go for it. You will never regret it if you try and you absolutely will if you won't. My wife and I left Buffalo for just outside Big Sur in Monterey, CA in 2013 when we were both 29 and only regret is living in a place with miserable winter even that long. If you were to hedge and no go all the way to Hawaii, that is an extraordinary landing spot and the cost of living can't be that much different than Hawaii. We continue to explore since, moved from Monterey to San Diego to Tampa to College Station, TX and now to DC. Imagine we'll do another year or 2 here and head somewhere new after that. Only thing we know is that we have to live by the water, brings us both a happiness that trumps all other needs or concerns.
If you love the outdoors then no reason at all to stay in a place where the weather is unpredictable and mostly depressing for 3-5 months a year. Some people can and will justify it but unless you're into snow activities than you are just wasting so much.

Getting back and forth to home to visit or the holidays was a pain from Cali and will be horrible from Hawaii but if neither of you are big family people then that shouldn't be too big of an issue. You just go home to visit once or twice a year and your close friends and family will be wanting to visit you anyway.

Yeah family is the challenge but our family travels a lot themselves and honestly despite living 30 mins vs 4 hours we still see them about the same amount of time. It's also hard to think of being so close again to hit up more Cuse games and that would be gone but also would make the ones we do go that much more special. If we go it won't be half way. It's island or bust. Cali good for visits but ultimately I would stay here vs not getting to the goal.

 

[chugg21]

Yeah family is the challenge but our family travels a lot themselves and honestly despite living 30 mins vs 4 hours we still see them about the same amount of time. It's also hard to think of being so close again to hit up more Cuse games and that would be gone but also would make the ones we do go that much more special. If we go it won't be half way. It's island or bust. Cali good for visits but ultimately I would stay here vs not getting to the goal.

I've bought the NFL/NHL packages for Bills and Sabres every year since. Usually get to the Dome once or twice a year and does make it something to really look forward to. If getting to an island is the goal, do it and do it soon as you'll just be mad you waited. Our goal is to be in Cabo part-time within the next 10 years. I want to be able to be there and still have energy to enjoy it. Not be 70 and just sitting somewhere. It being another country makes it a bit tricky but I talk to tons of ex-pats there every time I visit and they say the same thing, their only regret is not getting there sooner.

The other thing you'll realize, especially with a move of that distance, is how much junk you have that you don't care about. It's really bizarre. We get rid of a lot each time we move, though it seems like we re-accumulate almost as much upon next arrival. But a few years ago we were out of town and a neighbor texted us to say there was a fire in our building and was a floor away from ours and I sat there for a few minutes and thought about it and realized there wasn't a single possession I have that I truly cared about. I have an office with a bunch of Cuse memorabilia, some of which has sentimental value or would be extremely hard to replace but at the end of the day if it were all lost, I'd get over it pretty quickly.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Don't have any Hawaii specifics beyond that I've been to the Northshore of Oahu once and loved it but what I can tell you is to just go for it. You will never regret it if you try and you absolutely will if you won't. My wife and I left Buffalo for just outside Big Sur in Monterey, CA in 2013 when we were both 29 and only regret is living in a place with miserable winter even that long. If you were to hedge and no go all the way to Hawaii, that is an extraordinary landing spot and the cost of living can't be that much different than Hawaii. We continue to explore since, moved from Monterey to San Diego to Tampa to College Station, TX and now to DC. Imagine we'll do another year or 2 here and head somewhere new after that. Only thing we know is that we have to live by the water, brings us both a happiness that trumps all other needs or concerns.
If you love the outdoors then no reason at all to stay in a place where the weather is unpredictable and mostly depressing for 3-5 months a year. Some people can and will justify it but unless you're into snow activities than you are just wasting so much.

Getting back and forth to home to visit or the holidays was a pain from Cali and will be horrible from Hawaii but if neither of you are big family people then that shouldn't be too big of an issue. You just go home to visit once or twice a year and your close friends and family will be wanting to visit you anyway.

My wife and I could never leave family like that (not judging chugg21 as I think it's amazing that he is untethered that way). Now, both my wife and i are wedded to our jobs too.

I am doing my best to dispel my kids from the notion that they need to consider us (Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I) as they make major life decisions. I've gone so far as to have decided to be cremated so that my kids never feel guilt about having to "come home" to pay their respects. Candidly, although we live in Albany where things are pretty much always status quo, I am not sure staying in Upstate NY is even a winning life strategy at this point.

 

[Orangezoo]

I've bought the NFL/NHL packages for Bills and Sabres every year since. Usually get to the Dome once or twice a year and does make it something to really look forward to. If getting to an island is the goal, do it and do it soon as you'll just be mad you waited. Our goal is to be in Cabo part-time within the next 10 years. I want to be able to be there and still have energy to enjoy it. Not be 70 and just sitting somewhere. It being another country makes it a bit tricky but I talk to tons of ex-pats there every time I visit and they say the same thing, their only regret is not getting there sooner.

The other thing you'll realize, especially with a move of that distance, is how much junk you have that you don't care about. It's really bizarre. We get rid of a lot each time we move, though it seems like we re-accumulate almost as much upon next arrival. But a few years ago we were out of town and a neighbor texted us to say there was a fire in our building and was a floor away from ours and I sat there for a few minutes and thought about it and realized there wasn't a single possession I have that I truly cared about. I have an office with a bunch of Cuse memorabilia, some of which has sentimental value or would be extremely hard to replace but at the end of the day if it were all lost, I'd get over it pretty quickly.

Good point on all the stuff. We have a log cabin near a ski resort. We plan to turn it into a turnkey, fully furnished vacation home and sell almost everything with it when we move and buy something fully furnished. Only sentimental personal stuff comes with and collectables. It's a clean cut off. Selling all vehicles of course too. Making the island move with the best positive cash flow possible is key.

 

[chugg21]

My wife and I could never leave family like that (not judging chugg21 as I think it's amazing that he is untethered that way). Now, both my wife and i are wedded to our jobs too.

I am doing my best to dispel my kids from the notion that they need to consider us (Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I) as they make major life decisions. I've gone so far as to have decided to be cremated so that my kids never feel guilt about having to "come home" to pay their respects. Candidly, although we live in Albany where things are pretty much always status quo, I am not sure staying in Upstate NY is even a winning strategy at this point.

It's a weird thing. I think it helps that I'm an only child and my parents had divorced when I was real young so having no siblings and therefore no nieces/nephews that I'm missing out on probably make things a lot easier than for most people. We also have a mindset that that prioritizing our happiness even if it hurts others a bit is worth it. I'm not willing to sacrifice my mental wellbeing to live in a place that I very much dislike because neither of my parents were ever willing to take the chance to look for somewhere better. They have each only lived in our town for the entirety of their lives. Thankfully technology has made everything way easier. I Skype my parents semi-frequently or if I'm missing a birthday party or Thanksgiving or something like that we can join in that way, it's obviously not close to the same but it's something that people 10-15 years ago didn't really have the ability to do. The only thing that really effects me in any way is if my group of good friends all get together and I miss out on that. I have a group text with 4 of my best friends that is active every single day so it's almost like still being around, busting each others balls and stuff like that but they'll make plans to go golfing a couple weekends a month during the Summer or head up to the Dome for a big game and that's the only time that I really feel any kind of jealousy. Not too hard to overcome it when you can head to a beach bar in the middle of January and watch that same game

 

[CuseFaninVT]

It's a weird thing. I think it helps that I'm an only child and my parents had divorced when I was real young so having no siblings and therefore no nieces/nephews that I'm missing out on probably make things a lot easier than for most people. We also have a mindset that that prioritizing our happiness even if it hurts others a bit is worth it. I'm not willing to sacrifice my mental wellbeing to live in a place that I very much dislike because neither of my parents were ever willing to take the chance to look for somewhere better. They have each only lived in our town for the entirety of their lives. Thankfully technology has made everything way easier. I Skype my parents semi-frequently or if I'm missing a birthday party or Thanksgiving or something like that we can join in that way, it's obviously not close to the same but it's something that people 10-15 years ago didn't really have the ability to do. The only thing that really effects me in any way is if my group of good friends all get together and I miss out on that. I have a group text with 4 of my best friends that is active every single day so it's almost like still being around, busting each others balls and stuff like that but they'll make plans to go golfing a couple weekends a month during the Summer or head up to the Dome for a big game and that's the only time that I really feel any kind of jealousy. Not too hard to overcome it when you can head to a beach bar in the middle of January and watch that same game

We're in the planning stages for something similar. When I was hired on by my present company a year and a half ago, we agreed I could stay here until my kid graduates high school in June. Looking at a few options for us - Southern Cali, Portland, OR area, DC area to be near our Chambersburg PA plant, or Fort Worth are the top options. Not super excited about TX unless I get to live in Austin. Even that would be a stretch.

Parents and family are the only things keeping us east coast at this point. Now I just need to get the kid into Oregon State or similar to make the move easier on mama-bear.

 

[chugg21]

We're in the planning stages for something similar. When I was hired on by my present company a year and a half ago, we agreed I could stay here until my kid graduates high school in June. Looking at a few options for us - Southern Cali, Portland, OR area, DC area to be near our Chambersburg PA plant, or Fort Worth are the top options. Not super excited about TX unless I get to live in Austin. Even that would be a stretch.

Parents and family are the only things keeping us east coast at this point. Now I just need to get the kid into Oregon State or similar to make the move easier on mama-bear.

I will not be returning to Texas at any point and as someone coming from Vermont I think you'd end up in the same boat. It was fine for a bit but no thank you. As you said, Austin would be the only place remotely acceptable but it's pretty overpopulated and the summer heat is almost as harsh as winter but not quite. It being so flat and almost no water was what started to drive me a bit nuts. I've been to Portland a few times and loved it, love the people and everything about it. For Southern Cali, loved living in San Diego, despise LA. Traffic and affordability are both brutal but if those don't matter too much, San Diego would be my vote for best place to live in the country. 365 days of nice weather. Rarely too hot/cold. So much to do outside. Brewery and restaurant scene are unmatched. And honestly, being that close to Mexico may have been my favorite part. Can be in Tijuana in 20 mins or down to Valle De Guadalupe in about 90 mins which is Mexico's Napa/Sonoma. It's spectacular and most people have no idea it even exists. Only been in DC for 4 months now and don't really know what to think because I've only been here during the plague. Main problem for me is that I can in no way justify paying the same for rent here as we did living in San Diego. We have a really nice place here but our rent is pretty damn close to what it was in Downtown San Diego where we could see Petco from the rooftop and could walk out our door to the gates in under 10 mins. Get the kid a Marshall Faulk or Kawhi jersey and make him an Aztec!

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I will not be returning to Texas at any point and as someone coming from Vermont I think you'd end up in the same boat. It was fine for a bit but no thank you. As you said, Austin would be the only place remotely acceptable but it's pretty overpopulated and the summer heat is almost as harsh as winter but not quite. It being so flat and almost no water was what started to drive me a bit nuts. I've been to Portland a few times and loved it, love the people and everything about it. For Southern Cali, loved living in San Diego, despise LA. Traffic and affordability are both brutal but if those don't matter too much, San Diego would be my vote for best place to live in the country. 365 days of nice weather. Rarely too hot/cold. So much to do outside. Brewery and restaurant scene are unmatched. And honestly, being that close to Mexico may have been my favorite part. Can be in Tijuana in 20 mins or down to Valle De Guadalupe in about 90 mins which is Mexico's Napa/Sonoma. It's spectacular and most people have no idea it even exists. Only been in DC for 4 months now and don't really know what to think because I've only been here during the plague. Main problem for me is that I can in no way justify paying the same for rent here as we did living in San Diego. We have a really nice place here but our rent is pretty damn close to what it was in Downtown San Diego where we could see Petco from the rooftop and could walk out our door to the gates in under 10 mins. Get the kid a Marshall Faulk or Kawhi jersey and make him an Aztec!

Not a bad idea. Corporate office is in northern Orange County, so not LA crazy, but still insanity compared to my current life. I've got my fingers crossed for Oregon. I've got a cousin who lives there now, I know my wife would love the place, and there is plenty of outdoor adventure to be had, and far less snow.

Plus, it's still close enough for a couple flights to visit my buddy zoo in HI.

 

[chugg21]

Not a bad idea. Corporate office is in northern Orange County, so not LA crazy, but still insanity compared to my current life. I've got my fingers crossed for Oregon. I've got a cousin who lives there now, I know my wife would love the place, and there is plenty of outdoor adventure to be had, and far less snow.

Plus, it's still close enough for a couple flights to visit my buddy zoo in HI.

Yeah I'd say Anaheim area would be as north as possible. Usually as far as we would go in order to see the Sabres come to town. Avoided LA at all costs unless we had to. Only direct flight we could get to Buffalo was a red eye out of LAX so would do that once in a while.

 

[AlaskaSU]

South shore is overcrowded. Regular tTraffic jams in Laheina. Most romantic is near Hana which is remote. I prefer the uplands, Makawao etc. More rain but real Hawaii. Less tourism to Mexico means more to Hawaii.

 

[orangeinohio]

This is is a more remote Hawaii option but if you’re outdoor people you should think about Kauai. My only hesitation with this recommendation is that it’s where people often to unplug so that may make it more difficult for work.
Maui is definitely awesome.
Oahu was not my cup of tea. It was too built up and commercial. I was right behind Huey Lewis in the security line at the Honolulu airport though, which was definitely a highlight.

 

[Orangezoo]

This is is a more remote Hawaii option but if you’re outdoor people you should think about Kauai. My only hesitation with this recommendation is that it’s where people often to unplug so that may make it more difficult for work.
Maui is definitely awesome.
Oahu was not my cup of tea. It was too built up and commercial. I was right behind Huey Lewis in the security line at the Honolulu airport though, which was definitely a highlight.

Yeah after some digging we definitely want to take a long look there too. We are definitely big outdoor people. I won't be working normal hours given the time difference anyways so will be much more daylight to enjoy it

 

[Cusester]

4200 Anini Vista Dr #D, Kilauea, HI 96754 | Zillow

4200 Anini Vista Dr #d, Kilauea HI, is a Single Family home that contains 10320 sq ft and was built in 2003.It contains 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $32,251,800, which has decreased by $192,000 in the last 30 days.The Rent Zestimate for this Single Family...

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I found a nice place for you Zoo!