by Danielle Garrett of PlanIt Itineraries for The Aha! Connection
With international travel looking like a question mark for this summer, some may be looking at Hawaii as an option to venture further away. The Caribbean and other international destinations are currently requiring a negative Covid test to re-enter the U.S. However, the U.S. is not requiring a negative Covid test to return home from Hawaii. BUT Hawaii has been very strict and there are many protocols in place to travel to Hawaii. It is complicated and very specific. A summary of their guidelines is below.
My recommendation: Visiting Hawaii is ok, but only if you are visiting one island and you are diligent in checking on their current travel requirements.
- Anyone traveling to Hawaii must have a negative Covid test within 72 hours (3 days) of their departure day. The hours are very important in Hawaii’s’ case because the test must be 72 hours before your final leg/city of departure. For example, if you are flying from Atlanta to Maui with a stop in LA and your final leg from LA to Maui departs at 3:45 pm PST, then you must take your test after 3:45 pm PST on the prior Friday. Click here for more on the testing guideline.
- You must take the pre-travel NAAT Covid test at one of Hawaii’s trusted travel partners. This can be a PCR or a Rapid Molecular test. Not all testing sites offer the rapid molecular test, and this is key! A regular rapid test will NOT work… it must be a molecular rapid test.
- Some of the major mainland airports are offering the rapid molecular test (LAX, Denver, JFK, Salt Lake City, Boston to name a few). The Honolulu airport also offers the rapid molecular test but has a 3-5 hour turnaround time.
- Kauai is much more strict than the other islands. To visit Kauai, you must be in Hawaii for 3 days before testing, stay at an approved resort in the “resort bubble”, then get re-tested 3 days later to leave the resort bubble. Wow, that is a pain!
There is plenty to do on each island for a week or more, but if visiting multiple islands on the same trip is your wish then I recommend saving Hawaii for a post-Covid adventure!
For more information, check out the Hawaii-guide website. Covid has made things very fluid, so double-checking travel requirements before booking is very important! When in doubt, call the Hawaii tourism department at 1-800-464-2924.
Please remember to travel responsibly, wear your mask and do not travel unnecessarily if you are elderly or immune-compromised! And remember to check your destination’s travel restrictions/requirements before and during planning, as well as double-checking before departure!
Join the PlanIt Itineraries Facebook Group and check out the website where you can sign up for our newsletter for more travel tips and tricks! 
