First, designate a notebook for planning and organizing your move. It should have a calendar that you can write on, a notepad, and secure pockets to hold important paperwork. All your information should be in the same place, diminishing your chances of losing something important or failing to complete a task by the appropriate deadline.

You'll need to decide where to move. If you are single, you may have a great deal of flexibility on this count, needing to consider only the environment you prefer and the availability of housing and jobs. Those with a family, however, will also need to consider their needs and wants. Perhaps this decision is already made; maybe you have always known that you were going to return to your hometown, or maybe you want to go back to an area where you used to be stationed. If not, however, start gathering information about a variety of locales. Weigh your options carefully: moves are not to be taken lightly. Be sure to give yourself plenty of lead-time for making these decisions.

Before you can make any major decisions, you should know what your choices are and what compensation you are entitled to. Both are based upon your type of separation. All departing military members are entitled to both transportation of household goods (HHG) and travel for themselves and any dependents. As with all other military moves, there are weight allowances based upon your paygrade and number of dependents. Do It Yourself (DITY) moves are still authorized.

Discharge and RELAD: Since you are no longer property of the government, they cannot tell you where to go. Still, they will only cover what it would cost to return you and your belongings to one of two of locations: your home of record or your place of enlistment. You will select one of the two, and this choice will be noted on your separation orders. If you choose to move farther, you will have to cover the difference in cost for both the shipping of your HHG and your transportation. Beware: this can add up quickly. In addition, you only have 180 days to complete the move in order for the military to cover it financially.

Retirement: The government will pay to move you to any location in the United States. If your home of record is outside the country, you may also select it, and your move will be covered. You have up to one year to complete the move.

You may be accustomed to receiving some allowances in connection with a permanent change of station (PCS), specifically Dislocation Allowance (DLA) and Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE). Unfortunately, you are not entitled to either upon separation from the service, so do not figure them into your finances when planning your move. While this may not seem fair, given the added financial concern of being without a job, it is the way the rules are currently written.

Regardless of where you plan to move and how you plan to do so, you will need to work through your local transportation office. Contact them as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. Be sure to ask what paperwork you should bring with you; you will most likely need to take several copies of your orders. Gather together the paperwork required for your appointment and organize it in your notebook.

The role of the transportation office is to counsel you on your options, help you make the proper choices, and process the paperwork based upon your decisions. This process is quite complex, so don't hesitate to ask questions. Take notes during the appointment if you have to. When you schedule dates for the packing and pick-up of your household goods, write that clearly on the notebook calendar. You will receive copies of all the HHG transportation paperwork, which should be stored in your notebook for easy access when the movers come. The most important piece of information is the phone number to call if you run into problems with your movers.

Now that you have a move date, you will need to contact all utilities and creditors to cancel service or provide a new address for your statements. Note the cancel dates on your calendar. You will also need to file a change of address with the post office, so that the rest of your mail will be forwarded.

Although you may not be entitled to the your original medical records, you should ensure you have a complete copy, including dental records, for yourself and any dependents. You will need to contact the hospital or clinic where the records are kept to find out their procedure for requesting a copy. If you have children, their schools should be notified that they are leaving. School records will be mailed to the new school once requested. The address and phone number for the current school should be placed in your notebook — this will make enrollment at the new school easier.

Well before the move date, you will need to make some serious decisions regarding what you no longer want, what you want packed, and what you will carry with you. Make lists of the items you do not want packed. Get rid of everything you no longer want as soon as possible; the less clutter remains, the easier it will be to plan.

Items that should not be packed under any circumstances include the following:

• Separation orders.
• DD214 (if you have already received it).
• Birth certificates for all family members.
• Marriage licenses.
• Last wills and testaments.
• Medical records.
• Passport.
• Moving notebook.

Items that you may want to consider not packing:

• Jewelry.
• Treasured family keepsakes.
• Irreplaceable photos.
• Backup disks of important computer files.

When the movers arrive, you should have everything you do not want packed far from their reach. If you have seen them in action before, you know how quickly they can move and how little attention is paid to what they are packing. Some people have had their purses and keys packed because they were left sitting on a counter. The safest approach is to place everything in your car and lock it, keeping the keys in your pocket.

Once you reach your destination and are ready to move your belongings into a new home, you will need to contact the transportation office to schedule delivery of your household goods. You should have some idea where you want everything placed, as you will need to direct the movers to the appropriate room as they carry stuff in. The movers may give you a copy of the paperwork, so that you can check boxes and items off as they are returned to you.

If you are like most people, it may take a couple of months for you to unpack and put away every box. Before the deadline for filing a damage claim, however, at least open each box and check the contents. Repack it and shove it back in the corner if you must, but don't miss the opportunity to file a claim if you need to.

Moving is a stressful situation for everyone, and something will inevitably go wrong. Plan carefully: this will reduce problems and help you deal with unfortunate situations that arise. You may even be fortunate enough to survive the experience with your sanity intact.