Hey y'all!
Surprise! Here is a little extra something for all of you heading to school in Hawaii this year! This is an exciting time for many of you, and while you are undoubtedly going crazy with the thought of "Well what do I need?" or even the classic, "How am I getting my things over there?" I'm here to help. Without further ado, here is your Back to School Supplies List: Hawaii Edition.
First, you need to understand that it is hot in Hawaii and that the dorms don't have air conditioning. Seriously, your dorm room will not have AC. This means you're going to want to invest in a quality fan for your new space. I've seen everything from clip on fans to tower fans on top of desks. The number of fans you purchase are also going to depend on where you face, for instance my room faced Mauka (the mountain) and got a lot of wind, so I only had one fan for myself and my roommate had one fan, too. Funny thing is that the two of us actually slept with our fans on our beds! The other way you might be positioned is facing Makai (the ocean), and while your view is going to be incredible you're going to need three times the amount of fans because you're not going to get any wind. Here are three of my personal favorites:
Fan One: Holmes Lil' Blizzard Fan (I have this one)
Next, you live on an island now, which means you're going to need at least one beach towel (I recommend two to three). I've used various ones in the past, from ABC Store to Billabong, but they're just not as good as my newest: the Active Towel. Oftentimes towels bought from stores such as the aforementioned are too thick and take hours to dry. And trust me, when I'm driving from one side of the island to the other a damp, soggy towel is not what I want sitting in my car. However, I've found that the Active Towel dries extremely fast and does not retain water (or sand!). It is lightweight, durable, and gets more absorbent with every wash. This means that when whether you're taking TheBus to your destination or your roommates' car, you can trust that your towel won't stay wet and heavy during the trip. Plus, how convenient is it that Turkish towels are also easily compact? If you're a student who plans on going to the beach often, investing in a towel that you can roll up and won't take up a lot of space in your whole bag is a must. Also, for all of you marine biology students, the Active Towel is eco-friendly! Below is a link to buy your own Active Towel and, if you use the code STUDENTS18 for 18% off of non-sale items. Trust me, a quality towel is a must for the islands.
Towel One: Aegean Cotton (My personal favorite and the one I'm sporting below!)
Third, you're going to quickly realize that everyone and their mother owns one of those tin water bottles with the little man on them. If you don't already have one, you should really look into buying a hydroflask. Yeti's are comparable, but the go-to for many students at UH are the classic hydro. With no AC in the dorms and horrible humidity every day, investing in a water bottle that is going to keep your water cold all day is a must. Here are three that I personally like:
Hydro One: Wide Mouth with Straw (I have in white)
Last, and arguably the most obvious necessity for Hawaii life, is sunscreen. Seriously, sunscreen. I'm speaking from experience here, but sunscreen goes far beyond what you would slather on at the beach. You need sunscreen every day, and especially on your face. I can't tell you how frequently I started getting new freckles and red spots by not wearing sunscreen, and now I apply it every day to my face. Outside of class, where you can also get sun exposure! you're going to need sunscreen for the beach or for the numerous hikes you could do. Some classes, like Oceanography, also require you go out and do field work, so this isn't me suggesting something crazy but rather something you may need for a class you take! In my experience, I turn very red and will get a horrible burn if I use anything higher than 12 SPF (I'm not kidding) and I can't use spray-on sunscreen. While everyone prefers something different, here are three of my personal sunscreen favorites. Also, stock up before you leave the mainland because sunscreen prices are much higher on the islands!
And that's it! Do you feel prepared yet? I hope you are as excited as I am to go back to the islands, even though I have a few more months. Best of luck to you this school year and, as always, leave me a comment if you're heading off and whether or not you'll use any of these products!
