To say that a great deal of preparation and planning are necessary when making a military move is something of an understatement. From the moment the new orders are delivered until the unpacking of the last box, the move and everything that it involves are likely to occupy all of your thoughts and take up enormous amounts of your energy and time.
The sooner you begin doing research about your new duty station, the better. This information will go a long way toward answering your questions and will help you to plan ahead for what happens after the move has been completed. These are not the only benefits of such research, as knowing where you are heading prior to actually getting there can reduce the level of stress that frequently comes with coping with the unknown. If you have children, this information should be shared with them to help to reduce their own anxiety about the relocation.
Two excellent resources to look at are MilitaryINSTALLATIONS.dod.mil and MilitaryDutyStations.com. These sites offer lots of information and facts about military installations overseas and their surrounding communities.
Another valuable resource, offered by Military Homefront, is Plan My Move. This tool enables users to create a personal moving calendar and contains to-do lists, budget planners, links to important information, checklists, phone lists, housing applications, and various other wonderful and helpful features to assist with relocation.
