If this is the first time you have ever been relocated overseas by the military branch you serve, you may feel a little overwhelmed. Moving to another state is one thing, but moving overseas to another country is quite another thing. Typically, the military will not facilitate the moving process. They have moving benefits and supports of different sorts, but helping you pack, ship and store are not part of these benefits.  With that in mind, you will need to know how this process works and what your moving and storage options are before you begin packing your first few boxes.

Find out How Long Your Tour Is Before Storing Anything

Storing many of your belongings at home in the U.S. is a good idea if A) you plan to return to the U.S. in a few years, and B) you want to save a lot of money on freight shipping. Many moving companies offer storage facilities in conjunction with moving services, but you could also find and rent your own self-storage unit. Before you make that decision, find out how long your expected tour in a foreign country is going to be. It will help you decide if storing your things is an affordable and reasonable option.

Moving Your Belongings

Depending on where you are stationed now, you may need a truck to move your stuff over land first, and then by cargo ship or freighter overseas to your destination. You could ship some things via air mail or air freight, but that is often more expensive to do for larger items, which is why people only ship smaller packages. Since this process could take several weeks, you will need to begin your move at least a month in advance to your departure so that some of your things arrive in your port by the time you get off the plane (or a little before your arrival). In the event that your things arrive before you do, they will be stored in a dockside warehouse until you arrive and can sign for them.

Once in your destination city, you will need to arrange for another moving truck to pick your things up from the docks and transport your stuff to your new home. To make this whole move easier, you should hire international movers who have employees and/or affiliate movers in many different countries around the globe. A moving company that handles the export and import of your belongings from start to finish can help reduce much of the stress you feel and help  you feel more at ease about this major life-changing transition. For more information, check out a website like http://www.bekins.com.

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