In September 2023, my husband and I left the country we call home and made our way to our new home for the next three years: England. My husband, Noah, transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the Space Force in August 2023 and shortly afterwards we departed the U.S. to head for England, where we would call RAF Lakenheath our home for the next three-ish years. Let me tell you, PCSing was a doozy and doing it for the first time, overseas was so much fun (she said sarcastically).
Let me take you on a trip down memory lane… in March 2023, we got married and in June, I left my job because we were supposed to PCS in July. Fast forward to July and our orders are messed up so we are now leaving in September, and I am reaching out to the job I just left asking if they can please hire me back until we depart in September. It went by in a whirlwind to say the least but, in the moment, it felt never-ending. Now that we are finally in England, looking back it doesn't seem that bad. We made it through. With that in mind, I’ve compiled five tips that I’ve learned throughout the PCS experience that I will be utilizing again when we PCS in a few short years.
Communication with your sponsor is KEY Our sponsors were very helpful and made the process much easier. I’m so thankful we had such great sponsors to rely on and that we call friends today. Prior to our arrival, they set up our mailbox on base and arranged to meet and pick us up at the airport when we landed in country.
Pre-packing will help save you so much time and stress I am a type A individual, so I thrive on organization and planning. I knew we were going to be selling our house and living out of suitcases while we waited for our household goods to arrive, so I made sure to prepack and plan for the weather in England ahead of when we were coming. I knew we would arrive in late September and our HHG probably wouldn’t arrive until November/December time frame, so I made sure to pack winter clothes in my suitcase. I also heard that homes in England are much smaller than US homes and that they lack storage space that we’re accustomed to, so I made a point to declutter our house and get rid of items we didn’t need to take with us. I will say that not every home in England is small, it all depends on the area you’re going to, where you live, and what you can afford.
Join Facebook groups for the base you’re going to Probably three to six months before we PCSd, I searched for spouse groups on Facebook that were in the area we were going to and requested to join them, so I could prepare for life in that area. I would highly encourage anyone PCSing to do this, because I was able to search the group and post questions to get answers about any concerns I had.
Search Right Move for houses to let (rent) in the UK In the U.K., Right Move is like Zillow. My husband and I scoured Right Move for rental properties to let (rent) during our time in England. Keep in mind that in England, the housing market moves FAST, so we would have to jump on homes that we liked as soon as they were available (i.e. message the letting agency and request a home tour ASAP). It took us about two to three weeks to find a place that we liked, and after we got approval from the housing office on base (they review the rental agreement and conduct an inspection for the military family prior to move in) it took almost a month for us to move in. By the end of October 2023, we were moving into our home!
Book pet travel in advance (if you can) The biggest headache by far during the entire PCS process for us was figuring out how we were going to transport our pets. Thankfully, Noah and I were able to get booked on the rotator (military plane) and we didn’t have to pay out of pocket for our pets to fly with us… However, not everyone is offered this luxury, so planning in advance is crucial. Especially If you PCS during the busy season of summer, try to book private travel for your pet as soon as possible. For many airline carriers, they will not allow pets to fly in the cargo underneath the plane during the summer because it’s a safety concern for animals to fly due to the heat. Many opt to travel at night when temps are lower, or they book a third party travel agency that will fly your pets in a temperature controlled plane… however, this can cost upwards of $2,000 easily. Thankfully, the Air Force recently passed a bill allowing up to $2K back for AF and SF families traveling with pets, but I still recommend booking and organizing pet travel as early as you can to avoid stress and headache. Also, if you're offered a reimbursement program by the military, KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS so you can collect $ after you arrive to your new duty station.
Lean on your family and friends My final piece of advice is to lean on your family and friends. PCSing is stressful enough and we need people we can rely on to be there for us when we vent or to hold us when we cry. Noah and I don’t have kids yet, but I can only imagine how stressful PCSing would be if we had little ones to deal with too. Leaning on friends and family for support is going to be my number one piece of advice… having people you trust that can support your during this stressful time 100% helps.
Overall, I am beyond thankful to the Lord that we ended up in England. I sometimes can’t believe we’re here… it truly is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I mean that sincerely. I remember feeling like we were never going to get here, but things worked out and now that we are here, I can’t believe how fast the time is passing us by. I know that wherever we PCS to next, the experience will be better than this first PCS. As always, feel free to comment or message me if you have any questions or just want to share your own experiences. I’m so glad you’re here!
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