Managing an overseas move

Moving overseas to Germany as part of a personal change of station (PCS) was easier for Jose Moreno and his new wife early during his career in the army.

It was a different story in 2016, when the Morenos had a family with three children to bring along, find schools for them to attend, and get them on board with a move that was going upend their lives.

“There were mixed emotions because one kid was not interested in going to Japan at all,” says Moreno, now retired from the Army and living in Arizona, where he works as the Global Initiatives Coordinator for the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University. “The other two kids were very excited about this new adventure. There were mixed emotions, but the one who was not very interested finally gave in.”

While military members are given plenty of advance notice before receiving their orders that it’s time to move elsewhere, it can be a stressful time. While Department of Defense officials are available as well as other military organizations to help keep things in order, it can help servicemembers to form a checklist of things that are essential to take care of when they first receive word that orders are taking servicemembers overseas.

Moreno and his family took the experience in stride and made it a positive.

“It’s a missed opportunity when people are there and don’t take advantage of it and explore places when you’re getting a free ticket,” Moreno says.

While it can be a moment for military families to travel the world, the servicemember are assigned to a new part of the world because they have a job to do. To help with the initial process, servicemembers should not be afraid to consult with peers and military organizations to help with the process.

Some sites to access include:

• Plan My Move. This Department of Defense resource can help servicemembers design a personalized checklist of aspects of the move to consider. For Moreno, two of important parts of the move were securing transportation for a Great Dane and finding health care for one of his special needs children.

“Get educated on the cost of living, the allowance you’ll get when you get over there, and all those other things will start to come into place,” he said.

• TRICARE can help you find doctors and plans that work best for overseas moves.
• When packing for your move, it is important to be in contact with your local transportation office to determine a strategy.

Moreno described himself as a minimalist, so the decision to take some things and leave others behind was easier than it might be for others. They chose to take things like bicycles and camping gear that may not have been as easy to find overseas. Also important for the Morenos was to secure what they wanted to keep behind.

They left behind appliances and a motorcycle behind in Virginia, where the items waited for them to return from Japan.

“You can choose it for the military to store it or you could choose to store it for yourself, and they’ll pay for it either way,” said Moreno, who also chose to take personal items like photos and other things of family value and clothing.

Moreno said it is important for servicemembers to know the restrictions of the place they’re relocating. For example, some PCS moves only allow servicemembers to bring along half of their belongings, or there is a weight restriction for the number of items moved.

Vehicles can also be a challenge due to license and registration and emission requirements in certain countries.