How to Travel Healthy to Hawaii

The pandemic paused leisure travel for the last year while we traded hotels for home and sightseeing for sourdough bread. And rightly so.  

Now, travelers are more comfortable booking trips with the right planning and precautions to stay healthy while traveling.  

While you were away, we evolved our operations and facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to keep you safe. Things like intensified cleaning and disinfecting, guidance for physical distancing, and installation of hand sanitizer stations and touchless technologies.  

We noticed that Hawaii is beckoning to more of you, so we chatted with your fellow Pacific Northwesterners who recently traveled to paradise. Here is what to know from their experiences and advice.  

Understand the State of Hawaii’s requirements prior to arrival 

Before a trip to Hawaii, be aware of the state’s enhanced entry requirements like a pre-travel COVID-19 test and a mandatory travel and health form. 

All travelers over the age of five are required to obtain a negative result to a COVID-19 test from one of the state’s trusted testing partners within 72 hours before traveling to avoid a 10 quarantine. Hawaii advises, “Once you receive your negative pre-travel test result, you will need to upload the result to your Safe Travels Hawai‘i account. This step is crucial, as it will be the only means for airport officials to verify your Safe Travel Hawai‘i information upon your arrival.” 

All these steps can feel daunting, but people like Julie and Wayne have figured it out. They traveled to Maui in January 2021 for an intimate elopement. The newlyweds shared that it was initially stressful to secure an appointment with a testing partner, but the experience was quick and seamless once they started the process. “I felt confident knowing that most other travelers on our flight had tested negative,” said Wayne.  

Anna, a Seattleite who visited Maui in October 2020 and January 2021, said now is a good time to go because all the systems are in place for a smooth experience. “Be proactive about getting your test and be up to snuff on the travel guidance.”  

SEA offers onsite COVID-19 test prior to air travel through Discovery Health MD. Results are delivered with rapid (about one hour) and next-day options for COVID-19 PCR lab tests, which are available by appointment and for a limited number of walk-ins. Discovery Health MD is a trusted testing partner for Hawaii as part of its pre-travel testing program for inbound travelers. 

Additionally, airlines like Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines offer Pre-Clear programs to avoid lines and bypassing the airport screening process after you arrive in Hawaii with an approved negative COVID-19 test.  

Face mask tan lines are chic  

Wearing a mask is mandatory at SEA and while you are on the airplane. Expect to wear a mask for the entire duration of your journey. Keep it on in your destination to protect yourself, your fellow travelers, and the essential workers that are making your experience possible. 

Wayne recommends packing extra masks. “It is a long flight and disposable masks are helpful to always have a fresh option.”  

Anna noted the mask compliance was very high throughout her travel journey and in Maui. 

Malama (care for) Hawaii 

Hawaii is adored for its warm weather, long sunsets, authentic culture, and amazing natural beauty, all within a six hour direct flight from SEA.  

Keep in mind that Hawaii is a protected paradise and its people and land deserve the care of visitors.  

Julie observed that impacts to the Maui economy were visible with closed businesses. “Residents of the Island take the COVID-19 precautions; it is their home, so we as visitors must also honor their home.” 

Hawaii invites you to take a trip that gives back through the Malama program, which means to care for Hawaii. Industry partners and volunteer organizations came together with an initiative that encourages visitors to leave Hawaii better than when they arrived through projects like tree planting to self-directed beach cleanups. Beyond making a positive impact, you can even enjoy a free extra night with participating hotels. 

Say aloha to mindful travel 

Julie and Wayne delighted in their travel experience in Maui with a few tweaks to be mindful of the pandemic. Things like snorkeling on the beach were still just as lovely while honoring physical distancing and using rented equipment that was properly disinfected. 

“Feel confident going,” shared Julie. “Between the airports, airlines and destinations, they have it down.” 

• Visit Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice where “it is amazing and always get a scoop of coconut ice cream at the bottom.” (Julie)
• Go to Java Jazz where he enjoyed his first Loco Moco experience, a beef patty topped with two eggs, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and homemade brown gravy that is served on white rice. “Coffee was top three I have ever had in my life.” (Wayne) 

For Anna, Maui offered respite from the cumulative repressiveness and monotony of the pandemic and the grind of work. “Maui is out of doors with open, inviting spaces and sunshine. It was wonderful to be in paradise.”

• Visit Makena Beach — known as Big Beach — for turquoise water unlike any other beach in Maui. Spring is the right time of year to spot whales breaching from the shore and you can even hear them underwater from this beach. 
• Eat at Monkeypod Kitchen (there are two locations on Maui in Kaanapali and Wailea) for its good vibes and yummy food. Anna especially loves the lobster pizza, poke tacos and Mai Tais.