The Foreign Service Companion: Moving Your Household Without Losing Your Mind

Every day, somewhere in the world, Foreign Service community members are in the midst of moving. Some have moved a dozen times or more, and lived to tell about it! They tell their tales in this book, a collection of advice and stories to serve as your companion along the way. Topics covered include: leaving the U.S. for an overseas post returning home to the Washington, D.C., area moving to other posts in the U.S. sorting and downsizing belongings before packout digitizing and backing up important household records creating a home inventory helping children of various ages deal with a move safely shipping pets packing for an ordered evacuation from an overseas post planning for an unaccompanied tour shopping for consumables for a hardship post special considerations for foreign-born spouses taking care of ourselves during a transfer and much more! Personal stories, essays and entertaining anecdotes add to this collection, which was written, edited, and produced by and for the Foreign Service community. Whether you are a veteran of many Foreign Service moves or a brand-new officer or family member preparing for your first packout, there is surely something in this book that you can use--or at that will at least give you a laugh when you most need one!