The Corona Virus pandemic is still on so we can’t travel, right? One would normally be correct in that assumption, but the state of Hawaii, which thrives on tourism, decided to set up some strict rules that, when abided by, would allow visitors in.

We started to think about Hawaii after my daughter and her husband’s family went to Hawaii a few weeks earlier. Their pictures and stories inspired us to check into the travel rules a bit deeper to see if we would be comfortable with going too. Eventhough we have both been fully vaccinated (Linda with Pfizer and myself with Moderna), we were still somewhat concerned and put off by the thought of flying and being in a hotel. However, any concern we may have had was pretty much put to bed when seeing the details on the rules and conditions that were set in place by the state of Hawaii.

These rules include: getting a negative COVID test 72 hours before arrival, a re-test upon arrival, a state-wide mask mandate, a mandatory COVID tracing app on the phone, reduced capacity events (such as tours, dinner cruises, etc) and lots of social distancing. Additionally, Hawaii has implemented a “Vaccination Passport”, which (currently) only applies to Hawaiians traveling inter-island. We had hoped that the fact we had been fully vaccinated would help us, but applying vaccination passport control on “non-Hawaiian visitors” is too hot a potato in the current political climate of the US (note that some states have even gone as far as outlawing vaccination passports). The whole set of rules is clearly outlined on the official Hawaiian Government website which has 6 basic phases”

1. Mandatory Account creation on the website.
2. Upload of travel details (flight, hotel reservations, etc) to the website
3. A location to upload your COVID test.  Note that only results from certified testing institutions will be accepted! Also required is some some sort of official ID (like passport or driver’s license).
4. Completion of a Health Questionnaire.
5. When all done and verified you will receive a QR Code via email (an automated process) that you need to save on your phone (we advice printing it too)
6. Upon arrival at the airport, you need to present that QRCode, the same official ID you uploaded to the website, a cell phone that is charged (you NEED to take a picture of a form they present to you).

Each adult visitor needs all of the above (obviously, parents with children can include their kids in their submission). Linda and I both needed to do this.

Your arrival and positive verification of everything will automatically trigger an update to your account on the website. I assume this is for tracking, as they now know you are in Hawaii and know where you are staying.

Please note: Failure to meet ANY of these conditions will require a mandatory 10 day quarantine period! At your own expense!

All-in-all, we agree and like how Hawaii has not only set these guidelines in place, they have set-up an infrastructure aimed to TRACK the fact you are following the rules. By default, all travelers need to quarantine, UNLESS YOU MEET THESE CRITERIA! We have heard of people getting arrested and cited, who did not abide by the rules and order to quarantine! 

This all added up to us feeling safe enough to decide to book a 7 day trip to Maui! Linda found an amazing deal that included hotel, airfare and car rental. We even scored a one bedroom suite with ocean view at the Royal Kahana in Lahaina (which is located in North-West Maui). We were all set!

Arrival in Maui

We arrived late at night and after getting the rental car, drove in the dark to the hotel. Kinda frustrating because we could not see a thing (very few street lights on the island 🤪). The room turned out to be awesome! Not only does it have that ocean view we were expecting, we are right above the pool and, because we are facing West, can see some awesome sunsets right from our balcony!

We are also pleased to report (now that we are here), that Hawaii businesses also follow the rules outlined above. For example, the hotel has a rule to only allow two people in the elevator at one time (unless a family) and that masks must be worn throughout the hotel. Of course you are allowed to take it off when in the pool or when (socially distanced) on the beech. We also heard the resident tour guide tell people that tours are all operating at half capacity, so availability is limited. We would therefore advise anyone traveling to Hawaii, to prebook anything they may want to do, as waiting until getting there may be too late. We have heard that we are not the only ones who feel safe traveling to Hawaii (we can also see it on the roads), so be forewarned.

Another note of advice, the influx of people traveling to Hawaii has strained the local car rental business who were all forced to sell their un-rented inventory when the pandemic started. Now that visitors are returning, there are not enough rental cars to go around and the ones that ARE available are very expensive! So please book well in advance!

Aloha from Maui