PCSing to Italy (Family)

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 10:49:16 -0500

I've been in the Army for 16 years now, and this will be my first PCS overseas. I am right now on assignment instructions to go to Vicenza, Italy and was hoping for some feedback, advice and any helpful hints anyone might have. I might be an E-8, but not to proud to ask for advice. I am married and have two kids, 7 and 11 and a small dog (8 pounds). Anything would be helpful to include Travel do's and don'ts, Housing, Pets, Language, Culture, the Unit and base. Thanks in advance!

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2014 10:52 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 10:52:59 -0500

Shipping your vehicles will be a tough hurdle and you may have to come out of pocket. I recommend shipping your household goods and vehicles as early as possible so you will have them when you arrive versus what happened to me, which was waiting a month before getting our things. Passports and EFMP is a must to update now instead of waiting.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2014 11:43 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 11:43:33 -0500

You will love Italy and all of the travel options you will have. Make sure you travel. I have been to Germany twice and we traveled a great deal and we still regret not seeing everything we could have.

You should have a sponsor if not there is a website that you go to and request one.

http://www.imcom-europe.army.mil/webs/sites/europe_life/s_gate/

Start working the move now.

Passports are a must for the family and the passport office on base will help you once you get your orders.

If any of the family is in EFMP make sure you get it updated before you leave.

Your pet is fine to travel with but you will need to ensure you have a proper travel carrier that the dog can stand up in without touching the top. You also need to go through your on base vet to get the proper certifications for the dog to travel. We used an off base vet who assured us we were good and when we tried to go we were told our pets couldn't travel. We ran to the on base vet and they saw us after hours and squared us away.

Pay attention to your move. A lot of things go missing during overseas moves. Take pictures of all of your items - pictures come in very handy. Try putting any jewelry together and possibly in a lock box so it is harder to swipe. They cut the locks on 2 of my duffle bags and stole over $3,300 worth of uniforms, boots and other items. We bought a brand new bedroom set 2 weeks prior to the packers coming and they labeled every new piece of furniture as scratched and chipped. Really hosed us on the back end and getting it fixed.

The Army will only allow you to ship 1 vehicle. I shipped my car to Germany and it cost $1,000 to ship it there but $1,500 to ship it back. I had to have my car in Germany but you should be able to purchase a hoopty there at a good price. There are always people leaving and they only try to sell it for what they paid so used car prices are very reasonable.

Ship your vehicle 30-45 days prior to your report date. That means it will either be there when you get there or arrive a few weeks later. It is alot easier to rent or borrow a vehicle here instead of over there. Actually borrowing a vehicle over there is quite a process. There is a few items you have to fill out. I borrowed a Soldiers car to clear and decided to fill it up and since we didn't do the proper I had to pay off base gas prices through Aafes (another reason why I dislike them).

Post any questions you have and I will answer your questions.

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Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 8 at 2014 1:05 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:05:09 -0500

1SG,

First off let me say you and your family will love the area. Second make sure you all get tourist travel passport along with the No Fee passports because you will need those to vacation here in the EU. I haven't been stationed in Vicenza but have vacationed in Italy 15 times. Just Awesome. I don't know your report date but I would say don't PCS until they are finished with their school year there in GA, only because when we PSCd to Germany it was in the middle of the school year and it was a heart breaker to my kids.

Good luck!

V/R

1SG Haro

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2014 1:17 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:17:01 -0500

1SG,

Everyone else has hit the important things a few times, but there is one thing I can't stress enough - bring your dog in the cabin. I've always traveled with mine in the plane and it's the only way to be sure it will make it there alive. You don't want your kids to correlate your PCS with their dog dying.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 10 at 2014 11:14 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 23:14:08 -0500

I just left Vicenza 1SG, so hopefully I can give you a a few useful tips to ease the transition.

Transportation is always a biggie, and while there is a public transportation system in place having two cars can be very convenient. It is very easy to find resonably priced used cars. Make sure you perform as much maintenance as possible on your vehicle you are shipping, because parts for American cars usually take about two weeks to get once you're in Italy and thst can be very frustrating. Taking the time and money to perform services early could end up saving you lots of trouble.

Learn a little bit of the local lingo, seems like common sense but you might be surprised at how many people ignore something like this. Italians, especially around Vicenza, appreciate when you make an effort at speaking Italian.

Lastly get out and explore, northern Italy is located close to so many awesome outdoor destinations. World class skiing in the alps, mountain biking, scuba diving, rock climbing. I can't begin to count the places I went. As others have already adressed getting you and your family set up with passports is a must.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask, I'm sure you and your family are going to enjoy living and working in the Vicenza military community.