What's is like to travel inter island right now?
HONOLULU AIRPORT SHOPS ARE STILL CLOSED.
I recently took a trip from Honolulu to Lihue, Kauai and wanted to share what it’s like to travel today with all the COVID restrictions. I know a lot of people are hesitant to fly but it was actually a very calm and peaceful process at Honolulu Airport. Also, I want to share with you what it’s like to book a transient accommodation since the shutdown and what its like looking for a place to dine in.
INTERISLAND TRAVEL Is restricted with a Mandatory 14 day quarantine.
CONTACT TRANSIENT ACCOMODATIONS PRIOR TO BOOKING. I immediately had trouble booking a transient accommodation (Airbnb/VRBO) because some of the properties weren’t available since the inter island travel quarantine was lifted on June 16th. So I finally found one in Hanalei and successfully made a reservation. I immediately booked my Southwest $39 each way flight deals so I could get that great price and make FREE changes if things change. Well the next day my VRBO reservation was cancelled by the owner who claimed “the resort was closed through Jun 30th and the booking was accidentally left up”. After that I decided to reach out to several property owners ahead of booking to see if they were accepting reservations and I finally found a great deal in Poipu that included a FREE midsize rental car!
AIRPORT FORMS ARE REQUIRED NOW FOR TRAVEL. Knowing there were new travel rules in place at HNL I looked up the rules for both Interisland and Transpacific. Governor Ige announced the new Honolulu Travel Process required for all travel to and from the islands and starting Oct 1st, Transpacific travelers (folks from outside Hawaii state) are required to have a negative COVID test in order to waive the mandatory 14 day quarantine. And they must also fill out a Transpacific Traveler form that is required prior to entering the security check point for both departing and returning flights. Here's a link to the CDC CLIA-Certified Lab listings across the US where you can get a COVID test prior to boarding.
For more information on this Please see the latest announcement by the Governors office.
“HAWAII TRANSPACIFIC TRAVEL ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING 14 DAY QUARANTINE: Starting Oct 1, 2020, all travelers arriving in Hawaii from out-of-state will be required to get a valid COVID-19 test within 72 hours of their trip, and to show proof of a negative test result at the airport, to avoid the 14-day quarantine. The FDA-approved PCR test from a CLIA-certified laboratory will need to be done prior to arrival. No testing will be provided upon arrival at the airport.”
INTERISLAND TRAVEL FORM. Since we were traveling to Kauai from Honolulu, we downloaded the Interisland traveler form and filled it out ahead of time for both departure and returning flights. This saved us a lot of time at the airport.
Also when we arrived at Honolulu airport we had no problems parking or getting through security as the entire Airport was nearly empty.
The Gate was empty!
When we arrived at the beginning of security check point, they did a forehead temperature scan and asked us some questions from the form. They then called our cell phone numbers to verify our phones rang. This takes time and I can imagine what kind of lines will be forming when more people start traveling. We continued through security and made our way to the gate with no problem.
PICK UP SOMETHING TO EAT PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT HNL. I highly recommend you pick up something to eat prior to heading to the Airport as most of the venues and shops are closed inside the Airport. Even Burger King was closed so there was only a Sundries place where you could buy a soda and some snacks. Also Southwest was not serving any drinks or snacks so get your water before boarding the plane.
“There are new rules while traveling through Honolulu Airport and an update to the 14 day mandatory quarantine for Hawaii State.”
The Wiki Wiki buses didn’t appear to be running so had to walk to Southwest at Gate G. We had to try to socially distance ourselves in the seating area and waited until our boarding #’s were called. In the gate area, the old 1960’s seating doesn’t really allow for you to sit 6’ apart while back to back. So we spread out and wore our masks. Southwest had only 43 out of 165 seats booked and no middle seats were being used unless you were a family. Overall it was really a smooth flight over with no issues.
SOCIAL DISTANCING AT THE BAGGAGE CLAIM. Once on the ground in Lihue Airport we were required to queue up and wait 6’ apart upon the entrance at the baggage claim. They did not want us clustering around the baggage carousel so when they finally let us in all the bags had arrived and were on the carousel for pick up. They gave us a laminated card that we had to carry with us and they collected it at the rental car place upon check out. So try not to lose the card along the way!
FINDING A PLACE TO EAT THAT WAS OPEN WAS CHALLENGING. When we arrived in Poipu we were surprised that all the restaurants on the Plantation where we were staying were closed. The Sheraton and Grand Hyatt were also closed. Most of the restaurants in Poipu were closed overall which was disappointing. We drove around and then decided to start calling ahead to see if they were even open. They don’t always update Google with their current status and some have modified their hours and have not posted it online. Most places were not offering dine in yet as there was very little activity overall in Poipu. I highly recommend to contact the Hawaii tourism authority for the island you are traveling to see what is open.
VIEW FROM THE OCEAN GOLF COURSE AT HOKUALA, LIHUE, KAUAI
EMPTY BEACHES ALL TO OURSELVES. The plus side is we had the beaches and major attractions all to ourselves. It was really great to pull up at any time and find a parking spot right in front. There was really no traffic, open beaches, and no stress. Just a restful and relaxing trip for quality family time, not to be missed.
Final Tips for your trip.
Call to verify vacation rentals are accepting reservations
Ask for Kama’aina or Military specials. If Military but no Hawaii DL ask if you can show them your Hawaii Utility bill as residency.
Book with an Airline that allows you to easily make changes without fees.
Fill out the New Airport travel form for departing and returning flights
Stay safe and bring your mask, it’s mandatory.
Pickup lunch or snack prior to arriving at the airport as venues may be closed. Pick up water before boarding the plane.
Mahalo for reading my blog and enjoy your trip off island! Please follow me on my new Hawaii Military Life Facebook page and my new #Hawaiimilitarylife808 Instagram page.
MAHAULEPU HERITAGE TRAIL, POIPU KAUAI
I thought this was fun to bring this neat pool floaty that let’s you float while partially submerged. It’s so hot in Kauai that I just loved this product. Great for pack and go in your suitcase.*
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