Shipping Household Goods to Hawaii 101

Shipping Household Goods to Hawaii 101

Hawaii beach and mountains



Shipping to Hawaii 101

  1. How to Ship to Hawaii: Planning is Essential
  2. Go Through Everything Thoroughly
  3. Start From Scratch
  4. Hire a Moving Company
  5. Use a Shipping Carrier
  6. Tips for Properly Packing Moving Containers Hawaii Bound
  7. Is It Worth Shipping My Car to Hawaii?

1. How to Ship to Hawaii: Planning is Essential

Outlining each step of your move is crucial, especially when you plan on living in Hawaii. Crossing an entire ocean to get to Hawaii is not a cheap process, which is why you need a plan to help budget your move to make it realistic. One of the most complicated aspects of relocating to Hawaii is the plan to ship your belongings. The packing and shipping process of any move is can be overwhelming, but when relocating to an island, the stress-factor is magnified. If you're going to settle down in Hawaii, you're going to need time to prepare a plan for shipping your belongings overseas. Before you make any final decisions, it's important to understand some of the challenges that come along with figuring out the logistics you need to know before making the Hawaii lifestyle permanent.

2. Go Through Everything Thoroughly

The first step to take in any move is to evaluate your items and decide what you really need to bring with you. Start by going through your belongings and decide on what is really essential to bring with you. Hawaii is unique in that it does not require the same necessities that other states do. In fact, it's common for Hawaiian rental homes to be furnished with many household necessities. This is important to look into when deciding what you're going to keep or what you can get rid of.

It's crucial to allow yourself enough time to properly go through all of your belongings. You want to be thorough during this process and bring only what you consider necessary to bring along with you. This step must be done with enough time to allow you to prepare and pack your things in an orgranized and well thought out fashion. This will help you in calculating the potential costs of your move and help you stay within your budget.

Shipping your belongings is an expensive and complicated process, so you want to be sure you have an accurate idea of what you're bringing with you. If you have a clear idea of what household goods you're bringing, it will help you decide on what type of shipping container you will need, getting shipping company quotes, and getting quotes from moving companies. Hawaii is not the most cost-effective place to live and neither is the process of relocating and shipping belongings to Hawaii.

3. Start From Scratch

Many people don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping belongings to Hawaii. In fact, many people believe that it's better not to. This seems strange, but realistically it makes sense to get rid of things or purge your lifestyle to make room for a new one. Hawaiian culture is unique and many people are unsure of how their lifestyle will be affected by the move.

It's becoming more common for people who move to Hawaii to pack up like it's simply a vacation and to buy most things once they arrive at their new location in Hawaii. Though this is a cost-effective and convenient option, there are also many people who have things that they consider necessary to accomodate them in Hawaii. This is only one option out of several that people use in their endeavor to move to Hawaii.

4. A Moving Company Makes Hawaii Moving Easy

Although you can plan the move yourself, hiring a moving company is extremely beneficial, particularly in the case of relocating to Hawaii. There are lots of elements to the moving process that are specifically more challenging when making your Hawaiian dream come true.

Hiring a moving company is typically more expensive than planning a move yourself, but if you're moving household goods to Hawaii, this is the easiest option out there. It's essential to do your research when deciding on a moving company because not all companies offer the same range of services or provide the same quality of service. Full-service moving companies are helpful when deciding which of the various services are best for your ocean crossing move. They allow you to decide whether you would like them to pack, move, ship, and unpack for you or if you would just like them to move and ship your belongings.

5. Save Some By Using a Shipping Carrier

If you don't want to spend the extra bucks on a professional moving company, planning the move yourself is an option as well. There are a few decisions you will need to make during this process. Deciding what kind of shipping carrier you will be using is a complicated and overwhelming decision. It's important to understand your options when making this decision.

If you plan on living Hawaii, going through a shipping carrier is one of your best choices to ship your belongings. It becomes more complicated when deciding on choosing a shipping method.

  • Self-Delivery or Port to Port Shipping
    • This allows you to pack up everything and bring your belongings to the shipping port yourself. Once your items arrive at the port in Hawaii, you simply go pick them up and transfer them to your new home. This is the most cost-effective option typically.
  • Door to Door Shipping
    • This requires having a company drop the shipping container off for you to fill up with your things. Once filled, the company will then come pick the container up and bring it to the port. It will be shipped and delivered to your new Hawaiian home.
  • Door to Port or Port to Door Shipping
    • This combination option lets you fill up your container, which is then picked up and shipped for you by a company. The company of your choice will move and ship it for you, but once your containers arrives at the Hawaiian port, you pick it up.
  • Custom Delivery Shipping
    • This is usually done through companies who have multiple locations and storage warehouses in Hawaii. A company will pick up and ship your items to Hawaii and go a step further by storing your items in the nearest warehouse location to your new home. Using custom delivery eliminates having to deal with the port, making it an easy and convenient option.


6. Tips for Properly Packing Moving Containers Hawaii Bound

Make your dream become reality is challenging when your dream is to move to Hawaii, especially if your on a budget. There are a few tips to help keeps costs down and help guide you when it comes to packing your container.

  • You should pack your container like you would any other box during a move. You want to be strategic by putting your heavy items in the container first. Make sure everything is even enough and if you have to, disassemble large items. You also want to fill any empty voids. Empty space allows items to shift, which means your items are more likely to be damaged.
  • Planning is key to being as efficient as possible with your containers. Once you've decided on what you are bringing, be sure to choose the best and most appropriately sized container. You don't want to be stuck paying for a container that is much too large for your needs. Make sure you get an accurate idea of the amount of space you will need is.

7. Is It Worth Shipping Car to Hawaii

This is the last part of the shipping process and is often the most difficult when moving to the island of Hawaii. Shipping your belongings and shipping your car are usually two separate tasks that need to be handled individually. Even though some companies will ship both, they process them separately. Regardless, shipping your car is difficult, especially when it's overseas to a place like Hawaii.

The cheapest way to go about shipping your car is by dropping it off at a port, though some companies will pick it up for you for an additional charge. Some important elements of shipping your car to Hawaii include making sure your vehicle is completely empty, has the original title, and original registration.

In Hawaii, types of cars and services offered for cars are limited, so you might want to reconsider whether you want to ship your car to Hawaii. It may end up costing you more in the long run to bring your car there than simply buy a new one once you arrive. There are other challenges that relocating vehicle owners should know prior to shipping their car as well.

As soon as your car arrives in Hawaii, you have 30 days to register it. In order to do this you must have all the correct paperwork to do so in the first place. Such documents include your shipping records, the application, a Hawaii vehicle inspection certificate, and the fee to boot.

This is just to register your car, to get your license you have to exchange a valid out-of-state driver's license for an actual Hawaiian government license. This requires your social security card, valid U.S. license, and the Hawaiian fee. If you pass the exams, Hawaii will give you a car license.

When it comes to making a decision about shipping your car, make sure you do some research into the value of your car in Hawaii or how accessible it will be for your car model to be serviced. Take some time to consider what's the most cost-effective option.

8. Relocating to Hawaii Can Be Intimidating If You Don't Have a Plan

Figuring out the logistics of your move is much more difficult if your uprooting to Hawaii, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Doing proper research, planning in advance, and understanding your options are all critical elements to a successful move to Hawaii. It's important to take appropriate considerations before jumping into a move too quickly. Hawaii is a beautiful paradise, but relocating there presents unique challenges that deserve attention.