6 OCONUS PCS move tips
How to survive your first overseas Permanent Change of Station.
Our boxes packed and ready to go
Now first thing first, I’ll start with a confession. My husband and I aren’t exactly known for our organisational skills. We tend to take things as they come and we don’t plan very far in advance. Part of this is my husband’s 12 years of experience with military life, but it’s partly just our laid back nature too. This has resulted in countless disastrous day trips, showing up to a town in the middle of riposo to find all the shops shut. Or going to a lake in the Dolomites, with the intention of kayaking, only to bring no cash to pay for it with. But an OCONUS PCS move really can’t be treated with such nonchalance. And fortunately for us, we didn’t do that. We made lists and bought folders to made sure all matters had been accounted for. It was so very out of character!
Our remaining bags prior to flying out
With that being said, we learnt a few lessons on the true importance of some of the advice we received prior to the move, and there were some things we hadn’t given much forethought to. So I’ve complied a 6 tips for your next OCONUS PCS move based on some of things we discovered…
Declutter before the movers come
Decluttering before you move is so much easier than moving everything to your next duty station and dealing with it then. You’ll be amazed by all the random things you’ve kept along the way that you really don’t need. Unpacking is overwhelming and very time consuming so you’ll be glad to not have to dispose of enormous amounts of junk too. Therefore, do yourself a favor and do this prior to moving!
Think about what you want your next home to be (buy/ rent, apartment/single family home) as soon as possible
It’s really important to think about what expenses you’re going to incur ahead of time so you can adequately prepare. Whilst you will be reimbursed for most costs eventually, there are things you will have to pay initially. Typically your home will need to be professionally cleaned prior to moving out, you will then need to buy fresh cleaning supplies when you arrive at your next destination, maybe you’ll take some leave in between! And don’t forget the deposit and first month’s rent! In short, it gets expensive fast. So, save, save, save! You should do some research on housing in the area in advance too. Perhaps you will get more property for your money if you buy, as opposed to renting, in which case you will want to save for a deposit. Or maybe renting is fine but you want to live in a different county because of the quality of the schools! There is a lot to think about and it is essential to do this ahead of time to avoid feeling overwhelmed and short of money.
Read the rules on what you can and can’t take before you start stockpiling items like wine!
The rules on shipping wine can vary depending on the state you’re moving to. Read up on the laws in your particular state BEFORE you start bulk buying wine! You may find that there is a limit to the amount of alcohol you can import, or that some types of wine are not permitted. Shipping prosecco with your HHG is usually not allowed. This is because, when exposed to heat and varying temperatures, the pressure in the bottle can increase causing the bottle to explode. Some movers may take these without saying anything, but some won’t. And even if they do pack your prosecco, the risk of it exploding on your HHG is something you must consider. An alternative to shipping alcohol with your HHG is to use a private shipper. This is something we ended up doing after stupidly buying 100 bottles of prosecco! The company we chose keeps the alcohol in a temperature controlled room and will ship all alcohol, including prosecco and open bottles of liquor. BUT this service is not cheap. It set us back $1,300. We were told we could be reimbursed since our HHG was under the weight limit but we are yet to complete this process.
Take lots of good photos of furniture and electrical items (turned on) before the movers come
Remember to take lots of photos before the movers come. If you’re wondering which items you need to photograph, consider what you’d want to be reimbursed for if were to break. If the item is electrical, snap some photos of the gadget turned on to prove it worked prior to the move. It can be hard, if not impossible, to be reimbursed for damage if you can’t prove it occured in transit. Make sure your movers are aware of the high value items they are packing so they can make a special note. Also don’t be afraid to ask them to wrap certain items more! The italian movers seem used to wrapping fragile nove ceramics and murano glasses but it doesn’t hurt to ask for another layer of bubble wrap!
Measure all larger items of furniture before they’re packed away.
This may sound obvious to some but it’s something my husband and I neglected to do and it’s oh so important to know the dimensions of your furniture when looking around houses in your next duty station. Measure all the important furniture in your rooms, such as your bed and sofa. When we received our HHG and assembled everything, we were surprised by the size of our couch! It was a lot wider than we remembered it being. This may sound strange but it had been almost two months since we’d seen our furniture! Our stools are also too short for the breakfast bar in our current home. So whilst it may seem excessive when you’re in the midst of PCS chaos, do measure all important furniture so you have an idea of the size of home you are going to need. Our 8 seater dining table wouldn’t fit in a lot of the homes we looked at and we really didn’t want to pay for storage on top of rent!
Go to the lending closet and see what they can give you before you buy anything
If you move during peak PCS season, expect to wait 8+ weeks to receive your HHG. So before you start panic buying kitchen sets and camp beds, stop by the lending closet and see what they can give you. Often they will loan beds, kitchenware, sofas and even a dining table! You’ll find OCONUS moves are often far more expensive than you expect, so definitely make the most of the lending closet and save some money by borrowing some items!