2020 is done and you’re ready to travel again. Hawaii sounds heavenly but there are a few hoops to jump through to get there. With the State of Hawaii’s strict requirements, all of a sudden this much needed, relaxing vacation sounds more like another source of stress.
We are a family of 7 with 5 children ages 3-10 that successfully traveled to Oahu on January 9th for 8 days. In preparing for this trip I was stressed and nervous but having been through it I am SO GLAD we did it!
In this post I will share what our family did to prep and plan for our first trip in 2021 to Oahu. We did the research. We took the risk and we’re happy to share our step-by-step with you so you don’t have reinvent the (stress) wheel.
Hawaii’s Travel Requirements
Before booking your flights + hotel, check out Hawaii’s current travel requirements here.
The requirements are multilayered (insert potential stress mess). But it is doable and I have it all laid out right here to save time and help calm some of your nerves.
Covid Test
At our time of travel we needed to have a negative COVID pre-travel test within a strict 72 hour window before beginning the final leg of our trip OR face a mandatory 10 day quarantine.
You can’t take any ol’ COVID test you’d like. You must submit test results from one of the trusted parters the State of Hawaii provides.
Here is a list of all the Trusted Testing and Travel Partners for the State of Hawaii.
I’ll say it again: you must get tested from one of these approved partners or you will be subject to the mandatory quarantine. If you’re staying for a week or so the mandatory quarantine just doesn’t make sense unless you want to wave back at the ocean from inside your hotel room.
Family Friendly COVID Test
The test we took was probably the best case scenario for our 4 little ones. The baby of the family dodged the bullet as he was only 3 and the State of Hawaii requires visitors ages 5 and up to get tested.
On this trip there were 3 adults and 5 kids. 7 of us took the test.
Our kids are ages 10, 7 and 5-year-old twins and 3. Our oldest had already experienced the painful “nose swab” (or brain poke) as well as the blood draw for an antibody test. Hands down he said this was the BEST TEST.
It’s called: Covid-19 Saliva PCR Test Kit Voucher with Video Observation for Travel, Redeemed by AZOVA and you buy it from Costco.
We opted for the Costco/AZOVA saliva test because it seemed the least painful and therefore, most tolerable for all. We took the test (spit into a test tube) in the comfort of our own home.
Taking the test could not be easier with or without kids.
If you decide to take this test, here are a few pointers.
Schedule Video Call Before Buying the Test
Schedule your video observation for the time slot you need BEFORE buying the kit to make sure it will work for your time frame. You don’t have to have a kit before you can make an appointment so make sure it makes sense and plan it all out first.
The tests are not cheap (none of them are) so make sure you can get the time slot you need before you purchase it as there are no returns (even if it’s from Costco… I know, right?).
Our flight left on Saturday, January 9th at 7:50am. I booked all of our video observations (7 different appointments) for 8am on Wednesday, January 6th. This gave us 71 hours and 50 minutes before our first flight to take the test, send it off, get the results back + upload everything (I’ll explain all that in a minute).
This is the link you need to make an appointment first. Create a log in and make the appointment.
Redeem Voucher, Lab Order + Health Assessment
I know, sounds like a lot. It’s not. Once you purchase your kit, a lab order must be created before your kit will be shipped. To do this, you must complete a health assessment, get a lab order and redeem a voucher with AZOVA for each person who is taking a test. The voucher will be emailed to you from Costcomember@azova.com after checkout.
Just hop on a fill out the requirements. THEN your kit will ship.
Order Your Kit ASAP but DO NOT ACTIVATE YOUR KIT
There is no penalty for ordering your kit early (AZOVA recommends 1-2 weeks before travel). It is overnighted to you once you purchase it + after completing everything above… BUT… do not open it/register the kit until the day of your test.
I’ve read reviews of some who were able to reverse early activations without penalty on the day of the test but, best not to throw in variables and break another sweat.
Testing Day
On the day of the test do not eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum 30 minutes prior to your appointment.
I was so nervous about this that I told the kids to wait to eat breakfast until after the test. This made spitting into a test tube tricky but we survived it just fine without any tears.
We met with our testing observer via the link provided and told her the names of everyone taking the test at once even if I signed them up with separate appointments. You only need one person to oversee the testing (and therefore one laptop/phone screen for all) but they do require individual appointments for each traveler.
Pay attention to the names on the packaging as each test is labeled and coordinates with the included tube. Each package is designated for each person. No swapping spit.
The testing took minutes. It was painless and so easy. Once we were done spitting, we placed all test tubes into one provided, pre-labeled box to ship via UPS overnight.
While You Wait for Results
This was the most unpredictable part. The website says you will “get your shareable results online through the HIPAA-secure AZOVA app within 12-48 hours from the time the lab receives your kit”.
While we overnighted our kit, I was glad we took the test early in the morning. We ended up getting an email from AZOVA the next morning (Thursday, January 7th) at 10:32am saying our samples had arrived at the lab.
Great news BUT STILL from there it could take up to 48 hours for results.
And this friends is where the risk comes in. We hoped for the best and said a few prayers…
While we waited we started filling out everything we could that is mandatory for the state of Hawaii Travel and Health Forms on SAFE TRAVELS.
Safe Travels
Safe Travels is the landing spot for the state of Hawaii for travelers to prove they are safe for travel. Here you enter in your trip details, fill out a health questionnaire, upload your test results when they come in, upload a picture of yourself, etc.
Fill out everything you can while you wait. The questionnaire is only available 24 hours before your flight.
We ended up getting our test results about 10 hours after they arrived at the lab (at 8:47pm same day). THIS WAS AWESOME!
Right away we uploaded our test results on Safe Travels. In doing so, Safe Travels “verified” our test results and that box was checked.
Aloha Hawaii!
Be Prepared
We dotted all our I’s and crossed all our T’s, but I made sure we were prepared in every way. I took screenshots of all our test results and made an album for them in photos on my phone. This way if we were ever out and about and questioned, I could show we were clear.
Bookmark https://travel.hawaii.gov on your phone for quick reference. When we arrived in Hawaii they had us go to the website, log in and scroll through our itinerary, etc. to verify we were good. This happened at the airport, car rental facility and when we checked into our hotel.
I took an extra step and printed out all 7 of our test results and kept them in a folder in my carry-on bag along with a print out of our hotel confirmation. I can say I never had to use it but I was prepared.
Stay Tuned…
If you are thinking about traveling to Hawaii and are on the fence, I encourage you to risk it! I can’t promise your experience will be the same as ours, but once you land in the Aloha State it really is still super relaxing and worth it. All the prep was stressful but I really left it all behind in the mainland upon arrival.
Stay tuned for my next post which will cover our experience on the airplane, at the Disney Aulani along with restaurants and all the new requirements.
If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to reach out or leave a comment below.
Mahalo for reading!
