If you have been in or around the military for as many years as I have there are some things that you remember fondly and others that weren't so great. One of the best things our family encountered was our "sponsor." The member of your unit who started sending you information about your new assignment before you arrived. The sponsor was assigned to help make the transition from one installation to another as smooth as possible.
Back in the day the sponsor loaded up packets of information and mailed them off to you. There were maps, directions to various locations on the installation, local lore, things to do and what ever else was available. Gaining the knowledge of their experience before you arrived was invaluable.
Today much of what a new arrival is looking for can be found on line. The "sponsors" have faded away and been replaced by friends who may already be stationed in the area or Realtors® who know the area installation themselves. No matter what you find on-line the personal connection and knowledge still say more than a cut and dried outline you find in the in-processing handbook.
Knowing what you should consider before you arrive, learning more about what is available both on and off the installation and hearing real world experiences are important. Had our sponsors not told us about how easy it was to bring our pets to Okinawa or to leave our electronics at home when we went to Germany we might have given up our family pets or destroyed our stereo as soon as we turned it on.
We were then able to take our personal experiences and pass them on to the next group of incoming personnel at every stop we made. That is the great part about blogging, passing along those experiences to anyone who finds themselves with orders to the area. Sure you can and will read all of the official installation websites but I know from experience that you also want to know the personal side of the area. My relocation guides give you the feet on the street view of what is is like to come to Fort Belvoir or the Pentaon from a personal perspective just as our sponsors did for us for many years.
Fort Belvoir Relocation Guide
Pentagon Relocation Guide
Cindy - As good as technology is and all the resources buyers have at their disposal, nothing can ever take the place of that personal touch and the benefit of learning from someone else's experiences.
Cindy
The personal touch will always be the best approach
Donna-we learned so much from our sponsors that was never written on an "official" site. There were some many things about the areas where we moved or the installations we went to that came to life when we heard about them from someone already there.
Tom-thank you. You are a great tour guide for your area!
Cindy - maybe we could take this idea and have volunteer sponsors contact our prospects looking at the area ....