Hawaii Safe Travels Steps
We just got back from a week on the Big Island. It was wonderful, but it was definitely not like other times we have been pre-Covid. The most stressful part seemed to be figuring out how to use Hawaii's Safe Travels site. I looked all over the internet to figure out what it was like and could never quite find all the information I needed to truly understand the process. My hope is that I can outline that process for you here, and also give you a little insight to what it's like to vacation in Hawaii during this strange time.
To start, there are actually two websites that you will need to access for your trip and will be useful and necessary. The main one is Hawaii's Safe Travels site and the other is Hawaii's Covid site. Hawaii's Covid site is where you can find information about the most up-to-date requirements and also find a list of trusted travel partners for testing, which I will go over later in this post. The Safe Travels site is where you will sign up for a Safe Travels account.
To start, there are actually two websites that you will need to access for your trip and will be useful and necessary. The main one is Hawaii's Safe Travels site and the other is Hawaii's Covid site. Hawaii's Covid site is where you can find information about the most up-to-date requirements and also find a list of trusted travel partners for testing, which I will go over later in this post. The Safe Travels site is where you will sign up for a Safe Travels account.
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First, let's talk about the Safe Travels site. This is where you will set up an account for each adult, 18 and older in your party. Each person needs to have their own account. What that meant for my family is that both my husband and I each had to sign up separately. Once you have set up your account, you will click on "Trips," which you can see to the right. This is where you will add your trip and if you have children in your party, you will add them to one of your accounts, here.
You will want to make sure you have all the information for your trip, like flight number, dates, hotel reservations, etc. You can set up this account anytime after having your reservations in place. |
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Once you have set up your account(s), you have to eventually apply for an exemption from quarantine. Otherwise, Hawaii still requires you to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. To avoid this 10-day quarantine, you have to apply for an exemption. The two most common exemptions are uploading your vaccination card or getting a Covid test 72 hours prior departure of your final leg of travel.
For my family, both my husband and I are vaccinated. We uploaded an image of your vaccination card and it seemed almost too easy. So, we ended up also downloading the Clear app and uploading our vaccination card there, which then was approved through the Clear app. We were then able to apply for exemption by clicking on the "Clear Exception," like you see to the left. |
After entering our Clear app information, it verified our Clear Pass and a window popped up saying, "You have an Exception from Quarantine for this trip." It was easy and made us feel reassured we had done the right thing to get exemption! Here's the thing...Hawaii just started allowing vaccination exceptions as of July 8th. While we were in Hawaii and currently, Hawaii's Covid numbers are skyrocketing. I have heard multiple rumors that they might start requiring negative tests again for all visitors. So, make sure to constantly check on what is accepted, as it may not matter what your vaccination status is if they go back to requiring tests for everyone.
For my kids, they are both ineligible to be vaccinated because they are under the age of 12. So, for the both of them, we had to have them tested. This seemed to be the most stressful part. Right before we had left, I had seen many posts about people who had taken their children to get tested, only to have the tests come back positive and they had to cancel their long awaited trip. For us, we decided to basically quarantine for two weeks prior to our trip to make sure nothing happened. Since we have been back, I have only seen more and more of these stories, so we are glad we made that decision to quarantine beforehand.
If you have someone in your party that has to be tested, you have to go to one of Hawaii's trusted travel partners. You absolutely have to use one of these, or else you won't be approved. The other caveat to testing is that you must do the test no more than 72 hours before departure of your final leg. For us, we had a direct flight on a Thursday at 1:05 p.m. That meant that the soonest we could test was Monday at 1:05 p.m. If you have a layover somewhere, you would use the time your flight departs from that layover, not your home airport. I found this calculator, which was very helpful at reassuring me I was doing my math correctly.
For my kids, they are both ineligible to be vaccinated because they are under the age of 12. So, for the both of them, we had to have them tested. This seemed to be the most stressful part. Right before we had left, I had seen many posts about people who had taken their children to get tested, only to have the tests come back positive and they had to cancel their long awaited trip. For us, we decided to basically quarantine for two weeks prior to our trip to make sure nothing happened. Since we have been back, I have only seen more and more of these stories, so we are glad we made that decision to quarantine beforehand.
If you have someone in your party that has to be tested, you have to go to one of Hawaii's trusted travel partners. You absolutely have to use one of these, or else you won't be approved. The other caveat to testing is that you must do the test no more than 72 hours before departure of your final leg. For us, we had a direct flight on a Thursday at 1:05 p.m. That meant that the soonest we could test was Monday at 1:05 p.m. If you have a layover somewhere, you would use the time your flight departs from that layover, not your home airport. I found this calculator, which was very helpful at reassuring me I was doing my math correctly.
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We decided to go with Walgreen's. They offer the Rapid Diagnostic Test (ID Now). The reason we chose this particular test was that you are supposed to get results back within 24 hours and it was free!
At the time we had to sign up for a testing time, Walgreen's was releasing appointments three days prior. I got on late Thursday night and was able to schedule for Monday the following week. I suggest looking into when Walgreen's posts appointment times, because they are going fast and they can be hard to come by unless you know when to snag them. The more you prepare for testing, the less stress you will have. Like I said, this seemed to be the most stressful for us. And it was the same for a few friends who also have gone to Hawaii recently. |
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Another necessary suggestion is to look into what testing options are available in your area. I know that not everyone has Walgreen's and even if you do, not all Walgreen's over the ID Now test. Also, we had no problem getting a testing appointment, but less than a week later, I looked into getting test for us for when we returned as a safety precaution, and there were no appointments to be had. From what I have read, Walgreen's is having a huge shortage of tests. This is providing difficulty for people getting a test. Also, some tests cost upwards of $150 a piece, so be prepared for the extra costs.
When we took our kids to get tested, we went through the pharmacy drive-through. They passed a large swab through the window, walked my kids through what to do and observed as they did it. We passed the swabs back and an hour later I had an email with my daughter's negative test results. Even though they took the test at the exact same time, my son's results didn't come back for another five hours. So, be aware that they can come back at different times.
Once the results were back, our results were sent as an email in which we had to log in by providing my children's birthdays. It then had a "Lab PDF" and "Easy Read PDF." You want to save the "Lab PDF" to your phone or device. From there, you can then go back to the Hawaii Safe Travel site, click on the "Apply for Exemption" button, and upload your results. I couldn't tell if they had been approved, but after doing a lot of digging, you will know if they are approved if under the "Status" column, you see "COVID NEGATIVE." For us, both tests were immediately verified and we were cleared for Hawaii...almost!
I have heard of people who have done everything right, but their tests aren't accepted or something goes wrong. If this happens, don't panic! You can try reloading them or contact the Safe Travels number and they can often help. I've also heard of people getting help at the airport. It's an extra hassle, but people seem to be able to get it resolved fairly easily.
When we took our kids to get tested, we went through the pharmacy drive-through. They passed a large swab through the window, walked my kids through what to do and observed as they did it. We passed the swabs back and an hour later I had an email with my daughter's negative test results. Even though they took the test at the exact same time, my son's results didn't come back for another five hours. So, be aware that they can come back at different times.
Once the results were back, our results were sent as an email in which we had to log in by providing my children's birthdays. It then had a "Lab PDF" and "Easy Read PDF." You want to save the "Lab PDF" to your phone or device. From there, you can then go back to the Hawaii Safe Travel site, click on the "Apply for Exemption" button, and upload your results. I couldn't tell if they had been approved, but after doing a lot of digging, you will know if they are approved if under the "Status" column, you see "COVID NEGATIVE." For us, both tests were immediately verified and we were cleared for Hawaii...almost!
I have heard of people who have done everything right, but their tests aren't accepted or something goes wrong. If this happens, don't panic! You can try reloading them or contact the Safe Travels number and they can often help. I've also heard of people getting help at the airport. It's an extra hassle, but people seem to be able to get it resolved fairly easily.
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The next step in this whole process is a health questionnaire. This will not be made available to you until 24 hours prior to your departure. Once you are in that time frame, you log back into your Safe Travels account and fill it out for you and any children attached to your account. Once that is done, they will email you a QR code. This is something you will want to take a screen shot of and also print out to have as a hard copy. You can see what mine looked like to the right.
Another thing that can seem confusing is that you will see, "Exempt: Yes" on this QR code, but "Screened: No." The screened will not turn to a yes and green until after you are screened at the airport. So, don't worry! At this point, you are less than 24 hours from departure and you will want to make sure you have all the documents you need. For us, that was printed out QR codes, printed out hotel reservations (they may ask for them), printed out negative test results for both kids, and our actual vaccination cards. You may not need them all, but it's worth having hard copies in case your phone doesn't work for some reason. |
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Now, it's time for the airport! Many airlines are now offering a Pre-Clear program. We flew Alaska Airlines and they were one of those airlines. This Pre-Clear program allows you to show all of the necessary information and you receive a wristband at the airport before you depart. Check with your airline if they are doing this because it was worth it. This was so easy! Some airports have you do this at the ticket counter and others have you do it at the gate. At PDX, we had to do it at the gate. Once the gate attendant was there, we walked up. She asked for our QR codes and vaccination cards. She scanned the QR codes, gave us each a wristband and told us not to take it off because you will not get another, and we had finally completed the last step to guarantee our arrival in Hawaii.
By completing the Pre-Clear at the airport, once you arrive in Hawaii, you get to walk right to baggage claim. If you don't do this, you will have to go through clearance once you reach Hawaii. Depending on the island you go to and the day, this means you could be possibly spending upwards of 2-3 hours in line to get cleared. So, do whatever you can to get pre-cleared before departure to save yourself time.
By completing the Pre-Clear at the airport, once you arrive in Hawaii, you get to walk right to baggage claim. If you don't do this, you will have to go through clearance once you reach Hawaii. Depending on the island you go to and the day, this means you could be possibly spending upwards of 2-3 hours in line to get cleared. So, do whatever you can to get pre-cleared before departure to save yourself time.
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Once you are pre-cleared, your QR code will be updated and show that you are now cleared and it will turn green. You can see what it will look like to your left. You will want to take a screen shot of this and have it ready. We had to show it again at the rental car agency and also our hotel once we arrived on the island.
Once you get through these steps, there really isn't anything that will get in your way of starting your Hawaiian vacation. I'm hoping that these tips help provide you a little insight into what you need to do in order to get into Hawaii during this crazy time. I appreciate that Hawaii is taking these extra steps to keep people safe and it made us feel safe going. |