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Why We Left Hawaii (and Turned It Into Our Full-Time Job) | Our First Q&A

The Hawaii Vacation Guide

31,937 views

How do two people who lived on Oahu and Maui end up running The Hawaii Vacation Guide full time? For the first time, Jordan and Erica answer your questions: why we moved to Hawaii twice and then left, how we make money, why we pay for 95% of our Hawaii tours and hotels ourselves, and our favorite thing to do on Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island. If you’re planning a Hawaii trip, grab our free Shortlist of can’t-miss activities, restaurants, hotels and beaches at thehawaiivacationguide.com/shortlist

FREE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS’ SHORTLIST:
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/sh...

THE BEST HAWAII ITINERARIES ON THE PLANET: OUR HAWAII WAYFINDER ITINERARIES, LEARN MORE HERE
https://thehawaiivacationguide.com/be...

Questions and Answers: Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:34 Why We Moved to Hawaii
03:32 Why Did We Start the Channel
05:40 How We Make Money
07:20 How We Afford Hawaii Trips
09:23 Our Favorite Island
10:03 Favorite Big Island Activities
10:45 Favorite Kauai Activities
11:14 Favorite Oahu Activities
11:58 Favorite Maui Activities
13:05 How We Work Together
14:37 Favorite Part of HVG
16:55 Why We Moved From Hawaii
18:55 Why Jordan Talks Fast
19:28 Why Is Our Music So Bad
20:12 Creativity
21:30 Thank You!

Watch next: OUR MAUI HOTEL AND RENTAL SHORTLIST: 8 PLACES TO STAY
Our Maui Hotel & Rental Shortlist: 8 Resor...

HAWAII BEACH SAFETY:
https://oceansafety.hawaii.gov

Click Subscribe for our annual Hawaii Travel Guide videos! Plus subscribing helps us out!

#hawaiivacationguide

Credits:
Editing was done by the fantastic Iliya Lipkovich. You can find him on Instagram @ilya_lipkovich
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20 Comments

@AlabamaBonsai 1 day ago

I found your channel in December 2021. My wife and I were supposed to go to Japan for our 10-year anniversary, but COVID canceled that. She was devastated and wanted to go somewhere, so I suggested Hawaii. She wasn’t sure it would work out and didn’t want to plan a trip only to have it canceled too, so I took over the planning.

That’s when I found your channel and purchased your itinerary for Oahu and Maui, then tailored it to what I thought we’d enjoy. We went in March 2022, and it was an amazing trip. I couldn’t have done it without your help and itinerary, and to this day my wife still praises me for how well I planned our Hawaii trip.

Thank you!

@fencingkitty9166 1 day ago

A note on Erika's joy of finding small businesses to support: I genuinely appreciate your recommendations there. My husband and I have had a number of trips over the years that I've loved finding things like this that I might have missed thanks to your channel. Ty to both of you for clever, engaging, respectful content about Hawaii.

@ThatEEguy2818 1 day ago (edited)

Your videos are always my go to when I want to show someone what visiting Hawaii is like and what there is to do. Also, they're always like a mini-vacation every time I watch them.

@wendywanderluxe6965 3 hours ago

I appreciate that you make decisions as a couple. It sounds simple and intuitive being a couple, but not all couples have teamwork. ❤ Love your energy and your channel

@yoliemarroquin7314 5 hours ago

I discovered your channel about five years ago and I will say that it’s one of the best resources for Hawaii hands-down!! You both do a great job in sharing and showcasing all the great things that the Hawaiian islands have to offer 🌺

@ChrisRuzin 1 day ago

I enjoyed this video a lot. Y'all have good energy, and it comes through in your videos. It was nice to get to see behind the curtain a little bit, and learn more about both of y'all.

I discovered your channel last year when we were planning our trip to the Big Island. Your videos were and are so helpful. You had videos that answered many of our questions, and gave us new ideas. Our trip was spectacular and I attribute some of that to your content! Thank you, sincerely! We have recommended your content to friends, and will definitely check out your latest guides and videos for our next HI trip.

@mdcarlson 1 day ago

We found your channel before our 2021 early post-COVID trip to Maui and have been fans since. I loved Erica's stories about traveling to Maui with her grandparents and am inspired to take some of ours on. our next trip. Thanks for the great information, attention to detail and the way to strive for excellence! Congrats on creating a successful small business and getting the opportunity to work together!

@stacydelmore 1 hour ago

Thank you so much for your YouTube channel! I discovered you guys when my husband and I went on a honeymoon right after Covid to Hawaii. First time we were there and you guys were a great source of information. We stayed on Kaanapali , Maui and absolutely loved it. If I could make a selfish request if you do sun shirts, look at doing either unisex and tall size or women’s tall. I am a woman that is just over 6 feet tall and I used to get my stuff from athelta/gap most of their swim shirts are gone now or no good, And I don’t use it just for vacation. I use it every summer when I go to the pool. 😊

@crystalmyersrealtor 6 hours ago

Thank YOU for all your hard work! ❤

@itsallaboutme6875 1 day ago

We have been to Hawaii twice, the second time we use some of the stuff on your YouTube channel. In planning our trip. We want to go back and will before too long.We have never met you and probably never will but I consider you as friends. Thank you so much for all your help

@rannyreynolds3152 9 hours ago

Thanks for doing this so long and still being very good.

@michaelnino5082 22 hours ago

Been to Hawaii multiple times and your channel has been great for planning trips. Thank you both!😎

@SeanMullaneyVideos 20 hours ago

Congratulations on all the success with the Hawaii Vacation Guide. You’ve given my wife and me great tips and you make great videos.

@newdad28 1 day ago

We lived on Maui from 2015 - the end of 2020 ....in TX now, and I only miss Maui if I'm sleeping, or if I'm awake (just those 2 times) ...moved for family reasons, can't wait to move back!!

@Dallas_Tines_Lines 1 day ago

We’ve been waiting years for this! I think we’d love to know more about your original jobs in depth, and how it took you to Hawaii 😊

@ronanmaguire306 1 day ago

You guys are the best. Love the channel and love Hawaii. AI will never replace a channel like yours! Mahalo and God Bless -
Maguire family from CT.

@SandyD146 4 hours ago

I used your website and youtube channel to plan my one and only trip to Hawaii last year. We live on the east coast and it is such a long plane trip few of our family and friends do it. My daughter and I visited the Big Island and May for one week. We were so excited to swim with the manta rays, go snorkeling at Captain Cook, actually see the volcano erupt, see waterfalls, walk through a lava tube, see sea turtles on black sand beach, and enjoyed the white sand beach. We even did the long walk to the green sand beach. We stayed at a reasonably priced resort where we made leis, attended a luau, learned to play a ukulele, and watched manta rays from a deck. It was a memorable once in a lifetime trip. Thank you for all your information and recommendations. By the way, an older woman who lived on the north side of the island her whole life had never seen the volcano erupt. She said it was worth the three hour drive to see it.

@billhobartclairvoyantmedium 8 hours ago

I love you guys! Been following you since the beginning! ❤

@limmerb 19 hours ago (edited)

I think you two are adorable as well as deeply informative! I have been going to HA for many decades, since I was a kid, on my honeymoon 36 years ago, and taking our son as he was growing up and also now as an adult. I STILL always learn new things from your videos & website, so thank you for making them. I especially enjoyed this one to learn your story and get to know you a bit!

@tqdam 1 day ago

It's refreshing to hear and learn more about the founders. Thank you for your videos. My wife and I have enjoyed watching them and we just returned from being on Maui and Oahu. Thank you for all of your hard work! It is appreciated. Good luck with your next endeavor and I look forward to seeing the cards and shirts.