Let’s face it, traveling long distances anywhere during COVID is a challenge, and flying to Hawaii is no exception. But you don’t need to encounter problems like quarantine on arrival. We will tell you how to avoid it and share some of your experiences from the huge number of comments we have received.
Remember trip insurance? In this case, “cancel for any reason,” is probably not going to be of help. That’s because if you buy it, your trip needs to be canceled at least 48 hours before departure. And since test results will be delivered after that, it won’t be of use if you did not get the results in time.
BOH: Probably the best travel insurance you can get is making sure you test with an approved partner that guarantees results within the specified time.
You pay thousands of dollars for a Hawaii vacation. Please don’t end up in quarantine or having to return to the mainland without ever enjoying our beaches. Take the time to research how to make today’s taxing test requirements work for you and not against you.
Alaska Airlines’ pre-arrival testing takes care of much of this for you since you’ll have all procedures completed and can expect a hassle-free experience when landing in Hawaii. We do expect that service to be expanded to the other airlines serving Hawaii shortly.
Beat of Hawaii’s Top 5 Ways to Avoid Quarantine and Hawaii Travel Stress.
1. Only use currently approved trusted partners. Even then, check both the state’s website and the trusted partner websites. For example, Safe Travels continues to list CVS pharmacy as a trusted partner. However, the CVS testing website clearly states, “We cannot guarantee a specific turnaround time on the lab tests accepted by Hawaii – travelers to Hawaii should make other testing plans.” Simple, do not use CVS.
The Vault website says not to use their solution when traveling on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. “Due to no Sunday UPS shipping and an increase in UPS holiday traffic, we encourage passengers to look for a local testing solution if traveling on a Tuesday or Wednesday for the remainder of the year.” BTW, Vault provides a chart showing when you test and when you mail based on travel day.
As another example, Carbon Health (many cities) provides test results the next day, albeit slightly more costly.
2. Choose approved tests that offer the fastest, guaranteed turnaround, not something that states 3 days. For in-person testing, be sure that the maximum turnaround will keep you well within Hawaii’s rules. The test must be taken within 72 hours before the mainland to Hawaii flight, and you need the results before you travel.
3. Use approved test types. The state requires a PCR type of NAAT test. Not a rapid antigen test. Be sure you are getting a Hawaii-approved test only.
4. When using mail-in tests, pay close attention to potential shipping issues. Calculate both the time for the results to be processed by the lab and the time for shipping to them.
5. Determine testing availability and reservation procedures for your selected vendors. Please don’t assume you’ll be able to get a test when you need it without ascertaining that in advance.
Following are some recent comments from you about what worked and what didn’t. We hope to add you to the thumbs up list.
Thumbs Down:
Karen: “I had a test done before I left at the ER of a local hospital in San Luis Obispo, CA. No, it wasn’t a Partners Certified lab, but the test was a NAAT type test, and it came out negative. It was (not) accepted at the airport in Hawaii so I’m in quarantine… They should have a test in HI for arrivals.”
Hazel: “We have traveled to Hawaii and have been made to quarantine for 14 days even though we took a Covid 19 test and results were negative upon arriving in Honolulu. We aren’t having a positive experience by being locked in a hotel room. This is no way to treat visitors who didn’t know you had specific trusted partners that you have to be tested with.”
Lori L.: “After doing everything right with Safe Travels and crossing our fingers, we were sitting in the parking lot of airport with bags ready to check when no results came, (95hrs it took!) and we were forced to cancel 1 hour before flight. Even with moving our flight out 6 hrs! We were so disappointed, exhausted, stressed, despondent and in shock. Some things were refunded and some things were not, and for not fault of our own!
AB: “So I did what the Walgreens website said to do, …(and took) the proper test plus another test to be sure, both negative. I rented a car and traveled 20+ hours. Only to be put in quarantine 14 days. Unable to cancel the car, and leaving the state… I’ve been trapped in paradise in my sons apartment unable to even go to the beach with him. I’ve never been more defeated or depressed in my life.”
Thalia: “The state of Hawaii placed… me in quarantine for our 7 day vacation because they would not accept 2 negative covid test results performed by the state of Rhode Island… Shouldn’t it be the labs? I left in 24 hours and went someplace I was welcomed. I will never go back.”
Thumbs Up:
David O.: “We are here and followed the protocol. No problem. We got the Abbott now rapid test for AFC urgent care. Results in 3 hours. Don’t bother with a test that takes days. The state accepts this rapid test. Never a worry as we had results the same day. All you do is find a place on the list that does rapid tests and you’re good.”
Brad: “I don’t know of a single person who followed the Costco/Azova instructions and didn’t get their test back in time. The reviews on Costco’s website are tainted by people who didn’t follow instructions. Frankly, in most cases, it’s abundantly clear they didn’t even read them!!!”
Ethan H.: “Did our test through Carbon Health 2 days early, got the results back within 24 hours… Alaska pre-screening stuff avoided any line when we arrived. Once at the resort it’s been a slice of paradise. In general folks are very welcoming and accommodating.”
Kathy P: Got our results in time using City Health Urgent Care in San Francisco… We opted to pay the $120 to get our results in less than 24 hours. Fortunately I had made the online appointment almost 2 months ago otherwise they are booked out into January. We actually got our results (this was last week) in 8 hours. Sooooo happy we made it and are having a great time. No negative experiences. We love Hawaii!”
Craig S.: “We read everything the State posted regarding testing, quarantines, and the like… Here we are and to us, it was worth all the hassle and uncertainty… Hawaii is such a wonderful place and the people here and their hospitality, are second to none.”
Patty: “We used carbon a week ago before our flight to Honolulu… excellent service, quick results ( less than 24 hours) You’ll be good to go.”
We look forward to hearing about your experiences.
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Rebecca N. says
Please pick an on-site testing place. We used AZOVA (and yes, WE FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES, ignorant commenter above who presumes that people didn’t do so who it didn’t work for). All we got was excuses and no help whenever we did some digging (through UPS, not AZOVA) to find out that our tests wouldn’t even be RECEIVED on time. Why? Weather and NJ. We live in freaking Seattle, and they send the tests all the way to Jersey. If that isn’t a major liability, I don’t know what is. They offered no other solutions, no sympathy, no refund. AZOVA sucks. If you want to be able to go to Hawaii, book an on-site test (where they’re not sending your test to a lab hundreds or thousands of miles away.) We are currently waiting to do our Carbon on-site testing, which is a little more expensive, but the processing is on-site. AZOVA is garbage. Don’t use it.
Tonya L says
UPDATE TO MY PREVIOUS POST
Your advice about Kaiser made me change my mind about where to get our Covid test. We used Alaska Airlines’ partner Carbon Health (on the approved list). So easy! The five of us went to three different airports for our test 72 hours prior. Each of us got our negative test results within 24 hours!!! In the correct format for Safe Travels Hawaii! Thank you for this forum and for your guidance.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Tonya.
That’s great to hear. Thanks for the update and glad to know that Carbon Health worked out great.
Aloha.
Terryg says
As o 128 carbon health wax out of the program in wa. Oy doing pre employment tests.
PamP says
Hi all!
Apparently there is a question on the Safe Travels health questionnaire needing to be filled out 24 hours before departure, that asks if you have traveled out of your home state recently. Does anyone know if that would keep you from getting an exemption from the quarantine even with a negative test result and everything else in line? Lots of people are still traveling or have layovers. Just curious what is targeted with that question. Thanks!
David B says
When we came back to Kauai in early November, we had spent a week in California beforehand, and a week in Arizona before that. I think we put them both down, I can’t remember. I don’t know why they bothered to ask, since there was no stated “Safe Travels” rule that treated people differently depending on where they were traveling from. I know that has been a thing elsewhere. They also asked if you’ve had a flu shot recently, but again I don’t think it matters. Maybe they are just collecting some data.
Y.F says
If I have a layover in Honolu but fly to OGG on the same day, does that change the 72 hour requirements?
Do I need to count 72 hours from leaving to Maui or 72 hours from departure of last leg on main continent?
Kim F says
BOH, one pointer for your readers that I hadn’t seen before (might have missed it)- You need to enter all your data and upload results etc. for EACH LEG of your trip if you aren’t flying direct from the mainland. We flew to Kona via Maui because Sacramento doesn’t have any direct flights anymore. ☹️ We had to go through the testing approval in both Maui and Kona, and you have to have a QR code for each flight. We had only uploaded everything for our Sac to OGG flight, so when we got to Kona we had to step out of line and go upload everything again to get a QR code for the flight from Maui to Kona. It wasn’t a big deal, we weren’t alone in our confusion about this, and of course all the staff were super helpful and nice, but it would have been nice to have done it in advance. Thanks for all you do to keep travelers informed!
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Kim.
Thanks for your comments, and for this important information. We will make a point of highlighting that in the future.
Aloha.
Joe S says
We were in Maui last week and Oahu this week. Have had a great time. Since we stayed in Maui first, we only needed the single test before we left. We used the Walgreens rapid test (ID Now) and had our results in about 30 minutes. For some reason, Walgreens does not offer this test anywhere in CA, so we had to drive to NV to take it. 30 minute wait in Maui to check Safe Travels docs and no check when entering Oahu inter-island
Jennifer B says
I live in Michigan. Where do I go to get a test that I can be sure will be back in time regardless of the cost?
Mary K. says
We did mail-in Vault test and got our results in 30 hours. We flew on a Saturday, so we didn’t run into the issues for Tuesday/Wednesday flights with Vault. If you go with Vault, be sure to let the Vault observer know you are flying to Hawaii and they will give specific instructions to get your test results expedited. Good luck. Wish we were still on the Big Island.
Sam N. says
I’m on the American Airlines site right now and they say that they use LetsGetChecked at-home test or CareNow rapid testing which are approved for travel to Hawaii. Neither of these appear on the list of “trusted partners”. Is American delusional or am I missing something?
Do you have feedback from anyone who has used the American Airlines testing?
Rob S says
Are you flying to Hawaii or planning to fly around with American? The question is: what does HAWAII require? There is a portal that provides the information needed for travel hawaiicovid19.com/travel/faqs/
Ron V says
We are here in Maui. We flew Alaska and followed their protocol. We used their partner provider Carbon Health and got our negative results. We flew out two days later. The check in at the airport took a few extra minutes to review the documents. We were nervous because any hiccup could cancel our trip. We had all the boxes checked and sailed through. The flight was nice because it was about 30% full. Upon arrival we had our wristband on and went through the check process in about 30 seconds. All in all, there were extra steps but nothing that was impossible. And now we are enjoying Maui and trying to support the local economy!!
Tonya L says
We travel next week. This is so nerve-wracking! Five in our party, three of us have appointments for Kaiser tests on time. The other two don’t seem to understand the need to follow the rules exactly. No, you can’t drive through the testing site at the fairgrounds! No, CVS will not guarantee results on time!
An enjoyable family vacation is tainted by pre-travel stress! If the testing window was 96 hours, and the number of Trusted Testing Partners was expanded, that would make a huge difference in making it easier to get to Hawaii.
Thank you so much for keeping us all up-to-date, and especially for sharing the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down experiences.
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Tonya.
Thanks. Please let us know how it goes. Kaiser unfortunately is not recommended, as we have had many comments saying their testing to results time frame is not reliable at this point. We’d definitely suggest you change to another in-site provider for a fast PCR test. Vault mail-in could work, but the week before Christmas seems dicey due to UPS overload.
Aloha.
Tonya L says
Ack!!! More stress and uncertainty! Please Governor Ige change it to 96 hours!
Ron v says
I would recommend whatever partner your airline recommends. We did not use Kaiser because they would not guarantee test results. Kaiser said they would reimburse the expense of going to an outside provider but Im not holding my breath. Good luck.
Terry g says
Alaska said carbon health which is no longer doing the tests. And yes that love of cost is ave bonus and stk buy backs means they hire ppl that don’t update the website which says you can get test at the Northgate Mall.
David B says
“Five in our party, three of us have appointments for Kaiser tests on time. The other two don’t seem to understand the need to follow the rules exactly.”
Sounds like there will be three in your party.
airline
Dont get on the plane unless you [1] are flying to an island that is not Kauai, [2] have your negative test results [3] from an approved test type [4] administered by a trusted partner listed on the Hawaii Safe Travels Website, that [5] was taken no more than 72 hours before your departure time. Read all these comments on this blog from people who skipped one of these 5 keys.
Another commentor had great advice – dont book a trip other than with everything fully refundable/cancelable at the very last minute. Do not advance pay for a rental car or hotel. Be mentally prepared to to cancel if your test results dont get back in time, like the woman in the airport parking lot. That is still way better than wasting your time flying out, being locked in a room and flying back. You can lock yourself in a room at home, if you are into that sort of thing.
Kim F says
Don’t count on Kaiser! You’ll have to reschedule your whole trip like we did because your results won’t be released in time. They’re completely overwhelmed and travel testing is not a priority right now.
ThomA says
It seems that the state of Hawaii only cares about certain people
Traveling to Hawaii. We live in Georgia and it looks like Walgreens is our only testing option. They too have posted they cannot guarantee tear results for travel purposes!! So now what? I see something about testing at the Oakland Airport where we leave the mainland. That may be our last straw before our entire vacation is trashed!! And keep in mind we are not coming for 5 or 7 days but 25 days! That is one heck of a vacation to flush down the toilet.
Of course things keep changing and maybe they will change to help the traveler? Poor Hawaii…how many years will it tak for you to recover?
Sarah R says
Thoma, you make note of the fact that your vacation plans are for 25 days. Being subjected to the new 10 day travel quarantine wouldn’t completely wreck your vacation. You could still travel to Hawaii, isolate for the 10 days which is still the safest method to prevent spread of COVID and then have 15 days to spend enjoying Hawaii.. Just a thought a different way to look at things.
Also, I think the State of Hawaii cares about attempting to keep COVID rates low in the islands and doesn’t care if the traveler is a returning resident or a visitor and where they started their travels from…
Doug says
Sarah R is right, you are perfect for Kauai! Use your first ten days here to quarantine at a bubble resort where you can roam the resort, use the pool, and build your tan so you don’t have that pasty white look that most tourists have when they get here fresh off the plane! Then, after quarantine, enjoy your two weeks of freedom here!
Kim H says
We planned this trip for the last year. Did everything right including restricting our contact with others, and ordering our tests through Costco, a trusted testing partner. But Kauai closed with the 14 day quarantine anyway and we were forced to cancel our trip. Enjoyed 10 days spending our money in Jackson WY rather than helping Hawaii’s economy. Too bad for The people of Kauai.
TheDavid B says
Kim, your comment caught my eye. We have been at our Kauai home since early November, but our mainland home is in “Wydaho” (near Jackson). This past summer was record number of tourists. Most visitors GTNP has ever had. Downtown Jackson was like downtown Disneyland, and to be avoided at all costs. People wanted out of cities (for obvious reasons), and the entire west coast was on fire or otherwise choking in smoke. Was a warm dry summer, which also increased the usual weekend crowds from SLC.
But, it’s “butt cold” there now, hiking trails are under snow, fishing is only for the very hard core, and unless you spent all that those 10 days on sketchy early season skiing/snowmobiling, I don’t know what the heck you did for 10 days in Jackson other than stay inside. Glad to hear you had a good time. Just checked our web cam, and is is dumping snow. Here on the island, it is dumping partly cloudy with a light breeze and sunshine upper 70s.
DaveR says
Seems like some sort of contest going on here, but I’m not sure what it is. My daughters live in Jackson (going on 20 years there) and love it. I live in San Diego and love it. I used to live on O’ahu and loved it. To each his/her own, and there’s a time for every place.
David B says
No contest, was just coincidence that we fled Jackson for warmer climes Hawaii, and her alternative to Hawaii was Jackson this time of year. Very different types of vacations. That’s all.
DaveR says
My daughters live in Jackson (going on 20 years there) and love it. I live in San Diego and love it. I used to live on O’ahu and loved it. To each his/her own, and there’s a time for every place.
David B says
Yes. I believe you. I thought I replied? I was not saying Jackson is not a great location to live, it’s just an odd substitute for Hawaii, especially this time of year. That’s all I was getting at. We live on the other side of the Tetons, but still in Wyoming, just over the state line from Idaho. But, for me to get my wife to agree to live there, we are in Kauai for 3 months in winter. I still ski, but she hung them up, and to her, the snow and cold (especially when its May) gets old.
DaveR says
I’ve tried to post the following, but it was immediately removed:
“My daughters live in Jackson (going on 20 years there) and love it. I live in San Diego and love it. I used to live on O’ahu and loved it. To each his/her own, and there’s a time for every place.”
Is there something offensive about this?
Beat of Hawaii says
Hi Dave R.
The prior comment is there too. Nothing was removed. All comments go through manual moderation.
Aloha.
DaveR says
Apparently the State of Hawai’i values their citizens’ lives over your money. Many would say they are doing the right thing.
terryg says
The testing reality is as off last week only discover health and maybe kieser have a chance in hell of meeting the HI rules and deadlines. Carbon health no longer does the tests (too many requests for pre-employment. Wallgreens does in theory but you have to wait days to be tested and zero certainty of meeting the 72 deadline. It’s basically uwmc’s world leading lab with insanely fast test turn around time that really has a chance of getting a result in 24 hrs. I did a test the wk before as required for a medical procedure but couldn’t use that result as the verbage and didn’t have the HI seal on the test result. Going through the process in Kona was ok, temp check, show your safe travels qr code, then have that and your test ltr out for inspection. Your car rental firm, hotel will also need to see your negative result so have them ready (seperate tab in broswer, download and open in Acrobat). Vibe was way more chill then some of the scary karen stories coming out of hi media would have you believe. They do need to accept test results from more places, and waive all of it if you have your 2nd vac if things are to ever get back to normal. Hotel told me tons of cancels bc can’t get tested. Still thinking I would have had an easier time going to Tahiti even though they require 2nd test but accept tests from more labs. The fact that you can rent a car for $28 / day all up, speaks to the low level of travel to hi. Vegas in Apr was like $14.
Teresa says
delightful! Used Vault, I did my test almost precisely 72 hours prior to my flight on Hawaiian Airlines as they are always on time. I received my test results in less than 48 hours and was good to go. My husband and father in law joined me a week later using the same process. No problems. We had a delightful time and made some much needed repairs to our home.
TRACY Y says
Thanks BOH – wondering why you would state “you can still visit Hawaii as long as you follow these steps” when the “rules” are still the same. Countless people have followed these very steps and have had to forfeit at the last minute because the “trusted testing partners” couldn’t deliver. The turn time on test results is, has been and will continue to be out the visitors control.
Bob L says
And once again, Hawaii figures out a way to bite the hands that feed them. When will those in HI government realize that they need to treat tourists with more respect. Our $$$ are literally your only economy! By alienating us you are shooting yourself in the foot, over and over! This is literally the worst example of customer care that I have ever seen!
Nancy R says
Aloha Bob,
I am sorry you feel that way. You did not say (or if you did earlier, I missed it) whether you tried to come here and complied with Hawai’i’s testing requirements, only to be unfairly thwarted. And if so, what testing system you used. And you are correct insofar as tourism is a large part of our state’s economy. But not the the only contributor. The military contributes a lot, we have agriculture, we have some other sources, including the operation of this state for the people of this state, such as teachers, govt workers, police, fire, medical, etc. also construction and other private industry.
And we are not trying to bite tourism’s hand. I acknowledge the system is flawed. But this is a special place and however inept our government might be, it’s goal is to protect its people.
DaveR says
Thank you for a sensible response that could apply to many people.
Troy H. says
We did letsgetchecked and had our results back with in 24 hrs
Kelly says
Glad that so many Americans are able to get test results and travel successfully and safely to Hawaii. Unfortunately for those of us Canadians, it’s not so easy or affordable. Being from Vancouver, there are only 3 designated/approved labs and we have to pay $250 per Covid test…for our family of 6 that’s $1500 on top of flights, accommodation, car rental. Definitely won’t be able to go until there are free or cheap testing options 🙁
Nancy R says
Aloha Kelly,
I empathize with Canadians who, unless they can route thru US and then test there (meeting time limits), find it almost impossible in effort and money to come visit us. Some of the most delightful people I have I have met here on Maui are from Canada. I wish our state government had factored Canada into the testing formula. I hope soon it does, even before vaccination makes it unnecessary. We miss you, Canada.