Last Updated on November 3, 2021.

On October 15, 2020 the Hawaiian Islands began allowing out of state travelers without a 14 day quarantine with the launch of the Safe Travels Multi-Tier Program. Since then, thousands of people have been returning to Hawaii for a number of reason, including tourism.

On Tuesday, November 2, Governor Dave Ige held a press conference to share information about changes coming to the Safe Travels Hawaii program, with emphasis on international travel. Beginning November 8, 2021, international passengers will be treated as domestic passengers:

“Effective Nov. 8, international travelers may visit Hawaii under new federal rules. Non-U.S. citizens traveling directly to the islands from another country must show both vaccination records and a negative COVID test results (NAAT or antigen) within three days of boarding a flight to the U.S.”

KhON2 News

This is excellent news for Canadians planning to visit the state of Hawaii as under the old rules, it was very difficult and expensive to obtain PCR tests only from labs approved by the state of Hawaii. One of the reasons we have not traveled to Hawaii as fully vaccinated individuals is the cost of testing; it added ~ $350 per person once you factor in the test to go to Hawaii and the test to come back to Canada.

We recommend bookmarking the official State of Hawaii website for information and for information. We have also found the Air Canada Travel Hub helpful for information as well but always recommend checking the official source for the most accurate and timely information.

Other Considerations:

As much as we want to visit Hawaii and dream of going back, there are other factors holding us back too. The cost of accommodation and rental car is very high due to high demand. It is very easy to find a cheap flight due to all the competition but finding deals on places to stay and rental cars are proving to be much more difficult. We have seen hotel prices increase 2-3 times and it can be difficult to find a rental car below $100 per day. If you have hotel points and can use points for your car rental, this will help to keep your vacation more affordable.

Summary:

We are very encouraged by the changes made by the State of Hawaii to welcome international visitors as it will make it easier for us to visit in 2022. We are also following the developments on the newly marketed Switch Health COVID-19 RT-LAMP Test Kit to return to Canada as an option because we have heard it can be difficult to obtain a PCR test in Hawaii to return to Canada.

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