Most military families will make a move (PCS) at some point during their service. Moving can be tough, especially when you’re trying to navigate DoD processes. Sarah Steward, an Education Specialist at CHAMP, recently asked military spouses Eva, Nathan, Tammy, and Jacky to share their experiences and helpful advice.
HPRC Blog has a series of articles on managing your PCS, starting with this one on moving your family.
Sarah: Tell me about your military life. When it comes to PCS, what’s your top tip?
Eva: My husband has been a Soldier for the last 7½ years, and we have 2 young kids and a dog. We PCS’d from Bethesda, MD to El Paso, TX (partial do-it-yourself [DITY] move). My top tip: If the military moves you, over-communicate with them. My understanding was they were sending someone out to look at our stuff and estimate how long and how many people it would take to move. The moving company called the day before they were supposed to pack us up and said they needed an extra day. This was a big issue because we were all set to leave the night they were scheduled to pack and load, so we were without daycare for our kids, our lease was up, and there was no elevator reserved for our 7th floor apartment move. The elevator scared the moving company enough that they sent over 5 guys and got it done in a day. I wish I’d insisted on talking to the moving company earlier and confirming we were set for everything because this was definitely a big scare we didn’t need.
Nathan: My wife has served in the Navy for 4 years, and we have 1 kid. We’ve done 2 PCSs: Seattle, WA to Yokosuka, Japan and Yokosuka to Bethesda. My top tip: Don’t stress over the broken table leg. It will all work out. Enjoy the moving time as family time.
Tammy: My husband is a Soldier, and we have one young kid, 2 cats, and a dog. We PCS’d from Iowa to Bethesda, and we’re preparing for another move right now. My top tip: Do whatever makes the move the least stressful for you. If that means eating out every night for a week, so be it. Hire someone to do the housecleaning if the thought of cleaning after you move or at your new place stresses you out. If you don’t want your belongings out of your sight, do a DITY move. If you don’t want the hassle of packing, let the military do it. If you can, make sure to communicate with your partner, so you’re both on the same page with what’s happening.
Jacky: I’ve had 17 years of military moves with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force—going from a single guy to married man with two kids. I’ve PCS’d to Charleston, SC, Destin, FL, Las Vegas, NV, San Diego, CA, Seattle, and Washington, DC. My top tip: Spend the money DoD gives you for your move. I’m a finance guy and all about saving money, but there’s enough stress going on during a move that I would like people to use money as the tool it’s intended to be. For per-diem: Eat good food, stay in comfortable hotels, and take ALL the travel days. When it comes to your Temporary Lodging Allowance (TLA), spend the 10 days total on either end in a bed instead of on your floor, because you get lodging and a food allowance too. And for Dislocation Allowance (DLA): Set up utilities and buy new trash cans, cleaning supplies, a smaller (or larger) table for your new dining room, and new curtains. The money will take care of all of that.
Sarah: What are your “go-to strategies” for researching your new duty-station location, picking schools, choosing neighborhoods, and finding a home? Do you use Facebook? Wing it? Or do you reach out to someone at the new base for advice?
Eva: Go visit beforehand. I’d hesitate to sign a lease without seeing the neighborhood, getting a feel for drive times, etc. Use your military-spouse networks, especially to try to find a contact who can give you the inside scoop. If you’re going to work outside the home, I also recommend having a plan for job searching at your next duty station. The minute I found out where we were going, I started searching for contacts on LinkedIn, looking for jobs, and planning a trip for networking purposes. This trip worked out great because I was also able to look for housing.
Nathan: I ask around. There’s always someone who has been there before.
Tammy: I mostly use Facebook. I join a base group or community group on Facebook, so that I can search previous posts for answers to questions I have or ask people for opinions.
Jacky: Facebook groups are lousy with people asking where to live, so I’d recommend using your Google-fu in the FB search bar on a local FB page before asking in the group to avoid triggering someone (tone online is awful). I had pages of crime reports (city data), sex offender locations (varies), and school demographics (great schools), but much of that went out the window when we found the home that felt right and school staff who took the time to show us around. Still, it’s good to know that info.
Sarah: How did you make long trips bearable or even fun? Do you fly or drive? How do you keep kids busy in the car? Is a vacation en route a good idea or more of a hassle?
Eva: Breaking up the trips worked well. I’d generally prefer to fly, but it was fine doing a mix. This made reimbursement tricky, but we basically paid for our own plane tickets and got reimbursed based on a per diem driving. I highly recommend the vacation. If nothing else, it gives your goods some time to travel across the country.
Nathan: We make it a vacation. When else do you get such a big block of time off? We don't take the direct route. Instead, we use it as an opportunity to visit people along the way or see interesting places.
Tammy: We drive. If you have little kids, break up the trip as much as possible. Ahead of time, map out places you could stop along the way (children’s museums, friend’s house, parks, even just a mall) to let the kids get out and run a bit. We buy small toys and keep them in a box up front, so when the kids need a new distraction, you have something to give them. If each kiddo has a tablet, let them pick some new games and videos to load, so they have lots of entertainment. Pack lots of snacks too! For adults, download some podcasts or audiobooks for the long drive.
Jacky: I’m huge on family time, and while flying is quicker, road trips get your car and hand-carried stuff cross-country on your timeframe. I plan a route that puts us on the road for about 6 hours a day and has us staying somewhere with a pool. Even with 2 kids who can’t swim, it’s very relaxing for all of us to hang out in the water after a day in the car. We’ve used all kinds of distractions: box of toys, DVD player, iPad, books on tape, road-trip bingo, license-plate bingo, and I spy. It gets everyone engaged, keeps some variety, and makes places like west Texas fly by.
Sarah: What’s been your experience PCS’ing with pets? Have you shipped pets to your new duty station?
Eva: We traveled with our dog. Since the drive was very long, we actually drove the car partway with our little family. And my parents volunteered to drive the car with the dog the rest of the way while we flew with the kids. This actually worked really well. If at all possible, I’d recommend scheduling a vacation, family visits, etc., en route to break up the drive.Nathan: We’ve never done it. When we moved to Japan, we left our elderly dog with my parents.
Tammy: We travel with our pets in the car. Just make sure you’ve mapped out pet-friendly hotels along the way. Also, if you’re thinking about stopping to sightsee, make sure you can bring your pet in (or leave them safely in a hotel room), so they’re not in your car. Talk with your vet ahead of time to make sure all vaccines are up-to-date and you have any medications they need until you find a new vet at the other end. Our vet also gave us sedatives for our cats because they don’t travel well.
Tune in next week for part 2 of this series, where these military spouses share some helpful tips and tricks on the best ways to organize and move your stuff. Be sure to take a look at HPRC’s list of PCS hacks too.
About the Author
Sarah Steward, of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, is an Education Specialist for the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
* The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the United States Department of Defense.
* The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the United States Department of Defense.
