As a military family, you understand both the excitement and difficulties of moving to a new base. Moving to a new location allows you to explore new places. But it also means having to build new relationships. Check out my top 7 ways to make your transition smoother and faster.
1. Look up your new base’s Facebook page.
Many military bases have their own Facebook page. One of the first things I did after we received our orders and knew where we were moving was jump on Facebook.
Not only did our base have an official page, but it also had an unofficial page run by members of the community. This allowed me to get insider information on the community and connect with individuals currently stationed at the base if I had any questions.
Additionally, pages like this will often mention other pages you should check out, such as the “Curb Alert” page where you can list an item that you are getting rid of for free.
2. See if your street has a Facebook page.
This is helpful if you choose to live on base. After we moved in to our base housing, we met our neighbors who mentioned there was a Facebook page for the street. This is a great way to meet those living nearby and foster a strong sense of community.
Our street often hosts cookouts, campfires, book clubs, and holiday events such as the Halloween costume parade for the kids to show off their costumes and pick up treats along the way.
It can also be used to announce fun events such as free military entrance at an apple orchard, or helpful base announcements such as gate closures.
3. Get involved in your USO!
One of my favorite ways to get involved is attending USO events. In case you are unfamiliar, the USO is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to improve the well-being of service members and their families. All of their services are 100% free to use!
I could write an entire post on this category alone, but a few of their offerings are free snacks and beverages, physical and online gaming, and rotating monthly events. Events vary by location, but a sample of events we have seen are:
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- Gaming Tournaments: for both service members and their families
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- Active Duty Take 30: for service members to enjoy free Chick-fil-A catering
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- Bakers Bounty: for service members and their families to bring home all the bread, bagels, and pastries from Panera you could imagine
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- Coffee Connections: for military spouses to connect and create fun crafts together, and my personal favorite
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- Kids Crafts: for military kids, accompanied by an adult, to make a themed craft to take home. This is often themed for that month, such as Valentine’s cards for February.
You can find these events by following your base’s USO Facebook page.
Side Note: USO’s are not only located on military bases, but also at many airports! These are in the form of free airport lounges, offering free food, a quiet space to get away from the commotion of the airport, and typically comfortable chairs to take a nap while waiting for your flight to board.
To search for a USO lounge on Google, type in “USO lounge at (airport name).” Keep in mind that only Active Duty, Reserve, Guard, and their dependents with a Department of Defense ID card can enter. Extended family or friends traveling with you will be turned away.
4. Get involved in the Spouses’ Club.
If you are a military spouse, another great way to get involved and meet new people is through the Spouses’ Club. There are two ways to do this, the paid version and the free version.
Paid Version
For a small annual fee, usually under $50, you can become a Spouse Club member. This allows you to attend the monthly board meeting, participate in extra events such as a yearly retreat, and help lead an event group (I’ll talk more about these in the next section.)
Many spouses love being involved in this way and the connectedness it provides. However, others find the push these groups tend to have for volunteering to be overwhelming, including one military spouse who wrote about her experience here.
I personally have not become a paid member, so I cannot say either way. However, this might be a good fit if you enjoy getting involved through serving and volunteering.
Free Version
You can still be involved in the spouse event groups without being a paid member. To give you an idea of what these look like, here is a list of 7 monthly events the Spouses’ Club at our base currently hosts:
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- Book Club
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- Walk-n-Talk Club
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- Breakfast Club
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- Cooking Club
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- Bunco Club
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- Playdate Club
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- Wine Club
Even though you don’t need to be a paid member to attend these events, you will likely still need to pay a registration fee to cover the cost of materials you use. For instance, if you attend a cooking club, you will need to help cover the cost for groceries since you will be taking your meal home with you.
This registration fee is the main different between spouse events and the USO events that are 100% free to attend.
5. Register for group fitness classes.
If you like to get your heartrate pumping, considering joining a group fitness class at your base’s fitness center. When I was in college, I decided to run the Chicago marathon. The people I trained with quickly became close friends; one even became my roommate!
There’s something special about working up a sweat with others that creates a bond. You see each other at your lowest and have a shared experience of getting through something difficult together.
However, not every class has to be super difficult. Choose the activity that best fits with your lifestyle or fitness level. Group fitness classes can involve anything from:
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- Yoga
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- Zumba
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- Spin or Cycling
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- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
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- Water HIIT
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- Weight Lifting
The best part of taking these classes on base is the low fees. Our fitness center charges $5 per session. Good luck beating those prices at a civilian fitness center!
6. Participate in a religious group on base.
All military bases offer services to accommodate many different religions. Within these services, you can often find groups.
For instance, one group is PWOC or Protestant Women of the Chapel. This particular group meets once a week to do a book study and has occasional events throughout the year.
If you have a religious affiliation, consider looking into one of these groups at your location to meet others who are like-minded.
7. Create your own group!
If you can’t find it, create it!
I love playing tennis. I played in high school and loved every minute of it. However, after graduating and moving away from my hometown, I struggled to find others who shared my passion.
A perk of living in the military community is the wide variety of people you will get to meet. Odds are, you will meet someone who loves the same things you do. I put this theory to the test.
Step 1: I started by going to the unofficial base Facebook page I mentioned in the first item above.
Step 2: I put out a feeler post to see how many people would be interested in joining a Facebook tennis group to play matches together.
Step 3: After getting positive feedback, I created the page.
Step 4: I invited everyone who commented on the original post to join the group.
Step 5: I created a new post in the base’s unofficial Facebook page to promote the new group and invite anyone I may have missed to join.
It’s as easy as that! Now, anytime I want to go play tennis, I can simply create a post with my preferred date and time to find someone who is free. You can do the same with an activity you enjoy!
Military moves can be hard, but with these 7 tips, you can quickly make your new base feel like home. What tips would add to this list? Let me know in the comments below.