PCSing to Europe - Need moving tips fast!

[ondreeuh]

DH accepted a civilian job with the army back in March. We have a report date of June 11 but STILL do not have official orders in hand. June 11 is 19 days away! The delay has been due to staffing issues - only one person at a time seems to be able to process anything, and we keep waiting for people to come back from vacation, come back from training, deal with their own backlog, etc. Orders were supposed to be finished last Wednesday, then Friday, then Monday, and here it is Wednesday and we are still waiting. Ok, now that I got that off my chest ....

 

We have never done a PCS move or an official relocation. We have only ever done a DIY U-Haul move. I don't really know what to expect! We have sold & donated a ton of stuff and started filling the garage with stuff we want to have stored. I have figured out our weight allowance (18,000 lbs) and we know that HHG will take about 8 weeks and UAB will take about 7, so we plan to just send everything as HHG except for what we take as luggage. The minute we get orders we will log into the website that allows us to schedule movers - we were told we could schedule them to come within a couple of days, and I hope that's true!

 

To maintain my own sanity and any kind of organization, we have bought our own moving boxes and have been packing some ourselves. I know we're supposed to let the movers do it, but there is no way they will pack in a way that makes sense to me. We packed up the science kits, art supplies, winter gear, yarn, etc. Is this going to be a huge problem - are they going to re-pack everything? I left the top flaps untaped, so hopefully they can just peek inside and then seal it up.

 

We luckily did find a house on the economy already - the people will be moving out a couple of weeks after we get there and will sell us some wardrobes and their barbecue grill :). That takes a huge weight off my shoulders, and I know what we will have room for. We are going to hit up IKEA for some furniture as soon as we move into our house, and I have already had Amazon send some stuff to our APO box. It took less time to get to Europe than it does to Alaska.

 

We are storing more than we are taking - anything I need to know about that? I assume to schedule the packers for the stored stuff last? I know I need to take videos of all the furniture and valuables. I have heard horror stories of mold ruining everything. I have also heard that the sealed crates have been unsealed and stuff has been lost.

 

How strict are they about not shipping liquids? What about double-bagged poster paint? Small bottles of perfume? Shampoo? Canned soup? Actually, what are the rules for food?

 

Is there a chance we won't be able to get moving & transportation scheduled to make our June 11th date? Would they just bump us to the next date (the 25th?). I am nervous that we are getting so close to the deadline.

[Laura Corin]

I've had removal men pack for me quite a few times.  Your duty is to run around the house as they pack and mark the boxes with what is going inside.  Don't be afraid to stop them as they start to tape something up and ask to look inside.

 

In my experience, anything that you pack yourself could be excluded from the insurance.  Ask if that will be the case.  If so, just ask them to repack but with the items grouped in the same way.

 

I would schedule the packers for the stored stuff first: once the house is packed up, you won't have anything to use any more, so you will want to be getting on a plane or into a hotel.

 

The rules for liquids, food etc will depend on the moving company and the country moved to. 

 

Good luck!

[ondreeuh]

I've had removal men pack for me quite a few times.  Your duty is to run around the house as they pack and mark the boxes with what is going inside.  Don't be afraid to stop them as they start to tape something up and ask to look inside.

 

In my experience, anything that you pack yourself could be excluded from the insurance.  Ask if that will be the case.  If so, just ask them to repack but with the items grouped in the same way.

 

I would schedule the packers for the stored stuff first: once the house is packed up, you won't have anything to use any more, so you will want to be getting on a plane or into a hotel.

 

The rules for liquids, food etc will depend on the moving company and the country moved to. 

 

Good luck!

 

Those are great points - but we have a furnished guest house so will live out of there until we're ready to go. I was thinking storage last, so we we can keep throwing things into that pile as we go. I guess it could go either way.

 

The stuff I have packed myself isn't particularly valuable, just a pain to organize if it gets split up. I will ask them to repack only if necessary.

 

I can't wait until this is over!

[CAJinBE]

In my experience, they are very strict about liquids, candles, batteries, or anything that could potentially damage other things or cause a fire. You can bring your lamps and buy 220 volt bulbs when you arrive and plug adaptors. If you have area rugs, you will probably want to bring those as most European places have hard floors. Since you know where you're going already, you could ask about the floors. If you pack a box yourself, leave it open so they can see it. As long as they mark it CP as carrier packed you should be okay for insurance. Make sure each box and each unboxed item is numbered and entered on the inventory. Don't let them pack any valuables. Also make sure you keep anything you don't want packed in a separate locked room or in your locked car. There are usually more packers than you can keep your eyes on and they go fast. Things that can't be moved like a phone or things that stay with the property, clearly mark with tape and marker "Do Not Pack". They will usually take food in cans or boxes. You can pre pack small items into ziploc bags which will make unpacking on the other side much easier. Otherwise you will end up with individually wrapped pencils and handfuls of paper clips. The packing for an overseas move is usually very good. Furniture will be completely wrapped and padded if necessary. 

 

I'm not sure why you are putting more in storage than you are bringing unless your house will be furnished. You have a very generous weight allowance. Sometimes things get used or damaged while in storage and you won't know about it for years. We've done many moves and have had very little damage. 

 

It's a good idea to provide drinks and food for the crew. Moving is definitely stressful. I hope everything goes well. 

[Lanny]

Insurance on everything. Anything valuable should be appraised by someone who is qualified to appraise that particular type of item.  When I moved from TX to Colombia, I took out a policy with Clements in Washington DC, that covered transit. After I moved, we had Homeowners (Renters) insurance with them on the contents of the house we were renting at that time, for a number of years.

 

ETA: If you are shipping car(s) you need to be positive that will be OK in the country you are moving to. I was not able to ship my car and a friend sold it for me after I moved.

Edited May 24, 2017 by Lanny

[ondreeuh]

I'm not sure why you are putting more in storage than you are bringing unless your house will be furnished. You have a very generous weight allowance. Sometimes things get used or damaged while in storage and you won't know about it for years. We've done many moves and have had very little damage. 

 

It's a good idea to provide drinks and food for the crew. Moving is definitely stressful. I hope everything goes well. 

 

The house isn't furnished, but we are ready to get rid of our hodgepodge garage sale furnishings and downsize/upgrade to matching stuff. We are leaving behind our 110v appliances, 30 boxes of dh's books that we really don't need to move, and we have things like family quilts that we don't want to lose but won't be using anytime soon. We are basically bringing clothes, toys, minimal kitchen equipment, bedding, beds, a dining room set, Christmas decorations, and my homeschool stuff. We will be buying dishes, desks, living room furniture, wardrobes, rugs, etc. when we are there. I'll be ordering a European-spec steam mop, Instant Pot, kitchen mixer, etc. from Amazon.de.

 

Is toothpaste OK? I have a bunch of rechargeable batteries I'd rather not toss - I guess I can give them away and buy new ones there. Same with my stash of Scentsy melts. I don't think they still make mochadoodle, lol.

[ondreeuh]

Insurance on everything. Anything valuable should be appraised by someone who is qualified to appraise that particular type of item.  When I moved from TX to Colombia, I took out a policy with Clements in Washington DC, that covered transit. After I moved, we had Homeowners (Renters) insurance with them on the contents of the house we were renting at that time, for a number of years.

 

ETA: If you are shipping car(s) you need to be positive that will be OK in the country you are moving to. I was not able to ship my car and a friend sold it for me after I moved.

 

Good idea on the appraisal - I think all I have worth it is a cello. We will definitely start a rental policy. We aren't bringing any cars.

[hellen]

They are very strict on liquids. No soup cans, paint, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, candles, glue, etc. I think they let us pack printer cartridges.

 

Also no medicine or coins.

 

If you're taking a vehicle, is it ready?

 

ETA: Now that I think about it, they did take canned goods. I've only moved domestically. They may be stricter about food going overseas.

 

That's really tight on the orders for an international move. When you contact the movers, they'll come to your house and take a look around to estimate the amount of boxes, crates, time, and men they need.

It will take 1-3 days depending on how much stuff you have.

Edited May 25, 2017 by hellen

[ondreeuh]

They are very strict on liquids. No soup cans, paint, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, candles, glue, etc. I think they let us pack printer cartridges.

 

Also no medicine or coins.

 

If you're taking a vehicle, is it ready?

 

ETA: Now that I think about it, they did take canned goods. I've only moved domestically. They may be stricter about food going overseas.

 

That's really tight on the orders for an international move. When you contact the movers, they'll come to your house and take a look around to estimate the amount of boxes, crates, time, and men they need.

It will take 1-3 days depending on how much stuff you have.

 

Dh was emailed today asking him to resend a form they had "lost". Turns out they had never sent it in the first place. I will not be surprised if they delay his report date.

 

No coins??? Why not? No medicine? Not even Advil? I just stocked up on some things.

 

We're not taking any vehicles or pets.

 

[hellen]

They won't take money and that includes a penny collection. Some movers wouldn't take baseball cards.

 

They will take pills but not liquid medicine.

 

If you are willing to risk the damage, you can hide things in coat pockets. They just transfer stuff on the hanger to a wardrobe box. There are lots of creative places to stash things. Not that I know anything about that, of course.

 

Matches and birthday candles can't be packed. I always forget those.

[flyingaway]

You're in prime PCS season. I don't know where you're at, but at our last duty station a move wouldn't have been able to be scheduled that quickly.

 

The problem with packing things yourself is that if any of the boxes you packed are damaged it can be too bad for you because the movers can say it's because of the way you packed them.

 

Maybe this isn't the case for you, but the stuff we left behind in storage counts against our weight allowance. You might double check on that.

 

Rules for food can depend on the country.

 

I would get the stuff going into storage out of the way first. Actually I wouldn't put anything in storage. Both times we did that, we ended up not returning to the US for six years and not wanting any of it back by that time.

[Liz CA]

Nothing to add but Good Luck and God Speed! Sounds like you are heading to an area I am somewhat familiar with. Best Wishes! Keep us updated. Post pics once things have settled...you know the drill.

 

Maybe there is something here you don't already know: http://www.military.com/money/pcs-dity-move/tips-for-pcs-move.html

Edited May 25, 2017 by Liz CA

[ondreeuh]

Nothing to add but Good Luck and God Speed! Sounds like you are heading to an area I am somewhat familiar with. Best Wishes! Keep us updated. Post pics once things have settled...you know the drill.

 

Maybe there is something here you don't already know: http://www.military.com/money/pcs-dity-move/tips-for-pcs-move.html

Don't know what happened to my response - I was trying to say that we are moving to Belgium! I am super excited!

Edited May 25, 2017 by ondreeuh

[Sneezyone]

Get some air seal bags for any fabric items you plan to store. The long term military storage isn't climate controlled and critters can and do infest old stuff. The only things we left in storage before going overseas were garage items and holiday decor, things that were pre-packed in sealed tubs, rakes, lawnmower, tool chest, saws, etc. We had enough tools to make not one but two separate small toolboxes. We haven't missed anything.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

Dh was emailed today asking him to resend a form they had "lost". Turns out they had never sent it in the first place. I will not be surprised if they delay his report date.

 

No coins??? Why not? No medicine? Not even Advil? I just stocked up on some things.

 

We're not taking any vehicles or pets.

 

 

Our medicines have always been packed. Same with spices. I just make sure the containers are sealed as if new (plastic wrap in-between the lid and bottle works beautifully for this.

[ondreeuh]

Dh and I have decided to store limited stuff in the non temp storage facility. We are renting out our house with a property management company and will seal off an outbuilding. Our neighbors will help keep an eye on it and we will have an insurance policy on it along without house. I will feel better about storing artwork and family china in there rather than in crates somewhere. And this way I can stash my perfume and batteries ;).

 

Our new house does have a large attic, so we will likely bring some of the non-essentials we had planned on storing. Originally we were preparing for an apartment, but we lucked into a house that is bigger than our current one and still walking distance to the village center. I got a video tour from the current tenant and it is such a nice house! We plan to be there for five years.

Edited May 25, 2017 by ondreeuh

[CAJinBE]

If you are coming to Belgium, I assume you will have access to the military base's PX and commissary. If that's the case, I wouldn't worry about stocking up on over the counter medicines. We have it all here. The things they are lacking are nicer shoes and clothing, but there is plenty available on the economy for a price. Amazon is great for the rest. I would not put family quilts in government storage. As previously said, climate and bug control is not good. 

 

For homeschooling, you might want to bring extra letter size printer paper, three-ring notebooks, notebook paper, your preferred graph paper. The PX carries these things around back-to-school time in bulk and in smaller amounts all year long, but the choices are limited. The office supplies on the economy are different, quite nice, but the wrong size for American homeschooling materials. 

 

Try not to stress too much. The moving company will do a walk through before they schedule the move and explain all the rules. Generally they give you some boxes at that time and wrapping paper so you can pack some things on your own. Really the most important thing is having your passports and important papers, car keys, house keys, cell phones, etc. locked safely away where they can not get to them. It is unbelievable how quickly they pack and they will be in several rooms at once. There is no way you can watch everything. 

[Faithful_Steward]

They will repack your boxes (unless you get a lazy packing team).

 

I also agree with the suggestion that you get rid of anything you don't want packed. I have had boxes full of trash wrapped in packing paper. Not fun.

 

They are supposed to unpack for you and remove all the boxes at your destination. It really is helpful if you let them.

 

They are strict about liquids. Toss it if you are unsure, or just wait and see what the packers take. They are good about taking most food as long as it isn't perishable or liquid.

 

For an overseas move you may be waiting several months for your shipment. Make sure you take what you need to get by.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Faithful_Steward

[Laura Corin]

They are supposed to unpack for you and remove all the boxes at your destination. It really is helpful if you let them.

 

 

The only exception to this is if you don't think you will have all your furniture bought and in place by the time they arrive.  You can always tell the unpackers at the time not to unpack one room, for example.

 

One time I had all my clothes unpacked and by the time I walked into the room, they were just piling up on the floor, because the wardrobes were full.  They had already smashed the wardrobe boxes that otherwise we could have used as temporary storage.

[ondreeuh]

Great advice, everyone! Online there are the same 20 tips that are mostly obvious. I appreciate the inside info.

 

We got orders this morning. Hallelujah! Now let's see if they can get us there in 18 days. I am grateful for all of the prep we have done and we will hit it hard this weekend. I'm going to look for space bags today.

 

I'm ordering dishes on Amazon

[wendy not in HI]

This sounds very exciting.  For most of our moves, the movers have moved spices, dry food, and even canned food just fine.  But our most recent move, the movers would not move any food items at all.  I donated anything I could.  I threw away more, and we took some in our over stuffed car.  That was irritating, and looking back, I wish I had pushed them to pack the spices at least.  And that was not an overseas move.  Movers have always packed our piggy banks with change, etc.  You don't want to ship paint even if it is double bagged - it may not have a problem, but if it does it will ruin your most expensive rug or your baby books.... 

 

Your movers should do a pre-move walk through, and you can ask questions about what they will and won't pack.  I have not boxed up things before, but I have put things together that I want boxed together.  Sometimes that helps, sometimes it doesn't.  Watch all of the connector items - like bolts for beds or small parts on your book shelves, along with things like remote controls.  Make sure those items are clearly labeled so you can put things back together easily.  

 

I keep valuable jewelry with me, which may be trickier with going over seas.  I use tissue paper to wrap other jewelry and put it all in a shoe box together, to be packed by movers.  I like to put any personal items (underwear, bras, other embarrassing items) in a pillow case, then back in the drawer to be packed with other clothing items.  I use ziplock bags to keep drawer items together - the pencil basket, bathroom items, etc.  That just keeps things together and makes unpacking really easy.  That's really all I do to prepare, other than sort through paper files and get rid of junk.  In my experience, the packers are really quick and do a good job, for the most part.  They will estimate 3 days to pack, but then get it all done in one or two days - that feels like a good thing at the time, but when you unpack, you start to wish they had taken more time and care with the packing.

 

I like to designate one bathroom for the movers to use.  I also like to keep cold water bottles and soda on hand.  And I buy lunch for the movers each day that they are packing or loading.  I generally tip the movers, but sometimes that can be complicated if there are different packing and loading teams.  

 

Best wishes with your move!!

[mmasc]

My biggest, most important-est tip is to ask them to give you the hardware for EACH bed as it's taken apart. Take the hardware, put it in a ziplock bag, then tape it heavily to each bed it just came from. Seriously, do this. :) Also tape remote controls to the tv they go with and bookshelf hardware to the bookshelf.

 

Good luck with your move!

[Guest]

Fun move!

 

I'm every one of your questions can be answered: depends on your movers.

 

I really really wouldn't pack anything yourself. My first move they just repacked everything and it was double annoying/such a waste of my time.

 

Anything that's of a private nature that you don't want to carry but don't necessarily want strangers touching either, roll up in towels and tie off.

[ondreeuh]

Happy update! We have HHG packing & moving scheduled for next week, and NTS scheduled for the 5th. The NTS is kept in a great temp-controlled facility on the AF base in Anchorage and they know of no problems. DH was told it's the nicest place they know of. So I will get space bags for the bedding and see if I can get some of those silicone desiccant packets. We were also told that getting airline tickets won't be a problem - we were told to report on a Sunday but all of the official stuff says to never arrive on a weekend. So do we fly before or after?

[ondreeuh]

Fun move!

 

I'm every one of your questions can be answered: depends on your movers.

 

I really really wouldn't pack anything yourself. My first move they just repacked everything and it was double annoying/such a waste of my time.

 

Anything that's of a private nature that you don't want to carry but don't necessarily want strangers touching either, roll up in towels and tie off.

 

I'm not stressing about packing stuff myself - but like the science stuff I bagged neatly and stacked in boxes sorted by subject. I got all the Mindstorms kits taped shut. The art supplies I stacked all in one box. If they want to repack it, more power to them, but at least it will be together. I bagged up our bathroom stuff by type (how did I end up with so many brand new toothbrushes?) and put back on the shelf. We had to sort books between keep, store, and give away, so we put all the books to store in boxes and moved to the garage. Same with kitchen stuff - I am not getting rid of my 110v appliances or large baking dishes, but I needed them separated so I boxed them up. I left all boxes untaped so hopefully it will still save them time. Movers should arrive in 5 days!

 

[Guest]

I dunno, if my husband is told to report on a Sunday, he needs to be there on Sunday. Your situation is obviously different though.

[CAJinBE]

The problem with arriving on Sunday is that nothing will be open on the economy and the commissary is usually closed on Sunday and Monday. Do you have a sponsor? They can advise you when is best to arrive so they can help you get your initial ID cards, rental car, etc. You can't get much done in Belgium on the weekend.

[ondreeuh]

The sponsorship paperwork says that they are supposed to forbid new arrivals from arriving on the weekend. I get that. We have a for-now sponsor who is apparently a man of few words - I assume he is is super busy. Hopefully we will get an official sponsor who will be more helpful. Luckily I connected with a couple great ladies on Facebook who are able to answer a lot of my questions.

[ondreeuh]

And he was told the reason his report date is a Sunday is because that is when their pay period begins. So I assume we are supposed to arrive earlier and they start his salary on the 11th. He doesn't expect to hear back until Tuesday. Nothing like the last minute!

[ondreeuh]

We made it! 24 hours of traveling with very little sleep, and then a bunch of errands/appointments. I had to get a photo ID that will last for the next 5 years and I was straight from the airport, but it turned out OK. We are now chilling out in our downtown apartment. There is a huge cultural festival this weekend, so that will be cool to see. I knew to expect little differences that would seem funny, but it's still funny. Like how I have only found UHT milk in the stores. And ketchup tastes much different. Cough drops are sold with the candies and chocolate. Stuff like that. I'm just trying to absorb it and not act too rude as I ask people if they speak English. We did sign up for cell & internet so hopefully that goes smoothly. I'm still waiting for my SIM card to start working. Monday we get a rental car and start shopping for cars.

 

We did check on 14 bags/boxes, including a desktop computer & monitor, Lego, kitchen tools & spices, school books, lots of clothes, 3 month supply of all meds ... The movers shipped our food and even shipped my double-bagged tempera paints.

Edited June 10, 2017 by ondreeuh

[wendy not in HI]

Wow!! That was so fast! Way to go!

 

Best wishes in your new home!

[displace]

Congrats on getting there! It must have been exhausting. Enjoy your new home :)

[MEmama]

Congratulations!

 

I am insanely envious. I hope you love your adventure!

[Guest]

You know we sooo want to know what school books you decided to take!

[CAJinBE]

You've arrived at a great time. We are having beautiful weather after a week of rain. Enjoy the festival. I think I read that you can't bring any kind of bags or purses for security reasons. It's usually packed. 

[Laura Corin]

I got used to UHT milk.  When I taste it now, I'm nostalgic for France.

[ondreeuh]

You know we sooo want to know what school books you decided to take!

Haha! Well, I brought the essentials for summer review/beginning of school. My rising 4th grader has Math in Focus and Beast Academy, math review (180 Days of Math - I printed out about 40 days), cursive, and history. We have a kindle for reading novels and he can play Prodigy online. My rising 10th grader has geometry and French (which is really for both of them). He has a Kindle and I have pdfs of novel guides. We plan to have him take history and science at the international high school. We haven't cracked the books open yet, except for French. My 9 y/o is determined to learn French this week, haha!

 

You've arrived at a great time. We are having beautiful weather after a week of rain. Enjoy the festival. I think I read that you can't bring any kind of bags or purses for security reasons. It's usually packed. 

 

We got the tail end of the rain yesterday morning, and it has been gorgeous! There are signs about not bringing bags or purses to the events, but everyone has them just walking about during the day. Our street & many others are blocked off, and that made it fun to get our baggage to our door - let's say that a one-way street may have been violated. We went to bed early tonight due to jet-lag, and were woken up at 10:45 to a full-blown band playing in a parade outside our apartment. We enjoyed it, then I took a Benadryl and settled back down just before the parade went back the other way. LOL! Earplugs can't really do much for a brass band playing "Fat Bottomed Girls." We plan to go to the main events tomorrow but keep a distance. There is a family-friendly re-do next weekend that we plan to be more involved in.

[sassenach]

Post pictures when you can! So exciting!