Island life or island fever…
One of the questions we get from our friends and family, and one that I see often when reading about people’s experience with moving to a place like Maui is the concept of “island fever”. According to Wikipedia, island fever is defined as “a form of mental distress said to mainly inflict mainlanders who move to isolated islands, especially any of the Hawaiian islands or Guam.” It is not a medical term, but more of a colloquial term that has made its way into mainstream conversation when talking about the feeling people get of restlessness and isolation when they spend extended periods of time on an island far away from other places.
It is certainly something that I can understand people struggling with. Maui is at least a 5-6 hour flight back to the mainland, so it is not easy or quick (or inexpensive) to get off of the island on a regular basis. You have to really love the island you’re on and what it has to offer, so when we were considering if the Hawaiian Islands were for us, we also considered the options of islands (there are 7 people live on). When deciding which island is the best fit for a move, people usually consider the type of life they want to live. For example, if one is accustomed to and desires an urban lifestyle with more entertainment options and the best surf, Oahu is the place to go. For wide-open spaces and expansive views, the Big Island (Hawaii) is the place to be. For underwater adventures and outdoor activities galore, Maui is the island for you (and us).
We love everything about Maui. We are excited about the wide variety of beaches for snorkeling, surfing, lounging, shelling, or just playing. Hiking is a favorite way for us to get outside where we live now, and we can’t wait to get out on the trails along the Road to Hana, in Haleakala National Park, and throughout the island. We love the slow lifestyle of Maui residents and local businesses. We hear that many businesses close around 9pm and no one really stays open too late. Everyone wants to go home and get a good night’s sleep to get out and adventure the next day! These are my kind of people! I am particularly excited about getting to know the local community and getting involved with environmental advocacy. I’ve always been passionate about the environment, especially the ocean and our local waterways, so living on an island with a vast array of flora and fauna, I hope to get involved with organizations who share the same passions as me.
When are get asked if we think we will get island fever living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, our answer is a resounding no. We both grew up in a beach town on an isolated chain of islands off of North Carolina and we grew up without many of the things that Maui actually has to offer! We had to drive hours to get to the nearest Costco or Target. Maui has both! We had to wait more time than most for shipments to come to our area, so we are no strangers to a longer shipping time. We grew up with tourists galore, so we are accustomed to the ebbs and flows of people coming and going from our little piece of heaven.
I am honestly so excited for island life again. I miss the pace and I miss the mindset - “it’s all good, no worries, we will get there”. That mantra is what is getting us through right now while we wait for everything to fall into place so that we can make the move sometime in the next year. More on that mindset struggle later. For now, we will keep dreaming of island life!
