Every winter, without fail, I am desperate to leave the dreary gray weather of Portland, Oregon. Last year, in light of COVID, we stayed home and made the best of the rainy season. This year, we decided to (safely) travel to Hawaii during COVID for two reasons: 1. Vitamin D deficiency & 2. to write about the experience for those who plan to travel to Hawaii soon.
For reference, we flew out March 1 and returned March 21. These were our routes:
- Portland – Honolulu
- Honolulu – Maui
- Maui – Kauai
- Kauai – Honolulu – Portland
As you can see, we traveled around! We made sure to follow COVID protocols to a T (even calling the state tourism board beforehand to ask if they recommended travel to Hawaii, which they did) and only removed our mask when eating or returning to our hotel.
I’m happy to report that we tested negative before, during and after our trip. Read on to learn about our experience traveling to Hawaii during COVID.
Post Overview
Hawaii opened its borders to travelers that can provide evidence of a negative COVID test. My husband and I spent three weeks on three separate islands and are sharing our experience traveling to Hawaii during COVID.
This post includes the following sections:
- What are the current COVID restrictions?
- Pre-flight preparation for Hawaii
- In-flight COVID travel experience to Hawaii
- Arriving at the airport in Hawaii
- Hawaii COVID hotel experience
- Restaurant experience
- Out & about town
- Inter-island travel in Hawaii during COVID
- How many COVID tests did we take?
Traveling to Hawaii During COVID
What are the current COVID restrictions?
As of the time of this post, travelers from the United States can travel to Maui, Oahu and the Big Island by presenting a negative COVID test from the following providers via the Safe Travels Hawaii app (super easy to use, I’ll cover in more detail below).
US travelers can travel directly to Kauai as well but will need to quarantine for 3 days at select resort bubbles even with a negative COVID test. However, if you have been on a different Hawaiian island for more than three days (for example, Maui), you can forgo Kauai’s quarantine policy by presenting a negative COVID test 72 hours before arriving on Kauai. That’s the route we took and I’ll explain more below.
Important to note: Starting April 5th, Kauai will end the resort bubble program and will follow the same COVID protocols as Maui, Oahu and the Big Island and will allow travelers to forgo quarantine with proof of a negative COVID test — wahoo!
Super important: Safe Travels Hawaii form (mandatory)
You’ll need to upload your test results to the Safe Travels Hawaii site before your flight. Setting up an account takes 2 minutes and is super easy to use.
Key takeaways: Take COVID test 72-hours before your flight, create a login with Safe Travels Hawaii (download the app, too), upload your NEGATIVE COVID test results before take off. That’s it!
Pre-Flight Preperation
As I mentioned earlier, COVID protocols may vary by island but one thing is certain — you MUST take a COVID test 72 hours before your Hawaii-bound flight and you must be able to show proof of a NEGATIVE COVID test upon arrival in Hawaii.
Here’s how it works: You must register with Safe Travels Hawaii as soon as you book your Hawaii-bound flight. It’s super easy to use and creating a login takes less than 2 minutes.
Once you register, you’ll receive a unique QR code that will be scanned upon arrival. You will also need to upload your negative test result and complete a questionnaire within 24 hours of arrival.
Again, the process is simple but it’s important to get it right. If you can’t provide the QR code and proof of a negative test result, you will need to go into quarantine for 10 days.
Here’s what we did: Our flight took off Monday at 5am, so we took COVID tests Friday at noon to ensure we met the 72-hour window. We received our test results Saturday afternoon and promptly updated them to the website then we (eagerly) waited to get on that plane and sip pina coladas in Hawaii!
In-flight Experience
We flew out of Portland and had a layover in Seattle — masks were mandatory at both the airport and on the plane. The in-flight experience was business as usual — with the exception of having to wear a mask. Nothing exciting to report here.
Note: You’ll be asked to complete an agriculture form to identify any plants or produce you’re bringing into Hawaii from the mainland. This isn’t new and will be familiar for folks that have flown to Hawaii before.
Arriving at the airport in Hawaii
This is where things get fun! After the flight landed, all passengers were directed through the airport to a make-shift screening room where we had to present our negative COVID tests by scanning the QR code on the Travel Hawaii website.
This process took 15 minutes and we were released to collect our luggage right after. It was as painless as you can imagine. See photos below.
Worth repeating: If you can’t provide the QR code from your app and proof of a negative test result, you will be forced to go into quarantine for 10 days.
After arriving to Hawaii, we were NOT required to take another COVID test.
Hotel Experience
Checking into the hotel was a breeze. We were asked to show our QR codes before getting the keys to the hotel.
Valet parking was unavailable due to COVID, but we were able to park our rental car in the garage if we so pleased. Likewise, daily cleaning was not provided. We had to leave trash outside the hotel door for pickup. Surprisingly, my husband and I prefer this method.
Restaurant Experience
Restaurants in Hawaii are no different than restaurants in other US cities that allow outdoor and indoor seating — with the exception of the setting feeling like paradise, of course 😉
Most restaurants use QR codes for menus and require masks except when you’re seated at the table. Also, you will be asked for fill out quick “contact tracing forms” that ask for the date, your name and the hotel you’re staying at — takes 1 minute to fill out.
We never felt unsafe and found COVID precautions were being properly followed. All restaurant staff wear masks, without exception.
Out & About Town
Hawaii has a state-wide mask mandate, masks MUST be worn when in public. Based on our observations, about 90% of folks wear masks while out and about, except when lounging at the beach.
Maui and Oahu felt semi-crowded (especially Waikiki Beach!), but nowhere near the levels they were pre-COVID. Kauai was the least crowded island by far. As folks slowly get accustomed to travel during COVID, I imagine Hawaii will see a huge spike in tourism.
Inter-Island Travel
We made the decision to visit Oahu, Maui and Kauai during our three weeks in Hawaii. Inter-island travel did not come without challenges– mainly due to properly timing our COVID tests. As I mentioned earlier, all islands require proof of a negative COVID test 72-horus before the flight.
As such, we had to find testing places that guaranteed test results within that 72-hour window to ensure we wouldn’t be required to quarantine for 10-days upon arrival. Thankfully, we received our test results in a timely manner.
If you’re interested in traveling to several Hawaiian islands, I encourage you to do so. It’s very simple, just make sure you get your test results 72 hours pre-flight.
So, how many COVID tests did we take?
We took 3 COVID tests total. But mind you, we visited three islands and each island required a negative COVID test upon arrival. Had we visited just one island, we would have taken only one COVID test (before our Hawaii-bound flight).
Cost of COVID tests:
- Pre-Hawaii test: Covered by health insurance
- Oahu COVID tests (before flying to Maui) $200 each
- Maui COVID tests (before flying to Kauai) $140 each. These tests were self-administered and we took them in our car while the medical professional watched.
- Total: $340 each, $680 total (ouch!)
Worth noting: Our medical insurance reimbursed us for the cost of all of our COVID tests.
Traveling to Hawaii during COVID, would I do it again?
Living with COVID has not been easy, as we all know. Everything comes with challenges and there are pros and cons to every action we take. Is traveling to Hawaii during COVID fool-proof? No, but is anything? My three-week trip to Hawaii is proof that you can travel safely by following CDC protocols.
We spent three weeks in paradise, happily masked up when in public, and didn’t get COVID. If you follow precautions, you can have a safe trip, but remain mindful of the inherent risks associated with traveling during a pandemic. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
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Until next time,
Antonina
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We got back from Maui on March 18 and we had a great time! My husband is from there and it was my first time. I agree with all your points and would do it again in a heartbeat, and even do inter-island traveling next time for sure. Since Maui has so many hiking spots (Haleakalā, Road to Hana, etc) we spent a lot of time away from people so I didn’t really experience any feelings of it being busy. Only downer is a lot of tours and experiences weren’t happening because of COVID but give it a year and I’m sure they’ll be back and so will I! It was an awesome experience!
How did you medical insurance reimburse your COVID tests fee? What is the process for that?
We submitted copies of our receipts via mail and our health insurance processed the refund 7-10 days later. I recommend calling your health insurance company and asking if they offer reimbursement for COVID tests as well, and if so, what the process is. It saved us $680!
Did you purchase a special travel insurance ?
Thank you for this posting, super informative! My wife and I are traveling to Hawaii soon (Feb 2022). We are planning on visiting multiple islands. I know things have changed a bit since you went, so not sure if visitors need COVID tests anymore while in the islands, but in case, can you pls supply the names of the facilities you received your tests at on Oahu and Maui? (and I can’t tell if you took one in Kauai but if you did pls let me know where)? Thank you!