I moved to Hawaii but left after 6 months. Here's what I'd warn anyone who thinks it's a dream place to live.

In the days immediately following the disastrous wildfire on Maui that has seen more than 100 people pronounced dead and nearly a thousand others still missing, the Hawaii Tourism Authority - Hawaii’s state-run tourism board - asked people not to travel to Maui.

As smoke rolled over their Lahaina neighborhood, Akanesi Vaa, her husband, and their three kids rushed to their car. The clear blue sky went grey, then black, in what seemed like a few heartbeats. Homes burned around them. Intense heat radiated through the car doors. Then came a banging at the window, as an elderly woman pleaded, “Please help me, I have a baby.” Vaa looked for a way forward: Should she keep moving to get her kids out of harm’s way, or stop to help this elder?

As Hawai’i continues to rebuild from the devastating and deadly wildfires that swept through the western region of Maui, the state’s leadership is encouraging travel to the other islands and even parts of Maui that were not affected by the wildfires. In a news conference this week, Hawaii’s Gov. Josh Green and its tourism board advised travelers that they're still welcome to visit the other islands of Hawaii. “Like we saw in the pandemic, decisions we made can affect everyone across the islands. So what we’re saying now is travel should not be to West Maui. But the other parts of Maui are safe,” Green said at the press event.

In early 2020, with state health officials downplaying signs of the coming pandemic, Josh Green, who was then Hawaii’s lieutenant governor, went outside the political pecking order and called the White House himself to ask for a temporary ban on cruise ships, a linchpin of Hawaii’s economy.

A couple who were in Maui with their baby while the wildfires were raging described getting scammed while trying to arrange flights home.

In the throes of responding to the Maui wildfires that razed the celebrated town of Lahaina and claimed over 110 lives, Hawaii remains mostly open for tourism, despite the misgivings of both residents and tourists.

The beaches near the Kahului Airport on the Hawaiian island of Maui remain idyllic; their golden sandy shorelines slip beneath the turquoise surf as it rolls in, and palm trees still sway in the breeze.

I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband and it's often as glamorous as it sounds. After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry, or pay for food. 

Jason Momoa, a Hawaii native and actor, is warning people against visiting Maui as wildfires devastate the Hawaiian island. 

Hawaiian Airlines is offering people in need of an urgent escape from wildfires ravaging Maui $19 flights to safety.

Travelers who have visited the historic town of Lāhainā on Maui’s western coast might reminisce fondly of sitting under the banyan tree enjoying the tradewinds, walking in and out of the shops down Front Street, taking in the ocean views from the harbor or eating an ice cream cone from Lappert’s in the sunshine.

If you have upcoming plans to travel to Maui, the state of Hawai'i’s tourism organization is asking you to reconsider your trip to the island so that its resources can be devoted to helping Hawai'ians impacted by devastating wildfires.