Rising early is necessary because the company he works for is in New York City, five hours ahead of Maui, where he is renting a home with a backyard that’s near the beach.
“It’s a little hard with the time zone difference,” he said. “But generally I have a much better quality of life.”
The pandemic is giving many workers the freedom to do their jobs from anywhere. Now that Hawaii’s economy is reeling from dramatically fewer tourists, a group of state officials and community leaders wants more people like Berger to help provide an alternative to relying on short-term visitors.
Coinciding with the approach of winter in other parts of the U.S., “Movers & Shakas” — a reference to the Hawaii term for the “hang loose” hand gesture — launches as a campaign to attract former residents and those from elsewhere to set up remote offices with a view. They’re touting Hawaii’s paradisiacal and safety attributes: among the lowest rates per capita of COVID-19 infections in the country.
The first 50 applicants approved starting this week receive a free, roundtrip ticket to Honolulu. Applicants pledge to respect Hawaii’s culture and natural resources and participants must commit several hours a week to helping a local nonprofit.
It didn’t take much to convince Abbey Tizzano to leave behind her Austin, Texas, apartment to join four Silicon Valley friends in a rented house in Kahala, Honolulu’s version of Beverly Hills.
She had never been to Hawaii before. She booked a one-way ticket, arrived in September and quarantined for 14 days, complying with the state’s rules at the time for arriving travelers. She’s keeping Central time zone hours while working in account management for a software company, allowing her to end the work day early enough to enjoy long hikes along mountain ridges or walk five minutes to the beach.
“It’s like I live two lives right now. There’s the corporate side for ... the early mornings,” Tizzano said. “And then there’s just like the Hawaii lifestyle after I get off work around noon or 1 p.m.”
Neighbors tell the remote workers they’re a welcome change from the bachelor and bachelorette parties the luxury home normally hosts, she said.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Q&A: BITCOIN'S MASSIVE RISE AND WHAT COMES NEXT
The digital currency Bitcoin rocketed to a record high last week above $40,000 a coin.
VOLKSWAGEN TRIPLES ELECTRIC CAR SALES AHEAD OF CLIMATE RULES
Europe’s push into electric cars is gathering speed — despite the pandemic.
UK INVESTIGATES GOOGLE'S PLAN TO REVAMP CHROME BROWSER
Britain’s competition watchdog said it launched an investigation into Google’s plan to overhaul its ad data system over worries it could leave even less room for rivals in the online ad industry.
RACE ON: THE LINEUP FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE CAR INDUSTRY
Wherever you are in the world, it’s hard to deny that 2020 was a challenging year - not least the automotive sector. With car sales plummeting amidst stay-at-home orders, consumers had a chance to reflect on their environmental impact, and as a result, electric vehicles are now more desirable than ever.
SOME UBER, LYFT DRIVERS SUE OVER CALIFORNIA BALLOT MEASURE
Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections.
TARGET CONTINUES TO THRIVE IN WHIRLWIND RETAIL ENVIRONMENT
Target’s strong sales streak extended through a pandemic-shrouded holiday season after a hard push online and an increased effort to provide alternatives to customers who are trying to minimize risk.
TIKTOK TIGHTENS PRIVACY FEATURES FOR YOUNGER USERS
A month after federal regulators ordered it to disclose how its practices affect children and teenagers, TikTok is tightening its privacy practices for the under-18 crowd.
NEW MERCEDES SCREEN TO STRETCH NEARLY FULL WIDTH OF CAR
Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a key interior component of its upcoming electric luxury sedan: a large, curved screen that sweeps across almost the entire width of the car in the place of a conventional dashboard.
ELECTRIC TRUCK MAKER HITS 100,000 ORDERS AHEAD OF FALL START
An upstart electric vehicle maker said that it now has more than 100,000 orders for its new pickup truck.
CHINA'S GEELY, BAIDU ANNOUNCE ELECTRIC CAR VENTURES
Chinese automaker Geely says it will form an electric car venture with tech giant Baidu, adding to a flurry of corporate tie-ups in the industry to share soaring technology development costs.
HAWAII PUSHES FORWARD WITH TOURISM DESPITE SAFETY CONCERNS
Despite increasing coronavirus cases across the U.S., Hawaii officials hope to reboot tourism next week by loosening months of economically crippling pandemic restrictions, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving travelers.
PARADISE REGAINED?
The Aloha State is caught in a COVID-19 limbo, somewhere between welcome and farewell
At Work Another day in paradise for agile island tug
Capt. Curtis Iaukea steered Tiger 21 toward Hono-lulu Harbor on a postcard-perfect Hawaii afternoon. The job awaiting them was straightforward: shifting a Sause Bros. barge a few hundred yards from one berth to another.
IDYLLIC ISLANDS
UnCruise showcases all sides of Hawaii as they were meant to be explored and experienced.
HAWAII PLACED ON JAPANESE LIST OF SAFE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Hawaii was listed among 12 countries and regions the Japanese government considers safe international travel destinations for its citizens during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
WELCOME TO THE ADVENTURE OF CHANGE
“Wisdom comes with age, we’ve known But sometimes, age just comes alone.”
How to Make Your Own Magic
We are the genies in the our own lamps, and we can create our own dreams.
Jodie Cooper, 55
First Openly-Gay World Tour Surfer, Big-Wave Charger, Assault Survivor, Zero-Shit Taker North Coast, New South Wales
JAPAN SUSPENDS ANNUAL FUNDING FOR HAWAII TELESCOPE PROJECT
Japan suspended its yearly funding for a giant telescope project in Hawaii, citing an ongoing stalemate over its construction.
Evaluating Modern Catamarans
A multihull voyager examines the of key elements offshore cruising cats.