Hawaii is a tropical paradise of sandy white beaches with the turquoise blue ocean. This has made it an easy decision for many people from the mainland to pack up and move to the Aloha State. While it’s nice to think about moving to Hawaii, the actual logistics might be a little more stressful. You’ll need to find a place to live and find a job.
Can you move to Hawaii without a job? The short answer is yes, there’s nothing stopping you from packing your bags and jumping on a plane. But before you do, here are a few tips to make starting a new life in Hawaii a little easier.
Can You Support Yourself Financially?
If you move to Hawaii without a job, be prepared to support yourself for at least a month or two. And keep in mind that Hawaii has a very high cost of living. You’ll need to find ways to live as cheaply as possible until you can secure employment. At a minimum, you should have at least $10,000 saved up. This should last a few months. Think about using services like Airbnb to find temporary places to stay until you find something permanent.
Preparing To Move To Hawaii
Moving to the Aloha State can be challenging since you can’t just load up a moving truck, jump in your car, and start a new life. If you’re going to be bringing more than just a suitcase, you’ll need to ship your belongings over. This means you’ll need to arrange a place to ship your belongings too. Shipping from the mainland is expensive, so pack only the necessities that you’ll need until you get settled with a job. Remember that you can always have more of your belongings sent to you later, or you can buy what you need once you get settled.
Finding A Job
It’s important to remember that you’ll need to be physically on the island where the job is located. You can do a lot of legwork like searching for openings and sending out resumes on the mainland. You might even have a phone interview. But the company you’re applying to will expect to see you in person. Flights to and from Hawaii might be pricey, depending on where you’re flying from, so set aside enough money for travel expenses.
Other tips to help you find a job in Hawaii:
- Network. Most job openings are not advertised. Sometimes knowing the right person can help you more than the classified ads can. Leverage social networking sites like LinkedIn to help you get your foot in the door.
- Visit the island where you want to live before you start applying. See what types of industries are big (tourism is always huge) and get a sense of the island’s economy.
- Make sure you have a stellar resume. Your resume is your calling card, and it will be the first impression a potential employer has of you. Make it count.
Hawaii is a great place to live and set down roots. While it can be more challenging to find a job there, it’s not impossible.
