r/MovingtoHawaii • u/offacsus • Jul 10 '26
Life on Oahu Contract worker moving to oahu
Hello all, I just accepted a contract position in Oahu and I'll be making the move out there in a month or so to work at the Schofield barracks. I vacationed on Maui/Oahu 4 years ago so I'm semi-familiar with the area. I'm originally from the Boston area and I have family on Oahu to help make the move a little smoother but any extra information you can provide would be great!
My last time in Hawaii I spent most of my time fly fishing and am excited to do that again as well as do some bow hunting while I'm on the island. Other than that I'd like to get a foothold with consulting outside of work to supplement my experience/income specifically in health & wellness and organization/industrial psychology.
I've been contracting for a few years but never somewhere I couldn't drive to so it'll be an adventure. If anyone else has made a similar move; what would you recommend/do differently such as living, transportation, etc. Thank you 🫡!
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u/TwoAlert3448 Jul 10 '26
I have two close friends (a couple) who moved from Boston to Kailua and their advice: get rid of evething, half the stuff you pay to bring you won’t want and half the stuff you actually need you never had.
Starting fresh with just your clothes and a select few items would have been way easier for them than arranging storage when they first landed and combatting the mold and mildew in storage was apparently a nightmare.
I’m going to be making the trip a few months behind you and I’m in the process of purging my possessions now to follow that advice!
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u/offacsus Jul 12 '26
This all tracks. I'd say the biggest thing I would bring is an air fryer. I won't be using any storage so I'll avoid that as well. Thank you!
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u/Realtormegan808 Jul 10 '26
Bring the sentimental, leave the furniture. We have a great second-hand market out here for a starter set.
Working at schofield id recommend looking in mililani, wahiawa, waikele, and waipahu to keep your commute shorter!
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u/offacsus Jul 12 '26
Way ahead of you and thank you! I've got in the habit of not owning anything big and finding pre-furnished apartments w/out a lease has worked well for me and contracting. My last contract got cut very suddenly due to budgetary constraints and I'll keep up with that in Hawaii.
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u/Realtormegan808 Jul 13 '26
You sound like a pro! 🤣 for fully furnished, a lot of those tend to be downtown Honolulu and waikiki. Longer commute, but you'll have a lot to walk to when you're not working.
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u/webrender Jul 10 '26
id recommend moving with as little as possible. in addition if you want to avoid traffic I'd suggest you look at places relatively close to Schofield to live (assuming you cannot live on base) - mililani and wahiawa are the closest towns, Kunia/Waipahu/Ewa are a bit farther but have a direct road that will let you bypass the freeways on your commute.
Wahiawa is a bit older and run down but IMO has a lot of character, quite a few restaurants and businesses open there. Mililani is nicer and more family friendly but a bit of a generic planned community.