The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) was launched a little over half a year ago, replacing the previous Physical Fitness test. The ACFT was made of six events: 3 repetition maximum deadlift (MDL), standing power throw (SPT), hand release push-up – arm extension (HRP), spring-drag-carry (SDC), leg tuck (LTK) and 2-mile run (2MR).  A two-minute plan is an allowed alternative to leg tucks. The tests were designed to test flexibility, agility, endurance and strength. However, recent data shows that 44% of women failed the ACFT in comparison to 7% of men since October 1, 2021.

The ACFT remains in the testing phase, and scores will not be counted on record for promotion or career progression until March of 2022. The data demonstrating that almost half of women are failing shows that there may be a need to amend the testing for women.

The data from the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) collected the 106,000 test results from the ACFT, breaking down the failure rate of each event by gender.

Failure Rate for Men:

• 3 repetition maximum deadlift: Less than 1%
• Standing power throw: Less than 1%
• Hand release push-up – arm extension: Less than 1%
• Spring-drag-carry: Less than 1%
• Leg tuck: 2%
• Two-mile run: 5%

Failure Rate for Women:

• 3 repetition maximum deadlift: 6%
• Standing power throw: 15%
• Hand release push-up – arm extension: 2%
• Spring-drag-carry: 12%
• Leg tuck: 22%
• Two-mile run: 22%

In comparison to last year, the pass rate is up 12%. Among enlisted women, the failure rate is at 53% and among female officers, the failure rate is 23%.

The passing score for the ACFT is 360 with a maximum score of 600. Per the data, only 66 female soldiers scored 500 points or higher in comparison to their male counterparts with 31,978 who had the same score. Data is added weekly to the FORSCOM database which will assist in shaping the program.

While this data is new, it appears that the data will continue to be analyzed to determine steps forward. While it does show a high failure rate, it is a lower rate than the previous year and this is movement in the positive direction.

*Appearance of DoD imagery does not constitute federal endorsement.

Outdoor entertainment is fun and safe entertainment for the entire family. From the music to the amazing aerial skills on display, the military air shows have a lot to offer.

There may be an associated cost to shows that do not occur on military bases, so make sure to contact the event or location for specific information.

Thunderbirds 2021 Air Show Schedule

The Thunderbirds will perform 23 shows this season from April to November, with some cancellations or amendments. Due to COVID-19, only 6 shows were performed in 2020 and the 2019-2020 pilots have remained on the team for 2021.

2021 Schedule:

-April 17-18: Cocoa Beach, Fl

-May 1-2: St. Joseph, MO

-May 8-9: Barksdale AFB, LA

– May 26: USAF Academy, CO

– May 29-30: Wantagh, NY

-June 5-6: Smyrna, TN

-June 19-20: Ocean City, MD

-July 10-11: Dayton, OH

-July 17-18: Binghamton, NY

-July 24-25: Milwaukee, WI

-July 28: Warren AFB, WY

-July 31- August 1: McMinnville, OR

-August 18: Atlantic City, NJ

-September 4-6: Cleveland, OH

-September 11-12: Portsmouth, NH

-September 18-19: Reno, NV

-September 25-26: Mather, CA

-October 2-3: San Juan, Puerto Rico

-October 9-10: Houston, TX

-October 16-17: Sanford, FL

-October 23-24: Lancaster, CA

-October 30-31: Salinas, CA

-November 6-7: Davis- Monthan AFB in Arizona

For more information on the USAF Thunderbirds, show locations and dates, visit their website at www.afthunderbirds.com. It is recommended to check their website and the location of the show for the most up to date information on scheduling.

Blue Angels 2021 Air Show Schedule

The Blue Angels are entering the 75^th anniversary season this year, and is the inaugural season for the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. This will be the beginning of shows after 2020’s Operation America Strong. There are 25 shows scheduled for the Blue Angels from March to November ending at their home base of Pensacola, Florida. If you are local to one of their planned performances, make plans to be there to cheer them on!

2021 Schedule:

April 17-18: Lakeland, FL

May 1-2: NAS Corpus Christi, TX

May 8-9: Fort Lauderdale, FL

May 15-16: Melbourne, FL

May 26, 28: Annapolis, MD

May 29-30: Latrobe, PA

June 5-6: Lake Charles, LA

June 12-13: La Crosee, WI

June 19-20: Niagara Falls, NT

June 26-27: Duluth, MN

July 3-4: New Century, KS

July 10: Pensacola Beach, FL

July 25-25: Fargo, ND

July 31-August 1: Eielson AFB, AK

August 7-8: Seattle, WA

August 14-15: Owensboro, KY

Augsut 21-22: Chicago, IL

August 28-29: London, Ontario, Canada

September 18-19: NAS Oceana, VA

October 2-3: Huntington Beach, CA

October 9-10: San Francisco, CA

October 16-17: Loveland, CO

October 23-24: Ft. Worth, TX

October 30-31: Rome, GA

November 5-6: NAS Pensacola, FL

For updated information on the USNA Blue Angels, show locations and dates, visit their website at www.blueangels.navy.mil.

If there is an air show near you – be sure to make plans to check it out!

As if PCSing wasn’t stressful enough. This year we add in the craziest rental market yet. The increased demand for housing off-base, has driven the demand for on base housing, which then creates a cycle of increased demand all around. Many families PCSing this summer are feeling the pinch and worry of looking for a home. Some are offering hundreds over the already elevated listed rental price just to secure a home. How does one navigate this crazy market?

1. Enlist your friends into looking. Maybe you have friends at the base where you will be moving to? Ask them to keep an eye out for listings in the area or on their local base pages.
2. Engage in social media groups. Find housing groups and start stalking, er, looking for new postings. Look for groups for your specific area, and search for rentals within it.
3. Schedule time to look. When you are online looking, make sure you stick to a time limit so it doesn’t become a time and mood suck.
4. Use all the resources: Craigslist, AHRN, Military By Owner, Zillow are all great resources to look for homes. Some may be less traditional, but some owners are used to one listing source so you have to go with what you know!
5. Consider a real estate agent. A real estate agent isn’t just for buying a home. Consider reaching out to a realtor in the area for tips on the area, and using them to find a rental. As real estate agents, they are also aware of what is coming onto the market as rentals.
6. Have your must-haves and want-to-haves list figured out. Between you and your partner, or whoever you are renting with, figure out what you need to have and want to have. Use the need to-haves to find homes. This way the other can feel free to inquire about homes the moment they see them. It helps to make contact ASAP in this market.
7. Be ready to rent sight unseen. This may be new for some families – you like to know the area, drive around it, be familiar with what is on offer. But with how quickly rentals (and homes to buy!) are going in this market, you need to be ready to sign a lease without knowing the area or the home. If you are able to, ask for a virtual walk-through, but some places are only responding to applications and not questions so you may have to go off what the pictures are. If this does not give you the warm fuzzies, try to find a home that is okay with a walk-through.
8. Be patient. This one is hard when you are feeling pressed for time and finding a home. It can feel like you have to give in, offer hundreds over asking price. If it is within you budget to do that and you want to – go for it. Otherwise, be patient and keep looking.
9. Commiserate. You are not the only military family moving this PCS season. You are not the only who is looking for a rental home. Find others that are going through the same process to talk with. Beyond being a safe, understanding space to vent they may have tips on where to look or share homes if they meet your needs versus theirs.

Now – go forth! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

Four-footed, furry family members are family too, and take some planning to move with them. Being prepared for a PCS move with pets is critical. For moves within the continental United States (CONUS) and overseas (OCONUS), there are many things to consider and steps to take prior to executing a military move.

General

• Budget more than you think you will need. You never know when a hotel may be full, and you have to stay at a hotel with a pet fee, or if you will have to use a pet shipper for a flight because the dog plus kennel may be over the restriction for weight.
• Consider keeping your pet in a kennel in the hotel to prevent them from getting scared and hiding or running away.
• Invest in portable, collapsible water bowls. This will be helpful on road trip moves or in their kennel if traveling overseas.
• Before the move, check in with your local vet to keep up to date on evaluations and vaccinations. This way, you don’t have to find a vet shortly after your arrival.
• If your pet is a “banned breed,” like a pitbull, plan for stops in towns where they are not banned.
• If you have a female pet, consider having them spayed before travel, so they don’t go into heat the day you check her into a pet-friendly boarder.
• Make sure you have medications for your pet with as many refills as possible. Hence, you have sufficient medications for travel and can get medications when needed at the new destination.
• After you have exhausted all the options in bringing your pet with you if you cannot bring your pet with you, look into these organizations or friends or family for re-homing your pet.

CONUS

• Pet-friendly hotels: When booking travel for the move, look for pet-friendly hotels. These hotels have green space for walks and more room for pets within the hotel room. La Quinta hotels have historically been pet-friendly, and some Hilton properties are pet-friendly as well.
• Look into BringFido.com for dog-friendly places to stay and eat with your dog.

OCONUS

The rules and regulations may change for overseas orders, so make sure you are up to date on the regulations for the country you are entering. Here are some general tips for PCSing overseas.

• Look up your international assignment for country-specific regulations and requirements here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/
• The first step is going to the on-base vet with orders. They will begin the paperwork, administer vaccines, and order blood work if required for entering the country you are PCSing to. Schedule this as soon as you have military orders in hand. Vaccines typically have to be done over 21 days from entry.
• Make sure your pet is on your orders so you can book a pet spot on an AMC (military) flight or ticket on a commercial flight.
• Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT assume you will be getting a pet spot on a AMC flight. Have a backup plan because pet spots are limited.
• Maintain bilingual paperwork or paperwork that is in English only.
• Check with the flight you are on to ensure you have the right kennel size and what the weight limit is. There may be a total weight of pet plus kennel.
• For the flight- tape a picture with your pet’s name on the outside of the kennel – the baggage handlers will likely call your pet by their name which is a kind gesture in a stressful situation. Tape a plastic bag with food pouches that may be used at layovers, and include your name/number. You just might get a text with photos of your pet on their adventure!
• If you have to use a pet-shipper, make sure you have a pet-specific power of attorney for the friend or family that is helping with drop off or pick up of the pet.
• Pets may need a quarantine when you get to the OCONUS location, make sure you are up to date on the regulations so you can appropriately plan and budget accordingly.

PCSing isn’t an easy process for humans, and for the pet who doesn’t quite understand the process either it can be a stressful event. Hopefully, these tips and steps help you navigate the PCS season with your pet.

The known phrase is – “before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” This saying is said to be pulled from a poem published in 1895 and written by Mary T. Lathrap. While it may have been written in the 19^th century, it has 21^st century applications. To fully understand another person, you need to understand what that person goes through. With an all-volunteer military force that makes up one-half of 1 percent of the population of the United States [Council on Foreign Relations, Demographics of the Military], many people outside the military have beliefs about the military that are myths worthy of Sasquatch.

Let’s set the record straight on some of these myths about military life:

MYTH: If your spouse is deployed, they can come for a birth of a child or a death of a close parent.

REALITY: Military orders are just that – orders from the military branch, and by extension the federal government, to be somewhere. When a military service member receives orders to deploy, those orders stand for the amount of time they are listed for. The military service branch can change those orders at any time as they need to, but that doesn’t mean the service member can. If there is a birth or death in the family, the family back home can send a Red Cross Message to let the service member know. But, the service member does not jump on a plane to come back home when that message arrives – that message is just information. The orders are still active. Deployments are overseas and on ships, and the service member is ordered to be there for that time period fulfilling their job. Situationally dependent, the military spouse might get to come home but don’t bet the farm.

MYTH: Once you have done a deployment, it is easy because they are all the same.

REALITY: Buzzzz. Nope. Each deployment can be wildly different. Depending on the service branch, the active duty service member can be on ship or on land. Each unit deploying fulfills different goals. As service members promote and move jobs, their job type and responsibility increases meaning there will be different roles fulfilled on each deployment. If on one deployment the service member was on a ship and able to call home when in port, the deployment to another country may mean no contact except emails on occasion. There is no repeat in type of deployment. And therefore, you cannot compare what one person does to another, and the expectations must be ever evolving. Sorry Uncle Eddie, just because Buddy called home twice a month doesn’t mean Junior will be able to.

MYTH: Moving is easy because it is all done for you, and it happens often so you get used to it.

REALITY: Oh boy is this wrong. Each year, the Joint Travel Regulations are updated. This body of regulations dictates the rules and regulations for all things travel, including a permanent change of station, aka PCS, or move. With each update, there are new rules to adhere by. Then add in a pandemic, and moving each time can look very different. Like their non-military counterparts, military families have children and with the addition of family members comes extra items and furniture. To make a house feel like a home, new curtains and wall décor are purchased or made. The addition of things adds more boxes with each move. With each move, there is a different phase of life experienced, and new regulations like limiting movers, means that some families move themselves completely. Military families take things off the walls, box up their memories, pack up the truck and sometimes drive it themselves to the next duty station. That is not easy. That is a lot of work, on top of the military job and spousal employment and children’s school. So no, you don’t get used to it and it isn’t easy.

MYTH: Every position in the military is infantry.

REALITY: Like the civilian world, there are many jobs and positions within the military. Not every military service member is the infantryman you picture from the World War movies. Not every person is on the front lines, in fact most are not. Some military members work in cyber security, finance, administration, logistics, motor transportation, public relations, medicine, and many more. These positions require schooling specific to that job type, on-the-job training and experience over time. This means not every service member has the same experience or knowledge.

MYTH: That you can take vacation whenever you want.

REALITY: Like other jobs, in order to take a vacation, the service member has to request leave (the military phrase for vacation). If there are training exercises or deployments on the calendar, that leave request will be denied. Worse, if the situation changes that leave can be cancelled. A catchphrase in our house is “I do what I want. And I want to do what I am told.”

MYTH: There is a pay raise with each job.

REALITY: Each branch of military service is based on rank. After enlistment or commission, the military member enters the service at the lowest rank applicable to their time in service. An E1 in the Army and a E1 in the Marine Corps make the same amount. It does not matter what job they have or skills they have. If a billet (the term for a job in the military) is listed for an E5 and a E4 has to do that job while waiting for a E5 or waiting for a promotion, the pay received for that job is still the E4 pay. More responsibility comes with the rank, not necessarily with the job. As mentioned earlier, not every job is equal.

MYTH: Military members are in the military because they had to choose between military or jail.

REALITY: While Hollywood has demonstrated in drama filled shows and movies how judges had sentenced unruly teens to the military service, this is not the case anymore. The military service is an all-volunteer service. There is not a draft where numbers are pulled to fill the military ranks. Those who enter military service choose to do so. They feel ready to join their service branch for their own personal reasons. There are a variety of reasons to join, which this article cannot simply list due to lack of space, but one reason is not to avoid jail time. In fact, in many cases joining the military can be highly competitive!

MYTH: Military members and their spouses are uneducated.

REALITY: According to 2017 DMDC Active Duty Military Personnel Master File, the majority of Active Duty service members hold at least a high school diploma with 21.8% of them holding a higher degree. At the time of the census, 67.1% had a high school diploma/GED or some college. According to a study done by Deloitte, 45% of military spouses hold bachelors or advanced degrees.  In the same year, the U.S. Census showed that about 1/3 of adults in the U.S. held a bachelor’s degree or higher. This statistic is flawed as it counts military members in addition to non-military members. However, the point is that that the military force is similarly educated if not have more formal education as the non-military population. Their education varies just as much as their civilian counterparts. Among servicemembers, many have bachelor’s, master’s, or even doctorate degrees – even if they do not need it for their job.

ONE MORE – not every military member is a soldier. Nope. The U.S. Army has Soldiers. The U.S. Air Force has Airmen. The U.S. Navy has Sailors. The U.S. Marine Corps has Marines. The Space Force has Guardians. (yes, look it up). The U.S. Coast Guard has Coast Guardsman. They are not all soldiers.

There are many more myths out there. The main feature is that military members are not all the same. We are not stick figures with cookie cutter personalities.

How do you share the reality of military life with those who may have no experience with the military?

Tipping or feeding movers is a hotly debated topic every year.  Families moving for the first time ask in moving support groups or local base pages if they should tip or feed the movers and the responses range from “heck no” to “we always go all out for our movers.” This year, the DOD has updated their guidance on tipping of feeding the movers. As of January 15, 2021, the updates are found in the printable PDF from USTRANSCOM about moving found here.

Prior to 2021, the Move.mil guidance on tipping or feeding the movers was at the discretion of the individual. This was vague and allowed for a wide variety of responses by military families.  The updated guidelines found within the “It’s Your Move” PDF from TRANSCOM now state “tipping and/or supplying meals, snacks, or other refreshments to moving company representatives is discouraged. Providing monetary tips and meals as a “cost of doing business” sets unrealistic demands on service members and civilian employees least capable of providing this “service.” Please report any TSP requesting or requiring a tip to your Joint Personal Property Shipping Office (JPPSO) for possible punitive actions.”

Per the FAQ on Move.mil, “supplying meals or refreshments is never required. Moreover, providing monetary tips is discouraged. If your TSP requests either, please let your local transportation office know.” This is in line with the new updates within the TRANSCOM packet and the update from the DOD.

Many military families feel that providing food and drink to movers is a sign of goodwill. And they hope that this gesture will mean that their belongings will be packed well, sustain less damage and help the move go quickly and smoothly. In fact, the moving guide from move.mil still says at the time of writing the following, “Packers are experienced professionals. They can make sure your breakable stuff has the best chance of arriving unbroken. Learn their names. While it is not required you might consider offering them lunch and make sure the fridge is stocked with water and other beverages.” One family expressed that they will continue to provide meals and drinks, stating “a little kindness goes a long way.”

Tipping many crews or large crews can be expensive. Often times the packing crew is different than the loading crew and unloading crew. If packing is completed on more than one day, there are often different packing crews each day. At a tip of $40 per person, that could mean a family is spending $400 for just the crew packing and loading. Then the unloading crew can be totally different, and depending on the size of the crew, a tip could cost $80 – $160. This is not a reimbursable cost. Add to this the already out-of-pocket expenses of a move to replace household items that are replaced every move (I’m looking at you trash cans, toilet plungers, and shower curtains). And the costs to replace broken or missing items as compensation from the moving company does not always match the full replacement cost. One military family shared that she tipped at the end of her first move and then overhead one of the movers on the phone talking emotionally to the person on the other end of the line, saying, “he was going right to Walmart with the tip money to finally buy his son the bike he wasn’t able to get him for his birthday” and after that, they have always tipped.

While the guidance was meant to clarify, the word “discouraged” is seen as vague to some. Families will continue to do what they have done, as many shared within a military PCS support group online, so much so there were over 200 comments on a post with the update.

The question is – will you feed your moving crew? How do you feel about tipping? What do you think about the new guidance?

COLA, or Cost Of Living Allowance, is typically associated with overseas moves. When a military family is living overseas, the cost of living is typically quite different than that of a family in the United States. COLA was developed and provided to offset those costs, so the burden wasn’t solely felt by military families. Did you know there was COLA provided for some CONUS locations?

In the 1995 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress approved the CONUS COLA to help cover the additional costs of high-cost locations. Pay for civilian jobs are location-based, whereas military pay scales are the same across the ranks despite which location the service member resides in. CONUS COLA is provided for areas that have been determined to be 108% of the national average for non-housing costs. While the 7^th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation 9QRMC) recommended a threshold of 105%, Congress mandated that the threshold should not be lower than 108%. The threshold has remained at 108% since 1997.

In 2021, a new addition was added to the list of CONUS COLA locations – Washington D.C. As an area well-known for its high cost of living, it’s surprising it took until 2021 to provide a cost offset.

Which CONUS locations offer COLA?

A comprehensive list is available here through the Defense Travel Management Office.

Military Housing Areas that currently provide CONUS COLA:

• California: Oakland, San Francisco, Marin/Sonoma, Bridgeport
• Colorado: Boulder
• District of Columbia
• Massachusetts: Nantucket, Boston, Worcester, Fitchburg, Plymouth, Essex County, Hampden County, Martha’s Vineyard, Hanscomb AFB
• Minnesota: Duluth
• New York: Long Island, New York City, Westchester County, Staten Island
• Virginia: Warrenton

Non-Military Housing Areas that currently provide CONUS COLA:

• California: Inyo County
• Colorado: Broomfield County, Clear Creek County, Gilpin County, Lake County, Park County, Pitkin County, Summit County, Washington County, Yuma County
• Massachusetts: Franklin County
• Minnesota: Aitkin County, Cook County, Itasca County, Kanabec County, Koochiching County, Lake County, Pine County
• Virginia: Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Surry County, Sussex County

What if we are in an area that rates CONUS COLA?

If the service member is assigned to an area that rates CONUS COLA, it should be automatically included in the pay beginning the first day of work. If you are new to an area, the first day of CONUS pay is the day of check-in to the new duty station. The CONUS COLA rates range from 1% – 7% depending on the area. Check for the rate here.

CONUS COLA is paid as a monthly entitlement based on a 30-day month, just like BAH.

What does the “threshold “mean?

With a threshold of 108%, it means that the service member is expected to cover at least 8% of the average expenses above the national average cost of living. If the service member is assigned to locations where the local costs are above 8% of the national average for non-housing costs, a CONUS COLA provision would be provided.

How are areas determined to require CONUS COLA?

Data is collected from several sources:

1. A survey of costs is conducted every 3 years and used to determine the utilization rate and savings that are available at the military commissaries and exchanges.
2. Local market price data is purchased from a private contractor – beginning in 2021, Decision Point is used for all cost of living data.
3. The military commissaries and exchanges provide information on their availability in a given area.
4. The military commissaries and exchanges provide information on their average savings.

The data is collected with numbers in regards to an average family of four. This data is used to review costs annually, as required by law.

While there are many areas in the continental United States that military families would say the cost of living is far and above the area they moved from, the way to impact what decisions are made on CONUS COLA is to answer any survey you receive about the costs of living.

Are you in an area that provides CONUS COLA?

Recently, a tv show host shared his personal beliefs on women in the military during his news show. Fox News host Tucker Carlson was discussing updates to military uniforms on his tv show when he called the military’s integration of women a “mockery,” noting that “we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars.” He stated further that “our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine.”

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby responded to these comments in an off-camera press briefing, which is also found on the Department of Defense’s website defense.gov.  Kirby stated that “the diversity of our military is one of its greatest strengths. I’ve seen it for myself in long months at sea and in the combat waged by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve seen it up on Capitol Hill just this past month. And I see it every day here right at the Pentagon.” Furthermore, he pointed out that women serve in several military service capacities, like the civilian counterparts who serve in various career fields and are not only operating in certain areas. “They’re flying fighter jets and commanding warships. They’re leading troops on the ground. They’re making a difference in everything we do because of what they bring to the effort.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed similar sentiments. He stated that he and other top defense officials condemned Carlson’s comments and stated that America’s military force is better served when it represents all people.

While maybe unintentionally, Carlson’s comments have brought forward conversation about women in the military. Kirby said, “We still have a lot of work to do to make our military more inclusive, more respectful to everyone, especially women. We’re proud that two great leaders like Generals Van Ovost and Richardson have been nominated to combatant command, but we recognize the lack of female leadership across the senior ranks. We pledge to do better and we will.”

Different and surprising weather patterns of cold winter weather and storms like typhoons or hurricanes do not occur at every duty station a military family can live in, making it difficult to prepare for. The key with every move is to be aware of the weather patterns at the new duty station so you can prepare before arrival as much as possible. Move with as many of these items as you can so you can be prepared for power outages or emergencies as you travel. Keeping them in a tote or bin makes it easy to travel with and easily accessible in your home once you arrive. Moving during the summer limits concern for snow or ice storms – unless you are heading to Alaska – but hurricanes and thunderstorms can lead to power outages in the summer moving season.

What should you keep in a tote ready to for storm prep when at home or while actively PCSing?

1. Flashlight – Flashlights always needed for any power outages, and perfect for forts in the car, or in your new house.
2. Batteries – this is something to have on hand for flashlights, battery-operated radios
3. First Aid Kit – especially as you PCS, keeping a first aid kit in the car is important. Keeping a first aid kit that is stocked and ready for emergencies during winter weather and storms is key.
4. Candles – While not for use in the car, or in most hotels, traveling with small candles is smart so you are ready in your home if a power outage happens within the first couple of days of arriving at your new home. A power outage within four hours of moving into a new home has happened to this author. I’ll repeat – do not uses open flames inside your car or while staying in hotels.
5. Matches or a lighter – this is certainly something we don’t necessarily remember or travel with, but having a small lighter on hand for Irish pendants on uniforms is never a bad thing to have on hand if weather presents a need to use candles
6. Canned Soup – look for those cans that have a lid that does not require a can opener. Remember to get ones packed with beans or vegetables so you fill up with healthier options in canned items.
7. Chicken or Tuna packets – Especially those that have a spoon within them are perfect storm prep foods for power outages and for on the road travel. Bonus that it is protein and comes in a variety of flavors to please even the pickiest of palates.
8. Personal files in a container – birth certificates, passports, pertinent medical records, insurance policies, marriage certificates, home or property management records, etc. Keeping a condensed version of the necessary paperwork is important to have on hand while you move so nothing is lost in case something happens to your shipment. Keeping the files in a plastic bin also protects them from water or weather.

What do you PCS with to be prepared for weather or power outages while moving? What is in your emergency weather kit in your home? Let us know!