Postings, packing and the bit in the middle: How does a military family move work?
I recently posted a review of my stay at Orida Maidstone Hotel and it seemed to raise some questions. Not about the hotel itself- lovely place, dog friendly, highly recommend- but rather about how it was booked and paid for on our behalf by the military.
It reminded me that things I see as completely normal- moves every few years, a house packed up and handed back to the army, navigating the time between postings when you are between homes- can inspire curiosity in those who’ve never done it.
The military world can seem quite a mystery to outsiders, its own little universe. I thought I’d pull back the curtain and share a little bit about what happens when a military family is on the move.
So, let’s chat about where we go when we don’t, officially, have a place to call home.
Why Do Military Families Get Moved?
A quick bit of background about ‘ why’ before I get into ‘where’. A military move happens when the soldier changes location having been issued an Assignment Order, commonly known as the posting order.
When you hear a military spouse talking about where they’re going or where they’ve been, it’s almost always in terms of, ‘being posted’ or ‘waiting on the posting’.
There are three main scenarios that generate a posting:
- Current posting has ended. Postings are assigned for a certain time, usually between 2-4 years. When the time’s up, the soldier is assigned a new position and location.
- Promotion. There’s a whole process to this one, but every soldier periodically has the chance to move up the ranks. If they do, a move is likely.
- Long duration courses. If the soldier is assigned onto a training course that takes them away from their current posing, the family may be able to move with them for the duration. This does usually mean a second move in short order when the soldier completes the course.
I’ve experienced all of the above and I can’t say one is better or worse than the other. There are other circumstances that might lead to a move- compassionate issues, demotion or disciplinary, for example- but they aren’t the norm. And fortunately, I have no experience with those.
What Happens When It’s Time For A Military Family to Move?
Prior to the move, hopefully with a decent bit of notice, your soldier will have been issued the posting order. Officially known as an Assignment Order, it comes from an office in Glasgow and is the key to just about everything.
The order allows you to apply for new housing and is the sign to officially begin the moving process. That means booking removals, arranging a date to hand the house back, packing up your life, cleaning like a crazy person (or arranging cleaners) and then making travel arrangements onwards to the new post.
Same day, door-to-door moves can happen, but generally you’ll be waiting from 24 hours to 10 days to move into a new quarter and take delivery of your removals.
Once that nerve wracking moment where you watch the removals lorry drive away with your whole life is over and the house has been scrubbed and signed back to the MoD, you’re in the in-between. What happens next?
Military Family Moves: The Hotel Stay
The most common option for those days between married quarters is a hotel stay. It’s the one we’ve used most and honestly, it’s my favourite part of any move. Especially once the old house is cleaned and handed back. Then there’s time to relax and enjoy the anticipation of the next chapter.
Hotels are booked and paid for by the MoD on your behalf to cover the days your household goods are in transit. During in this time the family may also be able to claim Day Subsistence, a daily allowance per head towards food & drinks when you’re on the move.
Curious about the sort of places that get booked for us? Here’s a few of places we have stayed.
Best Western Plus Arosa Hotel Paderborn: This hotel in the historic university city of Paderborn was my introduction to life in Germany. It took a while to adjust but swimming in the rooftop pool watching snow fall over the city is one of my happiest moving memories.
This hotel also gets bonus points for being located right by a branch of C&A. Pure nostalgia.
Holiday Inn Salisbury: The hotel where we ended our busy four year posting in Wiltshire. A really nice, comfortable hotel. Well located for all the Wiltshire garrison areas as well as local attractions like Longleat, Stonehenge and Avebury.
Best Western Park Hotel Bad Lippspringe: A second German posting had us living in a small town in Germany, Bad Lippspringe. It’s a different experience when you live away from the military and with the local community. The hotel, and the parkland it is set in, became a big part of my life during this posting.
Braid Hills Hotel, Edinburgh: A beautiful hotel with literary connections and a convenient location. We’ve enjoyed several stays here when in Edinburgh for military things and its one I’d genuinely recommend.
Find My Review of Braid Hills Hotel, Edinburgh Here.
Premier Inn Catterick Garrison: A cosy & comfortable hotel in a central location. Epic breakfast. Perfect for moving in or out of Catterick Garrison and for families attending parades.
Military Family Move: Nights in Transit
Depending on the location of your next posting and the timings of your move, you might fill in a night by taking an overnight ferry crossing towards your next posting. In this case, you’ll usually have a cabin with meals included booked for you.
If you’re really organised with it, this can be a fun way to use up a night of the in-between. We’ve used overnight ferries for postings to Germany and Northern Ireland. Sailings to Germany involved a rather nice overnight cabin experience.
Overnight at Sea: Review of a P&O Club Cabin Here.
However, a short notice or peak season posting might mean having to work with what’s available. Leaving Northern Ireland , there were no cabins available on sailings with a kennel or pet cabin.
The clerks booking our travel did their best, booking us Stena Plus Lounge access but a night on the Irish sea with no bed, trying to get a bit of sleep in a room full of strangers wasn’t ideal.
I don’t think Little Wolf appreciated his night in the onboard kennels either. He definitely preferred a night in a pet friendly cabin. When travelling this route with pets, early booking is essential.
Pets are very much part of any military family move and although the military doesn’t contribute directly to the cost of moving pets, they will help you make pet friendly hotel & travel arrangements. You then pay the price difference for your pet directly.
Full Review of the Belfast- Liverpool Stena Line Lounge Experience (coming soon)
What If You Want to Stay With Family?
In-between postings is an opportunity to slot in a family visit, if time and geography allow. The MoD does recognise this and service families can claim a Private Arrangements Rate (PAR) of £35 per night, per family.
It used to be said that it was to cover the cost of a takeaway. It probably wouldn’t now, but a nice gesture nonetheless.
A Military Family Move: The Other Options
Hotels, family stays and nights in transit are the most popular, and usually the most logical way, to fill in the time in-between quarters. There are a couple of other temporary housing options that are worth highligh
Contact Houses: Many military camps across the UK have a couple of fully furnished flats or houses that can be booked by service families for moves and family visits. They vary in comfort levels, let’s just say it really depends who is managing them.
Services Centre Cotswolds: The Services Cotswold Centre (SCC) offers chalet style, self contained accommodation in the Wiltshire countryside for any Service Person/ MoD civil servant and their families needing a place to stay.
As well as being available to families moving between postings, the SCC also offers emergency accommodation for military families evacuated from overseas assignments, assistance to families during marital breakdown and short term housing for discharging families.
Following the latest move, I’m now happily settled into our Kent posting with no moves in my foreseeable future. This post is a bit different to my usual content, but I hope it’s been somewhat interesting or useful.
If you’re an army spouse with a move looming or need support with any aspect of military life, there’s always lots of up-to-date advice and information available from the Army Families Federation (AFF). Find AFF here.
Curious about army life or a military spouse/army wife looking for more insight? You might enjoy these posts next:
Life in Service Family Accommodation ( SFA) or ‘Married Quarters’: The Truth
The Union Jack Club, London: A Unique Stay for Forces Families & Veterans
Helen x
A friend of mine at university was an army child. She said that their large and unruly family meant their accommodation never stayed pristine. So they were always at the bottom of the pile when it came to awarding new accommodation. I expect that’s still true? Probably fair enough, really.
Housing is allocated by an external company contracted in now, so it’s really just a lucky dip. The army world is a small one though, so we generally know who those families are! Overseas housing is allocated more the old school way, by a Housing Officer and they definitely know who their dealing with and what their prepared to offer!
Im a total ignoramous of all this. I think id probably go bonkers but it comes with the uniform I guess. Were all the hotels so good or have you excluded the totally shite ones?!
The hotels have always been good but these are the ones I remember fondly. The only exception being two nights in a Travelodge as part of our last move that went horribly wrong. But that’s a whole other story!
I think the next move will be the last. You can only sustain it for so long.
I can believe that. Probably not a good idea to develop a sellotape based eczema!
Interesting Helen. I remember reading your earlier posts on military life and of your frequent house moves. I hope you are settling into Kent life well by now.
Kent is lovely and starting to feel like home.
Hi Helen
Your story reminds me of when I was a child and my father was a policeman. He would get moved from town to town with different postings and we would live in a police-house, which got bigger as he was promoted through the ranks. We tended to move around the county rather than further afield though.
A similar system! My husbands Grandfather was a policeman and they lived in various places across Northumberland. I hope you have happy memories of moving 😊
We have friends who are in the military. He seems to move posts with alarming regularity but luckily for him he’s married to quite possibly the most organised person I’ve ever met who now has moving (husband, 4 kids and dog) off pat.
It sounds like a nightmare lifestyle for many, Helen, but if you’ve found your man and that’s his world I’m sure you get used to it (or separate!). I know you’ve been resourceful and made it work for you. The army do seem to look after you well. Catterick garrison is the nearest you’ve been to ‘us’ xx
This was an interesting read Helen. When I was a child I had a great uncle in the RAF who was posted to Germany for a while and we visited him and my great aunt in the house there, but I never stopped to think about the different lifestyle that came with his career choice.
Haha, I did laugh when I saw those curtains – we had the ones on the right in the WRAF block back in the late 80s. 🙂
Hopefully fond memories! I’ve had a few 80’s specials. They are gradually replacing them with neutrals, but the pace of change is glacial.
As someone who was born and raised in a family home that was only sold when my parents died, and who still lives in the home my husband and I bought when we married, your constant moves are a source of fascination. Thank you for this insight. I’m also interested that you think the peripatetic lifestyle might be coming to an end…
Just initial thoughts and baby steps for now. I’m sure good times lie ahead, whatever path we end up taking!
Your life sounds very complicated, but I suppose, as you say, you adjust. My father was a minister so we moved every 5/6 years to different manses so that’s sort of similar but not so intense.
I think I’ve normalised a lot of totally abnormal things to make it all work to be honest! But, it is working for now so on we go…
Interesting post. One of my friends her dad was in the military and she was telling me a bit about life as a military daughter.
It’s quite a unique way to live. I hope my children will have happy memories of the moves! Thanks for coming along.
Been over thirty years since our British Army days, but your posting brought lots of fun memories back. Also fantastic info for those who need it. Fun times ahead.
I’m glad I brought back some good memories. Every chapter is exciting in its own way!
This was really interesting Helen. My dad was in the navy until I was 9 and I know/remember lots of different houses (about 5) but I have no memories of actually moving so it was interesting to get some insight.
Thanks for coming along!
Fascinating insight into army life. Well done you for living it.
Thanks for reading. It’s not a bad life, all in!
A very interesting read. I don’t think I could move around that much, I like my homebase too much!
It’s not for everyone! It will be strange when we settle… assuming we ever do!
Enjoy this next chapter of your life! 🙂
Thank you. Every new chapter is exciting!
So interesting, I never knew any of this. I dont think I could do it, but everyone becomes normal when you’re used to it 😊
That’s exactly it! Thanks for dropping by 😊