Military life is one of the most difficult things to do. And one of the many tough situations is moving around multiple times. “But, how often do military families move?” you are wondering, and the thing is that military families actually tend to move more often than non-military families. According to USO it is said that a military family moves about every 2 to 3 years, some even more so. Compared to non-military families who tend to stay in their house for an average of 6 years. And, for a military child some would have moved about 10 times before the age of 12, including changing schools 6 to 9 times before their high school graduation.
There are many challenges that military families face from worry, fear, and at times uncertainty, to issues with moving and relocating. We shall focus on the latter two since these are often overlooked.
TIME has stated that about “420,000 and 450,000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves for military families annually” with summer being the peak season. So they would have to deal with the heat while making the move.
However, the main issue is, oftentimes, the move itself. For one, it is time-consuming and often difficult to organize a move, certainly so if you have other pressing matters on your mind. That is why a lot of them need help.
Furthermore, about 80 percent of the moves or military relocations do not go according to plan. One of the major issues is when their items get damaged, or they do not arrive till after the last minute. If even at all.
This can put a huge dent in the relocation budget, not to mention that some of the items are irreplaceable such as family heirlooms or even children’s birth certificates. On top of that, military families are often not paid out when things do go wrong or get broken. Generally, there is not a lot of support for these families as a whole.
Another major issue is time. In that, a lot of military families do not have a lot of it since they have to be in a place and set up often at the drop of a hat. This can also put a lot of pressure on them which can often result in them not creating a full military move checklist. Or not getting their certified weight tickets, or even incorrectly weighing their items.
And weight tickets are extremely important since this is how they get their reimbursements. So they must make sure they have a Military move calculator which can work out the weight and volume of all their items. This includes their car empty, and full. Also if you are military family buying a house, here are some tips for military homebuyers you could use.
However, some companies do not do it, resulting in more stress and causing a lot bigger problems. Plus, Shyft does use vetted movers, not the regular ones. Basically, it is like making a huge cross-continent move within a day, to give other people some insight.
Vetted movers are more desired certainly so when it comes to military families relocations. This is because these types of families often have a lot of pro-gear.
This is very important for their spouse's job. Vetted movers have been in the game a long time with experience to back them up. They should know better how to make a military move smoother. As well as get all the items to the new home. Without damage or loss.
This is even more important when it comes to pro-gear. And this is anything that a military person uses for their job from their uniform, to the guns. Therefore, any other type of equipment that is specific to the military. These items have to be packed in a certain way, as well as video recorded how they do it. Safety is a top concern when it comes to any type of item. But, even more so when it comes to firearms.
That is why a ton of these types of families need a military relocation professional, or a military relocation specialist, or at least any form of professional military relocation assistance. And, that is where Shyft comes in.
Shyft is described as your personal moving concierge as in it is software that does all the heavy lifting and organizing for you. They will do a video estimate where they create your inventory with volumes and weights. Plus, they will send it in half an hour - and that’s all the time anyone looking to move has to spend on organising a mover, inventory and choosing a trustworthy moving company - because Shyft has an entire network of movers at their disposal. Furthermore, you can have the video call when it suits you, not the other way around.
The main thing with using Shyft is that they will connect you with a professional and helpful Move Assistant who will not only do the work but also lead you every step of the way. And, on average clients save around 600 USD with them while still using professional and vetted movers.
When you decide to go with Shyft they will find vetted, licensed, and safe movers who have a military relocation professional certification. Therefore, the movers know how to pack pro-gear and get it back to you in one piece and safely. Then Shyft will send you three options when it comes to pricing, on average, as well as these prices being guaranteed with zero hidden costs.
You have two options when it comes to them: you can pack everything by yourself, or the company can do it for you. The choice is up to what is best for you and your military family.
As mentioned above, Shyft is your personal moving concierge, so they will organize your whole move for you. Best of all, this service is at no additional cost to the person who is moving. Furthermore, they are big supporters of military families including your children. Meaning that your Move Assistant is there for you every step of the way with what is happening as well as tips, hacks, and tricks to make your move run as smoothly as it can. At any time of day or night. Their goal is helping military moves.
They will look for Military relocation real estate agents as well as a military relocation company. And they will even advise on military relocation as well as military pet relocation assistance. You can think of them as the step in the right direction to a professional and caring military relocator for military spouse relocation or even just for military vehicle relocation.
And, Shyft does not share any personal information with other moving companies or online adverts, or anyone. Plus, they also agree on the shipping time frames in advance to not make you wait so long for your items to come home.
Furthermore, they have partnered with Lemonade, an insurance provider. This is an Artificial Intelligence app where it pays off insurance claims fast. Plus, it treats the premiums as your money, not theirs.
Or you can check out Covered where Shyft shops for and compares over 30 insurance carriers to find you the best coverages and rates. Either way, you will have peace of mind that your items are protected and covered.
One of the great things about Shyft is that they are a service that you can regularly use since they are very trusted and put you and your family on their list of importance. They are there for you as often as you have to move due to being a military family.
Be it today, three years from now, five years, from now, or a week from now. And, they also keep your inventory (as well as adding updates) in case you do have to move again to save you more time.
One more thing about Shyft is that they can also help with military retirement moves, or even give some advice on military retirement move allowances if you send them a message upfront about your questions.
While we are on the subject of support, we would like to point you in the direction of some information and support groups for military families. Since there is often no external support people have to look at one another for it.
And PCSgrades is one of the best sources of information when it comes to military families going through a tough time. They give posts about moving as well as dealing with a partner in the military. Another great resource in a similar field is Military Spouse.
On Facebook, there are several support groups where you can chat and interact with a number of people in the same boat as you. Such Facebook groups are, but are not limited to:
And there are even subreddits such as r/Military where you can get information about what is happening as well as speak and reach out to people. It is also r/MilitarySOs. The goal of this subreddit is to support all military relationships. They do this by being a space to share information, support, and advice for the significant others of current or past members of the US military.
For young members, so of the family, there is a great support group in the subreddit r/militarybrats a space particularly for the children and teenagers who has to deal with the constant moving around, the uncertainty, etc. Here is a space for them to talk about their issues and concerns as well as get support back, and give it too.
Heading back to Facebook there are also several groups that are aimed at “military brats” (it is a nickname) to connect with others and speak about their experiences, current, and past ones.
Such groups for children and teens to join are:
To name a few. There are certainly more if you do a quick search. However, a word of advice for the parents is to make sure you and your child are not taken advantage of, but also to give the kids some “online privacy” where they can have a space to rant and let out their frustration without you looking over their shoulder.
As we stated at the start, being in a military family has additional challenges. Not only in terms of emotions but also when it comes to constant relocations. It can take a toll on anyone. And that is why we would strongly suggest that you use Shyft to handle all the moving for you.
That is their job and they do it well. They will find you the best prices, that will not change. As well as the most experienced and vetted movers out there. Plus, your Move Assistant is there for you and your family every step, at every minute.
Shyft is a go-to to do everything moving-related for you so that you have less stress on your back. As well as more time to yourself. Therefore, head down to Shyft and fill out their short, little form so that you can get started with your move. It is best to do it now and not later since it will burden you and lump on you altogether.
When it comes to finding support, we hope that the groups and subreddits we have mentioned will help you out or at least point you in the right direction. Feeling a lack of support can be draining and often unhealthy. Therefore, we would suggest that you reach out to these groups to chat and find comfort.
However, if you or your family member feel or suffer from depression, it is best to speak to a licensed therapist. As well as get the treatment that you need. The support groups are great, but they do not take the place of therapy. The groups are there to give you motivation and support, not to deal with mental health problems. They are not equipped to do so since they are just people like you.
Therefore, stay safe out there and seek all the help you need from Shyft to support groups.
