Moving to Kauaʻi

We are moving to Kauaʻi in 2014 so I will write about that process here as the next stage of the "To Kauaʻi" journey. Follow all the articles to come as we navigate the process with the "relo" tag.

As I see it, there are two very distinct parts of the process:

1. deciding if you really want to move;
2. the mechanics of actually moving and setting up a new life;

of which I think the first is really the critical part, with the details being not that different from any move.

There are several books written about this, the classic being "So You Want to Live in Hawaii" which is actually quite dated, being published in 1999. I did not find this book very useful for a couple of reasons. First, it came out long enough ago that there are not many useful internet links (many outdated) and way more phone number and mailing address references that one would want today. Also the book is about half filled with stories of various folks relocating to the islands - for some it works out great, for others not so much. It's good that the book is realistic about the move being challenging and showing how it doesn't work out for a significant number of people, yet at the same time since nobody expects that they will be the ones not making it work it is unclear how these stories are more than just discouraging.

Another reason I have not made a point of reading more of these books is that much of the process is really not that different just because your destination is an island.

• finding a new job in Hawaii is essentially like finding any new job far from home
• transportation and moving are much the same even though an ocean leg is involved
• the move feels like a big step psychologically, but any long distance move whether it involves crossing an ocean or not is a big commitment and requires preparation and planning
• finding a new place to live is also much like it is anywhere

That being said, Kauaʻi is small and isolated so there are a limited number of moving companies and the market for real estate or rentals is quite limited. Similarly the job market is small, and for very specialized jobs (e.g. symphony orchestra conductor) quite possibly non-existent. In this end this means that a degree of luck is involved and you really can't go wrong planning too far ahead to give time to find the best fit available. Unless you like adventure and stress, I would not advise shipping your earthly possessions and then showing up at the airport expecting to figure it all out by the time your shipment arrives.

I plan to write about all this with the strongest personal bias possible: focus just on Kauaʻi, highlighting the path we are taking, with my clearest views on who should and shouldn't consider making the move. As always I welcome anyone interested to ask questions or comment.