Tag: PLANE

PCS Binder

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

So we all hate moving, well I think most of us at least do. I know my stress levels go through the roof, and now with an overseas PCS looming over me, I knew I had to do something. I created a binder. Yes, it may have been an over the top thing to do, but man did my stress go down.

First, I researched… a lot. I looked at a bunch of different examples of binders and created my own. I took the good, dropped the bad, and added what I found to be missing. I hope this helps you as much as it did me. My humble opinion is this works well for both CONUS and OCONUS PCS.

What you’ll need:
1 – zipper pouch with the three ring binder hold on the side
1 – 2 inch three ring binder. You can probably do smaller, but I put EVERYTHING in there, and 2 Inch was the right size for me.
Eight tabs.
And a packet or two of sheet protectors.

The Tabs:
1. Important/ Legal
2. Medical
3. Travel
4. Housing
5. Check List
6. Pet Info
7. Contact List
8. Shipping Info

The rundown:
1. Important/ Legal – Basically a copy of orders, marriage cert, birth certificates, school records, etc.
2. Medical – Vaccinations, medical records, the list of medications.
3. Travel – Hotel info, flight, car rental
4. Housing – Any documents in regards to housing both old and new. Leases, the release of the property so forth.
5. Check List – Can help keep you on track. Can put it on your first tab before move.
6. Pet info – All documents from vaccinations to microchip info. Airline hotel boarding.
7. Contact list – Numbers and addresses for exiting and entering command. Never know when your phone will die and you’ll need a number
8. Shipping info – All HHG info as well as any POBOX info you have.
Zipper pouch – Here I keep passports a pen and put all receipts for reimbursement.

Hopefully, you will find as much use out of this as I did.

Happy Moving!

PCS Binder

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

So we all hate moving, well I think most of us at least do. I know my stress levels go through the roof, and now with an overseas PCS looming over me, I knew I had to do something. I created a binder. Yes, it may have been an over the top thing to do, but man did my stress go down.

First, I researched… a lot. I looked at a bunch of different examples of binders and created my own. I took the good, dropped the bad, and added what I found to be missing. I hope this helps you as much as it did me. My humble opinion is this works well for both CONUS and OCONUS PCS.

What you’ll need:
1 – zipper pouch with the three ring binder hold on the side
1 – 2 inch three ring binder. You can probably do smaller, but I put EVERYTHING in there, and 2 Inch was the right size for me.
Eight tabs.
And a packet or two of sheet protectors.

The Tabs:
1. Important/ Legal
2. Medical
3. Travel
4. Housing
5. Check List
6. Pet Info
7. Contact List
8. Shipping Info

The rundown:
1. Important/ Legal – Basically a copy of orders, marriage cert, birth certificates, school records, etc.
2. Medical – Vaccinations, medical records, the list of medications.
3. Travel – Hotel info, flight, car rental
4. Housing – Any documents in regards to housing both old and new. Leases, the release of the property so forth.
5. Check List – Can help keep you on track. Can put it on your first tab before move.
6. Pet info – All documents from vaccinations to microchip info. Airline hotel boarding.
7. Contact list – Numbers and addresses for exiting and entering command. Never know when your phone will die and you’ll need a number
8. Shipping info – All HHG info as well as any POBOX info you have.
Zipper pouch – Here I keep passports a pen and put all receipts for reimbursement.

Hopefully, you will find as much use out of this as I did.

Happy Moving!

Oconus PCS with Pets

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Oh, those lovely little fur babies that become part of our lives and hearts. Normally moves are smooth with them, as long as you bring them food and water they are happy as can be. But what happens when you get orders overseas to Japan?

Many of the things I read up on said to leave them behind or prepare to spend thousands of dollars. While that may be true for some, it isn’t true for all.

For example, if what you have is cats or small dogs, the odds are that they can fly in the cabin with you for a small fee. Now if you need to add them as cargo, due to the larger size, and are traveling on orders, you can get a nice military discount on commercial flights. Just keep in mind a Patriot flight or military flight is always the cheaper option for larger pets. However, those get booked quickly so book as soon as possible.

But let’s rewind just a little, I, for example, have not yet made the big puddle jump. We are currently in the quarantine phase, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Here is a small step by step guide of what you need to do to prepare your pets for travel to Japan.

1. Microchip. If your pet already has one, make sure it is the new 15 digit microchip. The old ten digit is no longer acceptable for Japan. If you do have the ten digit one, you will need to do a new microchip.
2. Two rabies vaccination that is done AFTER the chip’s inserted. The second vaccine can be done 30 days after the first.
3. The rabies antibody test. It is a blood sample that is drawn after the second vaccine.
4. Quarantine or waiting period. This one is the “bad” part. It is 180 wait time or quarantine. The date of blood sampling is counted as 0. If you have to travel before the quarantine is over, you may still take your pets. Depending on the base you will be going to, you may finish the quarantine within the base “house, ” you get assigned, or you may board your pet with the base vet for quarantine completion.
5. If flying commercial, you must send in Advanced notification at the expected port of entrance. You can find all the forms needed here.
6. Vet visit clearing for travel.
7. Get all certifications. Individual information, microchip number, and date of implanting. Date of rabies vaccinations, effective period, kind of vaccine, product name, and manufacturer of the vaccine. Date of blood sampling for a rabies antibody test, antibody titer, and name of designated laboratory. Result and date of clinical inspection, as well as a USDA, stamped international health certificate.

As you can see, it is quite a few steps. We are currently on 4, and waiting to find out how we are flying over.

Hope this has helped you some in finding out how to get your pet over to Japan.

When nothing starts as planned….

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

So we just got our hard copy orders….finally. In my head everything would go so smoothly and as planned. We’d get our orders, be able to schedule the movers, hotel and touch base with housing no problem. I also imagined we’d be able to set our flight, get our pets booked on there and all I’d have left to worry about was cleaning up our house and re-painting it to turn it in.

Well, life seldom goes as planned, especially in the military and when you are the mother to a baby.

Like I said we got our order, then I asked about the hotel since it is one of my bigger concerns. Where we are being stationed, they only have a limited amount of rooms that are pet accessible, and we have two cats. I would hate to board them. Well, as you know orders give you a detach and arrive no later than a date with some time in between. And we can’t set apart a hotel until we know when we arrive, which we won’t know until we have a flight because we are stationing overseas. So I ask my loving husband how do we get the flight…. and he doesn’t know, he needs to “look into it.” So here we go, bump number one and two all at once.

Ok, I breathe and let that go. So on to the next on my list. Well third since the flight situation was next, and well, that got nowhere before I was even able to discuss it. Housing. I know were not there but figured hey, let’s at least send in our application, they know we’re coming, and with pets so at least we’re in the back of their mind. So I pull up the housing application, and it asks a bunch of questions I can’t answer regarding detaching and arriving dates. Sigh.

I was going to tackle the movers but let my husband do that one, which we learned we’re going to have to talk to someone in person. We are navy being stationed in a Marine base overseas, and our future base is not in our little drop down menu box. So, that was a no go either.

Did I mention throughout all of this I was carrying a ten-month-old who was screaming bloody murder? I was, and he had a clean diaper and was fed, but was sleepy. I don’t know if I have the only child that thinks that he doesn’t need sleep but, putting him down for the night usually includes rocking him, ignoring him, letting him play, and just laying in the dark until he is cried out and finally passes out of exhaustion.

This was my night yesterday. Futile and tiresome. But at least now we know we need to get some more information, reach out to a few people and hopefully get to that place where I imagined myself all along. Just needing to paint and turn in the house.

If you find yourself here too, know you are not alone. You aren’t the only one banging your head against the wall at military websites, or with bags under your eyes, or the only one with a child that you question where on earth he was spawned from. I am right here with you.

Much luck to you!

Express shipment for OCONUS PCS

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

So that day has come, it is time to decide what to pack for your express shipment. The main question is, what can’t you live without? While you may want to say everything, you may have to narrow it down a bit. Here is my list of musts for express shipment.

– Plates, silverware, and dishes. Ok, this is more of personal preference. Realistically you could always go to the commissary and get disposable plates, cups, and silverware.
– Some pots and pans. Don’t take all now, you will still be living in your home for a bit so send maybe one pan and one pot to help you get started in your next location.
– Some Mugs, cups, and glasses.
– A few Bath towels. Oh sure, you could buy more, but it is an expense that can be prevented.
– A few sets of sheets & blankets. Very important, especially if you are using loaner furniture. This will help make your place feel more like your own.
– Kitchen towels & pot holders
– Kitchen necessities (Wine bottle opener, bottle opener, can opener, sharp knife or two, etc.)
– A mop/broom/vacuum. You will want to clean sooner rather than later.
– Mattresses w/ accessories (pad, box spring). This is one of those things you can hold off on if you are ok with using the loaner furniture for a bit longer.
– Folding chairs, small tables (until your other stuff arrives)
– Small, simple tool set (hammer, pliers, etc.)
– Sports or exercise gear or baby toys and furniture. Won’t normally have space for both, so it’s time to choose which you will pick.
– Coffee maker. In my household, this is very important.
– TV, you want to take at least one. Especially if you have littles.
– Desktop Computer w/ accessories (cords, printer, etc.)

What to pack in your Suitcase for that Oconus PCS.

On By MichelleIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

It is time to start separating for belongings for the impending move. Here is my list of things to take with me in my suitcase and carry on.

– Your important documents (include IDs, wallet, cash, passports, travel information, contact information, copies of Orders, etc.) I may be a little crazy here, but I create a binder where all of this goes in. Also, keep this on your person at all times.
– Personal toiletries
– Medications & small first aid accessories (bandages and the like)
– Clothing for travel and arrival (plan for hotter or cooler weather than you are used to as well as a variety of events such as more formal occasions, swimming, etc.)
– Shoes for travel and arrival (a pair of casual shoes, formal, and utility should do, the rest I feel comfortable sending with the rest of our belongings)
– Entertainment for the trip and arrival until your next shipment comes (books, magazines, toys, laptops, tablets, mp3 players, etc.) If you have a baby, or child with you, be sure to make some more space for their toys as it tends to comfort the littles to have their things with them.
– Chargers for all electronics you are bringing with you (with adapters if needed)
– Valuables you are not shipping or storing
– Any specialized gear you might need (child seats, health-related equipment, things for your pets, etc.)
– Inflatable mattress/sleeping bag pads w/ sheets/blankets. Keep in mind when deciding if you want to take the air mattress with you that there are lending lockers where they can assign you temporary furniture until yours arrives. You may, however, want to make sure you take at least one set of sheets with you.
– Pillows/travel pillows

All of this said and done, most of these things you may be able to buy when you get to your destination. However, with an overseas move, you may have a lot of unexpected expenses so taking as much with you as possible will help.

Good Luck!

Michelle