Moving Overseas

Our travel from Nashville, TN through Detroit, MI and on to Incheon International Airport in South Korea

We were told to arrive at 4:30 am so the dogs could be checked in. Originally, the airlines planned for the puppies to take an earlier flight to make transitioning easier for them in Detroit. So we left my parents' house around 1:30 am. After 3 hours of driving, we were pretty tired before we even started, but we were all in good spirits! I had accomplished packing everything I wanted!!

We double checked all the bags' weight using a bathroom scale the night before. My husband weighed himself and then picked up each bag. We marked each bag's weight so we would know which bags we could put heavier stuff in if we needed to shuffle stuff.

The scale at the airport became our best friend to ensure our bags didn't weigh more than 70 pounds each. The Army authorized us to bring 4 bags weighing up to 70 pounds for each of us, so we had 8 bags with us! That is a lot of stuff! But somehow having more stuff makes me feel more prepared ;) 

I do not recommend using this mentality, but I definitely am glad I packed things like laundry power packs and dryer sheets, since we were able to do laundry at the hotel. Small things add up if you have to pay the convenience prices.

Note: Make sure you spread out items between suitcases, so if any of them take a detour or get lost in transit, you will still have all the necessities. 

Then we checked in the dogs and were told that it might not be warm enough in Detroit, MI for them to fly our dogs with us that day. For more information about traveling with our dogs, see the post labeled "Traveling with Furbabies"

 So we waited...

And waited...

Thankfully, we were able to keep checking on them and reassuring them throughout the wait.

And came up with a backup plan - parents would take dogs home, I would fly back in a month or two to visit and fly the dogs with me to Korea then.

 (Since it costs about $800 per dog to fly them by themselves, it made more sense for me to get an extra visit back to the States if the dogs couldn't fly right then.

It took them a long time to decide it would be warm enough to take the dogs, but finally they did and we were able to check our bags! Delta did everything they could to make it possible for us to take our dogs. We just pestered a little ;)

Note: We asked friends and neighbors for old suitcases they could get rid of by posting on facebook our need for them.  We needed 8 suitcases, which is a lot to purchase when we won't need them again for 2 years! Our friends and family came through, so we only had to purchase 1 cheap suitcase (course, that suitcase arrived without one wheel, so you get what you pay for). Also, we tied a matching piece of ribbon on each bag so we'd remember which bags were ours and attached laminated cards with our end-address and our sponsor's phone number to help our bags arrive in the right place! Worked great! All our bags arrived together!

And definitely use bags with wheels! Makes life so much easier!

So we moved on to the Starbucks coffee lounge and enjoyed chatting and relaxing until it was about an hour and a half from our flight time.

My husband was definitely enjoying himself...can't you tell?

Finally it was close enough to our flight time for us to go ahead through security. We waved goodbye to my parents and went on through. I traveled in boat shoes (like Sperrys) so I could slip my shoes off for security and still wear socks! It was cold! Also, the amount of fluids you can take has increased so check how much the airports say soon before you fly. Last thing, make sure your laptop is accessible as it will have to be taken out of your bag to be sent through security. Tablets and eReaders do not have to be taken out. 

So we got through security and found our gate with plenty of time to spare, so we had a bite to eat before our flight from Nashville to Detroit. Delta gave me a slip of paper saying both dogs were on board! I didn't expect that, but I was really relieved to know they were definitely on board!

The flight was less than two hours long with drinks and pretzels or peanuts. Pretty standard...no complaints!

We barely had time to run through the Detroit Airport and make it to our next flight. We ended up having time to spare. I definitely worried about whether the dogs would make it onto our flight! 

We also taped our information - where we were headed - on each of the dog's crates.

I would definitely suggest packing as lightly as possible to make it easier to move between flights and be able to put your things under the seat. Our international flight was maxed out on cabin storage, so many people with bigger bags/backpacks had to check their bags at the ramp. And then they had to wait for them when they disembarked before going to baggage claim.

They had so little time between flights that they had to de-ice the plain with all the passengers already on-board.  

Flying out of Detroit was cold, but sunny!

The curvature of the earth looks so amazing from up here!!

Here was our flight path!

We flew Delta, who now owns/manages Korean Air.

The meal was actually really good! Pasta, bread, salad, crackers and cheese, and cinnamon cookies.

And drinks were complementary and offered often throughout the flight - including alcoholic beverages! 

I definitely enjoyed some wine during the flight. 

Also, there were a ton of movies available to watch throughout the flight. I packed movies and my laptop in my carryon, thinking I would have to entertain myself throughout the flight, but I didn't even need them!

We would arrive in Korea around 7 pm so I knew I didn't want to sleep the whole flight and arrive unable to get to sleep that night.

Didn't need to worry about that, since it was very difficult for me to get to sleep even though the seats reclined some! I definitely should have brought that pillow I had that wraps around your neck -- yeah I took that out of my bag in favor of other things...sad. Oh well! Lesson learned!

Note: Personally, I enjoyed wearing soft, flexible pants (like workout pants) versus jeans on this long flight. I tried both during the flight. Get up and move around a lot too! This plane even had an upstairs! It was sooo cool to see that! There was more first class seating up there. I was so jealous...they have seats that lay all the way down and are angled so you have privacy and plenty of legroom.  Not sure I could ever actually spend that much on flights though ;)

Each seat had a tv screen that could be used to watch movies, listen to music, or even track our flight.

Finally, the flight indicator showed us coming into Incheon!! 13 hours and 30 minutes later!

Incheon International Airport

We had no idea where we were going, so we just followed the crowd and that turned out perfect!

A couple escalators, moving sidewalks and a train later, and we arrived at baggage claim. 

Customs was super easy! I had to show them my passport - they said I would have to change my visa status to be able to stay in the country past 90 days. Apparently, I need to get a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) stamp and everything will be fine! Husband had to show military paperwork.

I will warn you - each cart at this airport can only hold about 3 suitcases and is difficult to push with one hand - there is a lever you must hold down for the cart to move. Carts are free to use though! 

You can imagine how we looked trying to get around with 8 suitcases, 2 dog crates, 2 backpacks and my purse! I'm sure we were amusing to watch!  A lot of people enjoyed meeting our puppies. 

After picking up the puppies, we only had to turn in a sheet of paper for declarations and head to the Army desk near the exit. They arranged for a bus to take us to Yongsan and the Dragon Hill Lodge.

Overall, it was a test from start to finish, but husband and I stayed in good humor and relied on God's strength to weather the storms! 

Traveling Overseas with FurBabies

OCONUS with Pets

Well, the easiest thing to do is...not bring your pets to Korea

But if you're like me, this is unimaginable! Our puppies are part of our family and we couldn't imagine not having them with us for 2 years! My husband's first question about volunteering for Korea...can I take my wife? Question number 2...can I take my dogs?

At least his priorities are in order ;)

First - pets coming to Korea need to have extra tests and vaccinations done before they can enter the country. These include a rabies check called FAVN. It is a little pricey, but will verify that your pet does not have rabies. Korea is a rabies-free country, so they are very careful not to let any pets in without the proper documentation. Always check with your closest military veterinarian to ensure you have all the correct documentation. Get started on this as soon as you find out you're going as the tests take a little while to get the results back! Oh and I suggest getting your dogs the Bordetella shot because they will most likely be kenneled at some point in transition and this protects them from kennel cough.

Pets are required to have a health check done and receive a health certificate from your vet within 10 days of flying into Korea - and remember Korea is actually a day ahead of the States so don't cut this too close!

We did everything as early as possible: got their checks done, got all their shots done, and set their health check appointments...then the Army threw me a curve ball. They scheduled training for the veterinarian staff the week before we flew out (Tuesday-Thursday), Friday was a DONSA (closed), Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (closed) and we flew out Tuesday. So I literally had one day available. I get there and I needed to have a copy of our military orders to get the health certificate processed. Ahhh!! 

The Army's policy is that they will reschedule your appointment if you are more than 10 minutes late. Well, I was there a little early, but not early enough to drive all the way home and back before that 10-minutes-late mark. You might think...well your husband could just run it up there...but no, the packers were do to show up any minute to pack up our unaccompanied baggage.

Oh and did I mention, his car had a flat tire!

Thankfully, we had an amazing neighbor Jen, who brought the orders up to the clinic for me.

Ok, crisis averted.

Delta airlines has told us the dogs must be checked in at the airport in Nashville at 4:30 am (central time). We were coming from the Lexington area in Kentucky where we stayed with my family over the weekend, so 3 hour drive....yeah it was an early morning.

Everyone warns you about heat restrictions on flying dogs in the summer months, but no one warns you about restrictions on cold weather. It must be at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit at each stop in the route for the dogs to be able to fly.  Our flight route went from Nashville, TN to Detroit, MI and then on to Incheon International Airport in South Korea. Well, Detroit's temperatures were hovering around 6-8 degrees. It was supposed to get warm enough by the time we arrive, but according to airline policy, the temperature must already be at least 10 degrees before they will check them in and fly them from the first location.

All this to say, I am freaking out at the airport at 7am, thinking they are not going to fly my puppies today. And this is a big deal, because it would cost around $1600 to fly our two dogs unaccompanied. That is some serious coin. 

We spent a lot of time waiting to find out what the airlines would decide.

 The dogs were very uneasy about the whole thing. Gizmo started barking and grumbling at anyone who got too close. He caught several people by surprise being up higher...he would remain super quiet until they got right next to his kennel.  He especially didn't like anyone messing with Ellie's kennel. They did not like being in separate kennels. They have stayed in the same kennel with very few exceptions since they were puppies.

Praise the Lord! The temperature rose enough at the last minute and they took the dogs.
My parent's planned to take the dogs back home with them if the temperatures didn't rise. Then I could fly round trip and bring the dogs in a month or so since the price of a ticket was about the cost of them flying separate. 

We clearly labeled everything on the dogs' crates, but apparently they misunderstood. The dogs arrived at Incheon International Airport and had not received any food for about 24 hours. They had received plenty of water, so they seemed tolerably well.

Thankfully, there is no quarantine time! So we fed the dogs a light meal - didn't want to give them too much since they'd barely had anything. We walked them and waited for our bus to USAG Yongsan (the Army post located in the midst of Seoul, Korea).

Neither dog messed in their kennel, so we were saved a lot of headache cleaning their kennels. We kept the 2 free blankets and picked up 2 extras from our flight to use in case their bedding needed changing. Thankfully, the extra blankets were not needed.

So, the bus arrives, we have to load out stuff.
And then the driver tells us the dogs have to ride under the bus.
It is a greyhound-like bus with closed storage underneath that is not climate controlled of course.
I was not happy about it, but what was I supposed to do?
We were required to ride this bus to post and it was already 9pm, so we really didn't have time to be picky.

One hour later we arrive at Dragon Hill Lodge and are taken down to the basement where our dogs will be kept until they can be moved to the kennel on post.

This is the security room in the basement where employees sign in for work each day...lots of traffic. Through those doors is where the puppies were held.

This is a loading bay that is sometime open and sometimes closed. We had to cover the crates with blankets to keep the dogs warm. Not an ideal situation. But it sufficed until we figured out whether we'd be staying at Yongsan or heading on to Camp Humphreys after a night or two. 

Here's the little doorway (that is always open) that leads to the door where the dogs are kept. We went in and out freely to take the dogs out for a walk and to feed them. Of course the hotel claimed no liability if something happened to the dogs while staying there. That made me super nervous. I prayed and realized that God is way bigger than anything that might happen to my dogs and He already knows what's going to happen.
I really gotta work on not worrying so much...

Anyway, the security staff was nice enough to share their water with us for the dogs and overall the situation worked out fine. The dogs started to get a little anxious after about 36 hours staying here. Thankfully, we found out how long we were staying at Yongsan and were able to move them to the kennel on post - which was a decent walk from the Dragon Hill Lodge, but the day was very pleasant.

I just hope they forgive us for all this trauma once we get settled!