A military move is really similar to an ordinary relocation. The differences are few and subtle, but important. As with any relocation, you will need to give yourself as much time as possible to properly plan for everything, gather all the things that you will need, and so on. However, in order to properly pack for a military move, you might want to add in a few more steps, just in case. Military moves need to be efficient and orderly, after all. Obviously, the best way is to simply hire a good moving company that will cater to your needs and you’re set. It is also entirely possible to do everything on your own, you will just need to put in some extra work. So, let’s see just exactly:
How to prepare and pack for a military move?
There are a few steps to a successful move and they are in the list below. Simply follow the steps and your move will be much easier. Things that you need to do are:
- Organize your time and start planning as soon as possible
- Pack a survival kit first
- Get rid of unnecessary items before you pack for a military move
- Pack important papers on your own
- The easiest way to pack for a military move – Hire a professional moving company
- Get in touch with the orientation office at your new base
Organize your time and start planning as soon as possible
As soon as you learn about your relocation start making plans. You will need to do quite a bit and giving yourself as much time as possible is an excellent idea. Every situation and every move is different and you need to figure out what works best for you. You also may need to gather some supplies, contact some people, make arrangements, and so on. You will definitely require some organizational skills for this part. This step involves the creating of checklists and figuring out when to do what. With a good plan, everything else will be a lot easier. Again, make sure to give yourself as much time as possible because you never know if your attention will be needed elsewhere.
Pack a survival kit first
The first thing you actually need to pack is your survival kit. This includes everything that you and your family might need before the rest of your things arrive. Usually, you will arrive before your belongings and will have to make do with what you brought with you. Therefore, make sure to pack everything that you absolutely need for the time that you are without the rest of your stuff. Items like bed linens, sheets, towels, and plates should all go in the survival kit. Whatever you think you absolutely cannot live without goes in there, as well. You don’t want to induce extra stress by not having essential items. Some people can live without electronics, some absolutely require an entertainment system.
Figure out what makes you and your family “tick” and be sure to pack it and carry it with you. If you have any family traditions, make sure to bring all the necessary items for them, as well.
Get rid of unnecessary items before you pack for a military move
Over the course of years, every household accumulates a lot of items that they actually do not need. These items may be really useless in your current situation and you can safely throw them away. Some items might be more difficult to recognize as “throwaway” so you will need to put in additional work. And this process takes a lot of time. Depending on the size of your family, this process may take weeks or even months to complete. This is because many items have absolutely no value to one member but are invaluable for another. You will need to gather all of your family together before the time for searching for long-distance movers comes and have them go through all of the items. Then the arguments begin…
Needless to say, the best thing to do here is to give you and your family plenty of time to sort these things out. You want to be able to pack fast and efficiently, and you can’t do that with a lot of clutter.
Pack important papers on your own
Whether you are planning on getting full packing services or not, there are some things that you should personally take care of. You need to know where your important documents are, at all times. Therefore, you need to pack them yourself. Ideally, they should be with you at all times. Moving delays are, unfortunately, quite common of and if you pack all of the documents with the rest of your stuff, you might be in for a rough time. Don’t even allow that to happen, simply bring everything that is important with you and you will not have any problems.
The easiest way to pack for a military move – Hire a professional moving company
If you think that all of this is too much work, the best thing to do is hire professional help. Most of the moving companies offer excellent moving services, some of which are specially tailored towards military moves. You will run much less risk of any delays if you entrust your belongings to a moving company. The whole moving machine is well-oiled and will have your items at your new location in the shortest timeframe possible. Not to mention that it will leave you with a lot more free time, as well. Depending on what you can do with that time, you may actually even profit if you delegate the moving process to the professionals.
Get in touch with the orientation office at your new base
Before you even arrive at your new home, you may want to figure out the specifics of the location itself. The orientation office at the new base may have all the answers that you require. Make sure to at least visit their webpage and see what information you can gather there. If you need to know more, simply contact them and ask the questions. After all, that is what they are there for.
