The Phoenix Relocation Guide is designed to provide those new to the area with a wealth of information. As excited as you may be with your relocation decision, settling in Phoenix can be intimidating. We are here to help!
Learn About Phoenix
You may find yourself lodged in a hotel or temporary housing until your belongings arrive and that’s a nice opportunity to become familiar with Phoenix. This publication is the perfect place to start learning about what each wonderful city has to offer. You can also find additional information at the Chamber of Commerce offices (www.visitphoenix.com) the Visitor’s Center hotels/motels/airports and real estate offices.
A walking or bus tour while fun for the whole family actually serves to help you become acclimated and learn about the city. You can also visit local points of interest such as museums parks and exhibits; enjoy a concert; and try out restaurants featuring local cuisine. Check out any services activities or organizations that are of particular interest to your family.
Here’s some helpful websites for your relocation:
American Medical Association www.ama-assn.org
Monster.com www.monster.com
American School Directory www.asd.com
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies www.naccrra.org
Elder Care Locator www.eldercare.gov
American Animal Hospital Locator www.healthypet.com
Advice for Volunteers www.serviceleader.org
Parents Without Partners Inc. www.parentswithoutpartners.org
Spouse Career Considerations
One of the biggest challenges of moving is relocating a “second” career. If you as a spouse are transferring your job to a home office then a computer telephone e-mail account and fax machine may be all that you will need to get started. However if your job was not “portable” you might consider a new career part-time or temporary employment or perhaps even start your own business.
Evaluate your skills accomplishments and greatest strengths when you are planning your next endeavor. A few resources to tap are your spouse’s employer local organizations real estate offices with “Partner Career Assistance Programs” independent career counselors your university/college alma mater and of course the Sunday edition of the local papers. If you are searching for a job start networking by telling those you meet that you are looking.
If you have chosen to take a break from your career consider volunteering your time and talent. Volunteering to a charitable organization is a wonderful effort as well as a way to meet new people and learn more about the community. Volunteer activities add depth to résumés but the experience needs to be documented so that the service equates to business expertise. Before you again become fully employed use any free time to enjoy your new community. Refer to the Advice for Volunteers website for guidance in selecting a volunteer position and Monster.com for spouse assistance in the Helpful Websites sidebar.
Successfully Relocating Your Smallest Movers
The majority of relocating families have dependent children. If you are moving with children you probably researched schools before moving; however personal school visits will transform the unknown into reality. Visits to new schools to survey the classrooms and meet teachers will go a long way to allay your and your children’s worries about the new environment.
Listen carefully to each child’s concerns—every move can bring new issues to the surface. Encourage your children to maintain contact with former friends even while trying to make new friends. Exchanging photos having e-mail access and possibly a cell phone with a camera feature can help bridge the gap between old and new friends during the early weeks in a new location.
Dealing with challenges
Keep in mind that every stage and every age can bring new challenges. Children who sailed through the last move could be in an entirely different place emotionally and physically for this move so parents cannot assume that a child will ease into the current move. Routinely share accomplishments and challenges with each other and talk about ways to overcome difficulties. Children need to know that even though the parents are responsible for uprooting them you both have challenges to face and you need to work together as a family to solve them.
The following signs may indicate that children are struggling with the adjustment: sudden reading difficulties changes in attention span or study habits weight loss or gain altered enthusiasm or energy levels strained relationships with you or their siblings or disturbed sleep patterns. Stay closely involved with your children during the early months in a new location so you know how they are feeling what they are thinking and who their new friends are.
Consider volunteering or get involved with the school so that you can see for yourself how your children are managing. Both adults and children need the stability and comfort of established routines so keep the same rules bedtimes mealtimes allowances and expectations that you had before moving. Refer to the Tips for Settling In sidebar for more great info to help both you and the kids.
Children and Safety
When children are in an unfamiliar environment they can easily forget basic safety rules. The following are always a good reminder:
- Keep close to a parent and take an adult’s hand in crowded areas.
- Carry personal identification and phone numbers to contact parents at all times.
- Know where to meet in case families become separated.
- Review street crossing safety guidelines.
- Make sure children understand how to get help safely if they get lost.
Medical and Safety Precautions
It is a fact that moving places additional stress on individuals and consequently they are more vulnerable to accidents or illness not to mention unexpected flare-ups of chronic health conditions. If an emergency occurs every second counts; therefore as a precaution locate hospitals pharmacies and physicians that will meet your family’s needs before an emergency arises.
Learn the procedures telephone numbers and access codes for emergency care and always carry medical identification with you. Also in an emergency you may forget your new telephone number and/or address so before an emergency arises program them into your cell phone and place written notes near each telephone in your home as well as basic directions to your residence. Directions will not only be useful for family members in the early days at your new home but they will also assist babysitters and visiting relatives.
Embrace the move
Whether or not you have children or you are married single or retired relocating to a new community can ultimately become a wonderful and enriching experience. The suggestions in this article have worked for many relocating families and they can also help your family become comfortable in your new home.
As an aside when people learn that I’ve moved 19 times the response is often “What place did you like best?” My answer is always the same: “Where my family was.” I wish you all the best!
About the Author | Beverly D. Roman founded BR Anchor Publishing in 1990 and has written more than 30 international and domestic relocation books. Two of her books won the Employee Relocation Council’s Achievement Award for Special Purpose Programs. Her international newsletter has supported corporations and the military in over 140 countries for more than18 years. Beverly served from 2002-2004 as founding chairperson for Families in Global Transition Inc. (FIGT) an organization that focuses on the most critical issues associated with international cultural transitions. Contact her at broman@branchor.com 904.641.1140 or visit www.branchor.com.All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical including but not limited to photocopying recording or any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from Kevin Evans and The Austin Relocation Guide.
