If you read my last blog post, you’ll know that Mark and I will be leaving Germany soon. (Click here to read that blog!) But in the meantime, I want to produce more Germany-related content before we PCS back to the United States. If you prefer consuming your content in video content, check out my YouTube video below on what I wish I knew before moving to Germany!
This blog post will be a little different than others because it’s not going to be just my tips. In fact, most of the tips in this post are actually from others! I crowdsourced them from a Facebook support group for U.S. military-related folks in Wiesbaden because I wanted to ge different perspectives. (If you are moving to Germany and are associated with the military, please email me if you want the names of Facebook support groups.)
So before I get started with the tips, I want to thank all those who contributed to this project! I got a lot of feedback and had to pick and choose what I included. But no matter whether your tips were included or not, THANK YOU!
General Tips
David P: “There is a very friendly USO rep inside the Baltimore passenger terminal that will help in case one adult needs to stay with the car during drop off so as not to be ticketed, while the other unloads and moves inside the baby, dog, and baggage.” Wish I would’ve known this!
Myself: I wish I knew that the emotional transition to living in a foreign country can be very difficult. I didn’t expect this, so that made it harder. My experience was also compounded by the fact we were going through infertility that entire first year of being in Germany, and infertility is a very isolating experience.
Christy A: “It’s okay to have moments where you struggle. Moving to a different country is hard. But embrace the culture and how different things are.”
Driving Tips
Jennifer E: She mentioned priority roads and yielding to the right, so I’ll expand on that. First of all, the priority road sign is a yellow diamond with a white border. However, if you are at an intersection where there are no priority or yield signs, the person to your right has priority.
Claudia E: “I would’ve liked to know the drivers license procedure.” Just a little tip from me: you can study and take the test online through JKO (Joint Knowledge Online) before you even get to Germany. Your service member/sponsor has to authorize to set you up with a JKO account first.
Shauna M: “Learning the road signs before coming. Even though you have 30 days to get your license, if you rent a vehicle and drive, you need to know their road rules and signs!”
Jamie L: “Bring oil filters, air filters, and windshield wipers for your car. Depending on your make/model you may not be able to easily get the items or you will pay more.” This is a money-saving tip!
Megan H: “Window tint is not allowed on the front windows of your car here! And if you have an after market tint strip on your windshield it must come off as well!” We had to do this.
David S: “The Autobahn is not a highway without speed limits!” I think this is a common misperception, that the Autobahn is the place where you can just drive as fast as you want. It IS true that there are strips of the Autobahn (which simply means highway) where there is no speed limit. But I would say that at least half the time there IS a speed limit!
Jill D: “Speed cameras are everywhere! You WILL get a ticket in the mail like two months later. Watch for the flash.” Can’t deny I haven’t seen that flash myself….
Giannina S: “Practice parallel parking.” You will become an expert in parallel parking after living in Germany! Parking spots, at least here in Wiesbaden, also seem small. I sometimes feel so big driving our mid-size SUV!
Housing and General Living Tips
Danielle P: “That the hotel on base is all German outlets.” She’s referring to the Wiesbaden Army Lodge, so I’m not sure about other military accommodations. The remedy to this would be to buy the cheap, white plug converters at the PX.
Annette D: She says to get all your routine medical appointments out of the way before coming here. Then you don’t have to worry about your annual gyno, dentist, and eye exams for another year. She is a DoD civilian and says that all providers are out of network here. I had a couple others saying the same thing about providers. If you’re here on Tricare, this is not an issue for you.
Charles Vh: “Come prepared to walk A LOT. And bring dark curtains! It doesn’t get dark here until almost 11pm [in the summer].”
Heidi M: “Hallways are small, long dressers and large couches will not fit.” Different homes are different sizes, even amongst those on base. We have a fairly spacious stairwell apartment and didn’t have an issue with anything fitting.
Alicia D: “You will most likely live in a hotel for a month or more. No kitchen to cook, lots of take out.” For clarity, she was at a hotel off base because the Army Lodge was full. But the Wiesbaden Army Lodge DOES have a kitchen, so really try to get in there if possible!
Hannah G: “Bring linens (sheets, towels, dish rags, pot holder, and at least one set of curtains) to use while waiting for your HHG to arrive.”
Heather Ann: “My number one tip for DoD civilians is to bring as little as possible in your HHG. The reason I say this is because of the new tax law which requires DoD civilians to pay income tax on the cost of moving HHG. And you have to pay this for both moving here and moving back. If you get locality pay at the stateside station you’re moving back to, this may even bump your income tax bracket and you’ll pay even more taxes on your HHG.” (Disclaimer: I’m not a legal expert so PLEASE consult an expert!!)
Patty S: “Be sure your cell phone is unlocked and able to accept a German SIM card. Check to see if you have a foreign transaction fee on your credit card. Have your unit’s sponsor set up an APO box ahead of time for transferring your mailing address.”
Renardo P: “Change all password resets from your states number to your email. This will keep them from sending verify text to a number you no longer have.” I wish I would’ve done this!! This really is something you would not think about before getting here and experiencing life.
Myself: I wish I would’ve known that travel isn’t as cheap as you might think! Now, there are a lot of caveats to this. It IS true that it’s cheaper to travel to European places when you live here, vs. traveling to Europe from the U.S. But, there’s a lot of expenses that you have to think about: the airline, if you have a pet and have to pay for boarding, the euro is stronger than the dollar, if you travel to popular destinations during peak seasons, etc. It’s a significant amount of money, even with just a couple without kids. I suggest starting a travel fund before you even arrive!
Thank you again!
Again, thank you all so much who contributed to this little project! If you are living in Germany currently or have lived here in the past, feel free to drop YOUR tips in the comments below. This is all about educating those who are getting ready to move to Germany! In my opinion, the more knowledge you have, the better prepared you will be, and therefore you will have a better experience.