Hawaii is a state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of numerousislands, which of the biggest are Big Island (Hawaii), Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai. Each island is verydifferent and has its own unique nature. What makes Hawaii special is the endless choice of activities you cando there during your summer. You can go hiking on cliffs in the morning and diving coral-reef in the afternoon,drinking cocktails on the beach at sunset or go to some fancy city discos at night. You can visit an active volcanopark on Big Island or visit the best surfing beaches of the world on Maui.
Hawaii is the exact flawless paradise you see from the exotic commercials or postcards. Blue waters, white sandand the friendliest “Hang Loose” people make Hawaii a truly unique spot on earth. Over seven million visitorscome to experience the paradise annually, but the islands are not as overcrowded with tourists as you might think.
It might be slightly more expensive to fly there, because it is more or less the other side of the world, but if youfinally get there - you will not regret it!
J1ers usually pick Oahu or Maui as their destination islands. But you can also go to the Big Island, where you canfind jobs in lots of different businesses. Other islands are very exotic to visit, but since they are smaller, it will behard to find a job there for the summer.
Climate: air temperature stays 21 to 31ŗC in the summer, while water temperatures are around 23 C. Mild oceanbreezes will not let you get too hot.
Transport: Getting around in Hawaii depends on the island. The Bus is excellent public transport on Oahu. It hasbeen given the award of best public transport of USA. Cost is $2 per journey (two-ways or within 2 hours). MauiPublic Bus is the main transit service on Maui. Hele-On Bus it the free bus service on Big Island. Public transport isnot as efficient on Molokai and Lanai. If you’re planning on visiting one of these islands you should plan to rent acar.
Between the islands: Hawaii's Super Ferry makes daily trips between Maui and Oahu. Some charter companiesoffer trips to and from the other islands as well.
There are also some airlines like Aloha Airlines Hawaii, Hawaii Flight, Maui Flights, Cheapest Flights, HawaiiFare, United Airlines and Air Canada making flights between the islands.
Everything is close when you are in Hawaii. No matter which island you decide to live at, you’re mostlikely going to end up living close to a beach and entertainment. Local newspapers Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Hilo Tribune-Herald are available online and will have the most up-to-date classifiedsin the area. Usually students rent an apartment in some high building. Very good places to look for thoseapartments are the guard-desks under every building. If there are no ads there, ask the guards aboutavailable units. That and Craigslist are probably the most efficient way to look for accommodation. Checkout the following websites for ideas on accommodation before you go:
Hawaii Hostel Review -
Helpful for finding temporary accommodation for the first couple of days
Craigslist Hawaii - The best site for ads
Maui.net Classifieds -
Rental listings and a help wanted section
Honolulu Advertiser -
Apartment and job listings updated daily
Students with J1 visa usually work in tourism industry in Hawaii. Bars, nightclubs, resorts, shops andrestaurants are the best places to look for a job.
Prearranging your job is always highly recommended. If you’re planning to go as a freestyler and hunt forjobs after you get there it is best to get to Hawaii in the end of May or beginning of June to be competitivewith local and international students. Move around the island, when you don't succeed at first, don't stayonly in the Waikiki area. Most of the students go to the Waikiki region only, leaving lots of places free inthe other areas.
In addition to other job hunting sites, you can try these for Hawaii:
Jobs Hawaii
Honolulu Advertiser
SummerJobs.com
ResortJobs.com
If you are in the state of Aloha, we suggest you to keep you eyes open for all kind of activities whereyou can discover the unique nature of the islands. This is something to remember and it is often free. Sogo hiking, snorkeling, swimming, sun-bathing, cliff jumping etc. And don’t forget that each Island isdifferent, so you might want to visit one of them.
Kaua’i is probably the greenest of the bigger islands of Hawaii. Go and visit Mt ‘Wai'ale'ale, one of therainiest places on earth, or the Waimea Canyon and the spectacular hiking along the cliffs of the NapaliCoast. 
Oahu is home to the state capital, Honolulu. If you are in Honolulu, you will most definitely see one ofthe most famous beaches of the world - Waikiki Beach. Hike up the inside of the Diamond Head crater,where you will see the best views of Oahu and the surrounding islands. Go snorkeling in absolute bestplace for that - Hanauma Bay, or see the very powerful waves of Sandy Beach. If you are looking forthe real surfing culture, go and visit some North Shore beaches as Malaekahana, Sunset or Makaha.
Maui is the state’s second biggest island, and home to some of the best beaches in the world. Go andwatch the sunrise from the tip of Haleakala Crater. You should also take a curvy ride to the Black SandBeach, which is one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world.
Hawaii’s “Big Island”, as it’s most commonly known, is the biggest of the Hawaiian Islands. This is the
place, where you can see snow in Hawaii. Having everything from black sand beaches to the most activeVolcano in the world it is definitely worth your visit.
What to try
A very popular food in Hawaii is plate lunch. It has lots of rice or macaroni and a big steak of grilledmeat or fish and some salad. You can find them at food courts, diners and roadside lunch carts around theislands. You can also participate in some of Hawaiian feasts, known as Luaus, which run on many of theislands. In addition to eating roast pork straight off the spit, you’ll be treated to some lively Polynesianentertainment, including hula dancing.
Very good entertainment in Waikiki is the Waikiki Booze Cruise. That is a sail on a boat with somemusic and all inclusive drinks. So it is your own pick if you want to get drunk or just watch the beautifulHawaiian sunset from the boat on the ocean.
Besides that, you will find lots of materials about different tourist activities from the flyer distributors ortourism info points. So keep your eyes open and suck in the experience.
