by Rachel Tringali Marston
No doubt that moving brings stress to everyone involved, and with the military, the reality of moving comes all too often. When PCS orders arrive, military families begin their roller-coaster of emotions. A PCS includes the whole family: service member, spouse and children. Fortunately, there are many resources to help ease the burden for everyone — and also to help cope, empower and entertain.
For Service Members and Spouses
Move.mil
All service members must use move.mil to arrange transportation for their PCS, making it a required resource. Besides being a portal to arrange household goods shipment and unaccompanied baggage, move.mil has a lot of other valuable information like things to know before you go, acronym definitions and housing help. You also will use this site to complete your damage report for reimbursement, if needed. http://www.move.mil/
Military OneSource
Within the On- and OffBase Living page, the Military OneSource Moving section offers tips and tricks to ensure for a smooth move from packing to unpacking. Learn what’s available at relocation support and comb through pages of content to help with sponsorship, OCONUS moves, housing, and much more.
http://www.militaryonesource.mil/
Military Child Education Coalition
(MCEC) If you have school-age children, MCEC’s site is a must-visit. The organizations mission is to ensure the quality of education for all military children. They help with needed information as you transition schools from one place to another. Their SchoolQuest.org initiative allows for parents to compare and note the different between schools of your loosing and gaining duty station, which assists in preparing expectations for you and your children. http://www.militarychild.org/
MovingGuru
The MovingGuru app, created by Suddath®, a moving company that relocates more than 35,000 military families CONUS and OCONUS each year, provides a basic moving checklist, tips for moving and has a special feature that can notify your contacts that “you’ve moved” via text message (FREE, for iOS and Android devices.)
My Move
Similar to Moving Guru, the My Move app offers a moving checklist and tips for a smooth move. Additionally, you can incorporate notes to your move and add more personal items to the checklist to make sure it gets done before you ship out. Some reviewers cautioned that by entering your contact information, you receive marketing calls, so be mindful not to give away too much personal info. (FREE, for iOS, Amazon and Android devices)
MoveAdvisor
Putting together a comprehensive home inventory is extremely beneficial for your move because you can easily claim lost or broken goods with detailed recording. It also offers peace of mind. MoveAdvisor has a drag and drop home inventory checklist to help you keep track of your goods. The moving timeline helps you get a week-by-week breakdown of important items to complete. (FREE, for iOS, Android and Amazon devices)
Sortly
Sortly takes the home inventory recording to the next level by storing photos of every piece in your home. You can also separate by item description, room and label for easy managing and searching. It’s not limited to when you’re moving, so you can maintain a comprehensive home inventory no matter at what stage you are. (FREE, for iOS and web)
Evernote
Evernote is an online portal and app that helps you keep notes and pictures on hand that’s easily shared between multiple devices. It’s useful during a move because you can create a timeline and get feedback from other family members to make sure you are all on the same page. (FREE for iOS, Android, Amazon and web)
Yelp
Get insider information on restaurants, venues, and other businesses from your current to your next duty station to make the more informed decision on who or what to patronize, especially without knowing the location. FREE, for iOS, Android, Amazon and web)
For the MilKids
Sesame Street for Military Families
From deployments to homecomings and everything in between, Sesame Street for Military Families created a positive space for your toddler to preschooler understand military life. Their relocation section is especially helpful when a PCS is upcoming by offering downloadable PDFs, activities and videos to watch. http://www.sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/
Military Kids Connect
An initiative created by the National Center for Telehealth & Technology and Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE), an extension of the Department of Defense to help school age children understand and connect with others about the unique military lifestyle. Their active forums are a wonderful support system as well as their resource guide that calls out other beneficial information. http://militarykidsconnect.dcoe.mil/
The Big Moving Adventure
To take the moving adventure on the go, Sesame Street for Military Families created an app that chronicles a military move for young ones to play through. The goal is to make PCSing fun and positive. (Ages 2+ for iOS and Android)
Field Trip
As you travel from location to location, have your teen play through Field Trip to learn all about the local history of the area. It’s a wonderful guide that opens up new information, sparking interest for the whole family. (Ages 13+ for iOS and Android)
Sago Mini Road Trip
While you’re on the road, put your little one in the driver’s seat with Sago Mini Road Trip. There are no set rules, and it is perfect for toddlers and preschools to navigate through, offering visual appeal with different characteristics to choose from when playing the game. (Ages 3+ for iOS, Android and Amazon devices)
Stack the States
Another app for your PCS road trip, Stack the States tests your child’s knowledge of our country making it a wonderful game while on the move. It teaches children state capitals, state shapes, location on the map, and more. (Ages 8+ for iOS and Windows devices)
