I lived on the great island of Oahu over the span of 9 years and I can say with great confidence that if you were deciding of moving to Hawai’i you should consider the damage you are about to incur to yourself and the people you love the most.

I was too young and naive to know what I was getting myself into when I decided to move to the best state in the U.S. I bought my one-way ticket and packed my two suitcases (see the full story here) and got an apartment in Honolulu. I had no idea how my life would be changed forever, so I’m here to give you a little advice that I never received.

Hawaii could ruin your life in these ways:

• Beaches will ever be good enough, ever again. You have just experienced a new standard that no beach can ever reach again, ever. You could be standing on the beaches in Bali, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and Australia and say….well it’s nice but, it’s not Hawaii. (True story)

• You will lose friends. I have a reputation on the island as a great tour guide, so much so I was actually named a Hawaiian expert by Trover , not bad for a Haole (Pronounced How-lee meaning white person). I still get the occasional ‘I hate you’ after posting ANOTHER perfect sunset photo on my social media. A friend visiting posted his daily adventures on Facebook and I would say “you just lost two friends”. Haha I wish I was joking.

“Some people hate me because of my adventures, I hate you; that’s all!”- My Buddy Robert commenting on my coffee in the pool photo.

• Well, Japan is ruined. I’m sitting in Japan as I write this and I knew Hawaii was dubbed ‘Little Japan’ but I had no idea how similar things were until I experienced them myself. The biggest thing in common being the food, you will see a lot of the same foods here. We also have a few similar customs, like taking off your shoes before entering a house.

Outside of my apartment in Kailua after a hiking trip.

• You’re spoiled with perfect weather. The rumors are true, the weather is perfect all year-round. You get a span of 75-85  with trade winds to cool you down and winter means you get to put on your sweater twice a year when driving over the Pali between midnight and 7 am. Day after day of perfect weather. I would hope that it would rain all day just so I can lay in bed  without feeling guilty. But it rarely happened.

• No one will visit you. Well, at least not the people you’d expect to visit you. Once I moved to Hawaii I thought my best friends and family would come and explore the islands with me, boy was I wrong. But luckily for me a socially awkward former co-worker, my ex bf’s best friend and several other people that I barely knew did visit so I was able to play tour guide. My family never made it to Hawaii and my best friend got there, just 5 years after I arrived.

Above, my buddy Jacob. We were internet friends for 3 years and never met in real life until he visited me in Hawaii. Random!

• Can’t live with it, cant live without it. After a while the traffic will annoy you, the prices will make you mad, the distance from your family will irritate you and you’ll get sick of the lack of urgency- so you’ll leave the island. Then after a short while, right around the time the cold weather kicks in you’ll be day dreaming about Lanikai Beach, Acai Bowls and the sun beaming down on your face. So you might go back…but you might leave again, the vicious cycle continues.

 

Above Lanikai Beach at 6 a.m.

You can never fully leave the islands. Hawaii plants itself deep into a place in your soul where it will never leave and always call you back. Please be sure that you’re ready for the commitment to visit or live in the wonderful islands since your life will never be the same again.