For the first time in my almost 13 years of military spouse-dom, we are PCSing OCONUS. Hawaii, to be exact! We are all very excited and looking forward to not having to shovel snow or wear snow boots or have a whole "winter" and "summer" wardrobe.
But, I am internally freaking out about how and what to get rid of, store, pack in whole/unaccompanied baggage, and what to send as household goods. Plus getting our animals (1 dog and 2 old cats) to Hawaii in the summer when airlines have so many travel restrictions for pets.
So, if you have ever lived OCONUS, please help me!
I've been talking to people who have lived, or currently live, OCONUS about all the what-ifs and don't forgets and make sure you… etc.
My biggest question is what should we pack in our unaccompanied baggage? I've been asking people for ideas and have been given some great ideas of things I never would've thought to pack. So if you have a "lesson learned" or any great tips about moving OCONUS, particularly what to pack in unaccompanied baggage, I would REALLY appreciate your input!!!
BTW, anyone live in Hawaii or moving there this summer?
About Joan D'Arc
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Hi! I PCS'd to Hawaii last September! It's great here :D
In our unaccompanied we packed towels, bedding, pillows, Army stuff my husband needed, silverware, kitchen stuff, bath mat, shower curtain, kitchen towels, and other basic things like that that I can't remember.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the whole move. I freaked out about it until we got here, then I was fine. It's much easier than you think!
Have you gotten housing? If so what housing are you in? He will be working on Ford Island. How long do you get TLA? We are Army and will be there around Feb 14th or so. I'm so nervous hoping I've got everything in order. Suzy Smith
My husband and I currently live in Hawaii, it was our first duty station. I'm not sure what really to tell you to pack that wasn't already mentioned but I will say that if you are Army, avoid living on Wheeler. My husband and I have had horrible experiances with the staff.
As for hawaii itsself.. Beautiful! I'm a snorkling junky myself and I would highly recommend it.
Last I read for animals in flight it was about 100 something per animal and you should get meds from your vet that helps the animals to sleep the whole time. Makes it a lot less stressful for them.
Pack a pepper grinder in your unaccompanied baggage. I own two for this reason.
Other things . . . clothes, linens, pillows, favorite pots & pans. On Hickam AFB at least, a rice cooker was included in the list of stuff you could borrow from the loaner closet until your shipment arrived.
Except for when I joined the Air Force, all of my moves have involved HHG on a boat, the car on a boat, and the dogs & us on a plane. Remember that OCONUS they are used to you not having your HHG for a while, so they've got a decent loaner closet. We always kept our stuff with us longer stateside knowing that we could have a wide selection to borrow from, and on the return trip to CONUS we do the reverse, because in my experience there's diddly in stateside loaner closets.
Enjoy that Pepto Bismol pink hospital on the top of the hill, and on Sunday mornings please eat an extra 2 Leonard's malasadas for me.
Mmmm, malasadas. And manapua. And chicken katsu plate lunch. I loved eating in Hawaii. (I also gained a lot of weight.)
I'm hoping to learn from the comments, as we're headed across the other ocean and I don't know what to pack, either.
Do not pack sesame oil. I speak from horrible experience.
Pack clothes for varying weather. We moved to Germany with cool weather clothes only to arrive during the hottest spell Europe has ever had. We walked around with jeans rolled up to our knees. It was ridiculous.
And be aware that something can go wrong. Both to and from Germany, our HHG got delayed and we went three months on both ends with no HHG. So put as much in your unaccompanied as you can fit!
sarah! we are moving to Germany in the next few months!! please help…what should i pack for the unaccompanied shipment and what shots do i need?? email me please xolvbugxoxo@aol.com
Bath mats are a good idea. We just moved to Germany and I forgot those and had to go buy some. Also, we shipped a TV with a built in VHS/DVD player in our UB, along with movies. We have small children, so this really helped us keep them entertained even before we got our AFN box hooked up. Good luck and have fun!
Check your email :)
With your pets, make sure you have all their shots that Hawaii requires and paperwork. Also they will most likely have to be kenneled for 30-60 days in quarentine. Make sure you get a traquilizer for them, for my cats, the vet recommended bendryl (which was way cheaper) and they flew on the plane with us at our feet. Our friend with dogs had to have them quarentined for a long time. Also if you are on Hickam make sure that privitized housing puts you in the new stuff. Took us forever to get back on the list because they stuck us in the old crap first!! Don't forget the loan closet for when you first get there, took us over 6 weeks to get our shipment, so it really sucked. Make sure his order specifically say a rental car, so you can get around. Otherwise you will be stuck on base unless you want to pay for a rental out of pocket. Base is good on Hickam, everything is basically close to where you are and they have a bus system too, other bases aren't so friendly according to my friends still there. Good luck! Enjoy the sun! Remember, it rains/sprinkles often there, but it comes in short spurts. Also enjoy a manasada for me!!! I miss them :).
My wife and I lived in Hawaii before she joined the Army, and we moved there from
Chicago with 2 cats. The main issue as far as moving pets is concerned is not the
airlines, (I recommend using a service called PetAir if they give you any problems), it's Hawaii's rabies quarantine regulations. They have a very strict schedule of rabies shots, testing, and other shots you must follow or your pets will be placed in quarantine for a length of time that could last up to four months. Check out the information at this URL: http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqsbrochure.pdf and get your pets to the vet ASAP to start the schedule.
Hawaii had just changed their laws before we moved there almost six years ago, probably to help accommodate all the military families with pets because they used to put all pets in the four month quarantine. It was very nerve wracking to get our cats through the schedule so they could be released to us immediately. The vet has to send a blood sample to a lab in Kansas to test for rabies antibodies, but the problem was our vet clinic had never heard of such a thing and it was a process educating them as well. But everything worked out, and I hope it will for you too. Good luck!
Anyone have any experience with the Navy housing in Hawaii?
I found this article on moving to Hawaii! It is super helpful and talks about all the things you need to do before arriving – http://blog.sargeslist.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-h…
My daughter was born at the Camp Darby Hospital in Livorno, Italy 33 years ago. It was a great experience. Dr. Frattioli is probably retired now. There were NO problems adding her to my passport and returning to the U.S.
Ok if you can take your animals ASAP to your vet and start the rabies testing process. Otherwise they will have to sit in quarantine for four months and you will pay for it the entire time. Very expensive. Hawaii does not have rabies and they are very careful about letting animals in. They will have to ride under the plane you CAN NOT take them in the cab with you. If you have started the rabies process four months in advance you can get them when you get off plane and they have been checked at airport quarantine station. If not they will be held and shipped to the quarantine station in Aiea. We took one dog and two cats, the one cat was not ready to be released so he had to sit in quarantine one month it cost $1,000. I never found any exceptions to these quarantine rules for military.
As far as packing goes the usual towels, pillows, sheets, blanket. Otherwise the lending closet at ACS and the loaner aloha furniture will help you get through until your stuff gets there.