My parents sit by the pool with the sun beating down their backs. My mother points out the bush where the resort cats live, which we’ll chase down after dinner. Later, my father will ask how much sun he got while he orders tacos at the poolside bar. My brother hunches over a beach chair scrolling on his phone, asking if we can ride on a helicopter later that week. I leave the pool to go walk by the water. It’s the clearest, bluest water you’ve ever seen paired with the warmest, yellowest sand.
Naturally, I have an enormous amount of bias in writing this article. I am calling myself out entirely, and I cannot deny how much I truly love Hawaii. I’ve been to Hawaii twice. Most people have never been to Hawaii, so when I state this fact, I usually say it sheepishly with the usual routine of mentioning my parents’ credit card debt, my mom’s hotel and flight point abilities, how we were very conscientious of our travels post-pandemic and whatever else I can come up with on the spot to make myself sound like the humble Hawaiian tourist I am. Yet, I cannot deny I have an insane amount of privilege that my family went to Hawaii even once, much less twice.
So, I can’t help but notice the overwhelming trend online where influencers like Hannah Meloche and Lexi Hidalgo flock to the islands, using tropical paradise and culture for content. In their comment sections, people tag their friends about how “if these girls can do it, so can we!” However, under the ‘moving to Hawaii’ tags on TikTok and YouTube, you’ll also find a plethora of videos from Native Hawaiians begging mainlanders to stop coming to the islands. Privileged mainland Americans are arriving on the islands in droves. Their deep wallets can support the purchases of multi-million dollar houses and gallons of milk that cost $9.
An article in the New York Times stated that Hawaiians “are tired of having their land taken for purposes that benefit others and for the often elusive promise of jobs that fail to deliver in terms of numbers or a living wage.”
For mainlanders, living in Hawaii seems like an endless vacation. For native Hawaiians, this is their land and their life. Hawaii ranks in third place among states where residents work more than one job according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hawaii is also the most expensive state to live in, with a Cost of Living Index of 196.3 according to World Population Review. Comparatively, Florida ranks at 97.9. Additionally, 10 million visitors came to the Hawaiian islands in 2019, a number that led to island officials attempting to create a cap on tourism. Simply stated, the islands cannot handle a larger influx of tourists, much less a phenomenon of mainland Americans moving to the islands and perpetuating the islands’ gentrification. Basically, if you want to find yourself, go backpack through Europe. Don’t find yourself at native Hawaiians’ expense.
So, will I never go back to Hawaii? To be completely honest, I am maladaptive daydreaming late at night, scrolling through Airbnbs for summer 2023 in Oahu. I understand that while I may love Hawaii, I can never move there permanently like the influencers on TikTok who got bored of LA. From my travels and my research, I know that to truly love Hawaii, is to respect the land, people and culture. Treat the islands like another country rather than a state and know the sheer privilege you have if you are ever able to visit.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!