I loved Hawaii so much that I moved there – I had to share a room with four people to be able to live in paradise

I lived in a hostel dorm in Hawaii for four months and it was the best decision I ever made.

In March 2021, my college friend and I sat down at a bar in Nashville and spontaneously booked a three-week trip to Oahu, Hawaii, which turned into a four-month move and left us wanting to stay for the rest of our lives.

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Layne and I left the concrete walls of our college dorms and arrived in tropical paradise in May 2021, right as pandemic protocols were being lifted.

We checked in at Boutique Beach Waikiki Hostel and we were escorted to our four-person female dorm.

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Our first full day visiting the island changed everything.

We both met a group of other guests through the hostel’s Whatsapp group chat and planned to go hiking Koko Head Cratera 2.5 kilometer walk on the east side of the island.

Even though Layne and I were painfully hungover from the night before, the view from the top of the crater made the treacherous hike worth it.

Looking out at the crystal clear waters and beautiful Hanauma Bay, we knew we needed to stay longer than the weeks we had planned.

After spending that night on rocky Sandy’s Beach, hitchhiking back to town, and having dinner on Waikiki Beach, we started researching places to hire in town.

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In 2021, many businesses on Oahu were still struggling to recover from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and were desperate for employees, so we luckily got jobs at a smoothie shop near our hostel, Tucker and Bevy.

Renting an apartment was out of the question, as the average rental price on Oahu is around $1,600, so we had no choice but to stay at the hostel for the next few months.

We booked another three months at the Beach Waikiki Boutique Hostel, paying a discounted price of $32 per night to share a four-bed dorm with two strangers.

Over the next few months, I made lasting friendships with the people at the hostel, the local Hawaiians I met along the way, and my co-workers from Tucker and Bevy.

After wrapping up my 5am-2pm shift, I usually spent the last half of the day meeting up with friends to explore beaches like Lanikai or cliff jumping at Waimea Bay on the North Shore.

Every Thursday night, a group of us would get together to enjoy delicious burgers and cheap cocktails at our favorite quirky bar, Suzie Wong’s Hideaway, which is hidden behind a 7-Eleven at the end of the Waikiki strip.

Setting aside the adrenaline-filled moments climbing mountains and sunny beach days, one of the most memorable moments of my time in Hawaii was at the beginning of my trip.

In mid-May, my core group of hostel friends and I sat at the Great Walls of China, a stretch of volcanic rock ledges and cliffs above the ocean.

We spent the night watching the sunset while surfers caught waves we would never have imagined surfing. All around us, high school students wore caps, dresses and necklaces as they took graduation photos.

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Looking out at the beautiful scenery, surrounded by a group of people I’ve grown so close to in just a few weeks, I’ve never felt more grateful. Of course, that moment of peace didn’t last long when we realized that the last bus of the night would arrive in 15 minutes.

We ended the night by running a mile to catch the bus and celebrated arriving on time with cheap drinks from the ABC store and Loco Mocos from the Rainbow Drive-In.

TRAVEL RESPONSIBLY

Since that first trip, I’ve returned to the island several times to visit friends and get more burgers at Suzie Wong’s, of course.

Stepping away from my four months living on Oahu, I left with so much more than friends who I now consider family and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

That summer, I learned the importance of being aware of your impact as a tourist and how to reduce your ecological footprint.

Tourism It still makes up about 25% of Oahu’s economy, making it a vital industry for the state, so it’s up to visitors to help preserve the island’s beauty.

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Throughout my time there, I had countless conversations with locals about the island’s overtourism problem and how those who want to visit can help.

O Hawaii Sustainable Tourism Association encourages tourists to “travel pono”, that is, travel consciously and respectfully.

According to its website, the association “seeks to serve as a conduit between the tourism industry and community conservation efforts.”

It is dedicated to promoting “sustainable tourism through innovative initiatives and programs that aim to protect [Hawaii’s] natural and cultural resources.”

Those looking to book Oahu tours should visit Tours and activities in Hawaii for the best sustainable tourism options available.

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