Hi Everyone! My husband has orders to go to Wiesbaden Germany, this is going to be our first move! So I was wondering if you guys could give me some good advice on moving to a whole other country? We're gonna be there in Sept! 

I can't give you any advise because my husband just got orders to Wiesbaden as well. We will be there this summer however. I am excited!

Oh well well be there in Sept!

My husband and I are stationed there. He is actually deployed right now. The whose base is really. Wiesbaden is the home of the 1AD Division. You will be 20 minutes from Frankfurt, 6 hours from Paris, 4 hours from Munich and 1 1/2 from the KTown area (A big Army base and Air Force base put together but will explain later). I moved home to be close to my family for this deployment because it's our first deployment. They won't get back until December. What does your husband do? My best advice to you is DO NOT SIT AROUND THE HOUSE! I don't now if you have kids but I sat around the house and didn't go on walk and explore really because I was by myself a lot and that really sets in the depression. I have a couple of friends over there who would be more than happy to help you out. When we went we didn't get any help from our sponsor so be prepared. Start learning your German now. You and your husband need to know the basics in order to make it a smooth transaction. Honestly it is true that if you attempt to speak their language they will speak English. They all speak English but if you don't try to them they won't try for you.

As far as the base goes, Wiesbaden is split up into different areas. Hainenberg Houseing, The Commissary, and PX are in the same "base", the "airfield" is where your hubby will work (assuming he is Army). That is a 10 minute drive from Hainenberg. Mainz Kastel is another 10 mins from the airfield and that is where most of the Air Force work. There is housing over there but more than likely you will be housed in Hainenberg, Aukaman, or Crest View. The 3 housing areas are all seperated. There is a community shuttle that the Army provides to get you where you need to go. It goes everywhere. I highly suggest just jumping on the shuttle and going for a ride. That's how I learned my way around. When you first get there you might be put up in the new army lodging which is on Hainenberg House Area across from the ACS. They are also putting in a new bowling alley. I left in the begining of December 2009 and they were almost done with it. If you do get the American Arms (which is where we were) be forwarned.... they suck. Well we didn't really care for them. There is a resturant called Little Italy and it's in the American Arms. They are all true blooded Italians and their food (though a little priece) is AMAZING!!!! Their pizza is to die for! If you need more information about food let me know. I could go on and on about it.

When you get there in September the weather will be cool but please come prepared for a COLD winter. I lucked out and missed the COLD winter. The summers don't start getting "hot" until July. August is the best month. There is no AC over there (you get use to it) because the weather is nice. The highest it will get is the upper 80s. There is a swimming pool in Mainz Kastel area (it's a German pool aka "on the economy") that is absolutely amazing! My oldest daughter and I spent a lot of days there. The kid area is fantastic and so is the adult area. The best part about it you could spend the day there for under 10 Euros! Most pools charge by how long you stay and that gets expensive! This one is one flat fee but get there early because on nice days it is packed. The summer time is also when they have all their festivals. Those you have to make because they are just amazing! The Germans will make any reason to drink. Speaking of drinking their alcohol is a lot stronger than ours so you may be able to put a 6 pack back here or a bottle of wine but over there it only takes one or two drinks and you are done. They also don't drink to get drunk they drink and socialize. Check out Wiesbaden's "Things to do" on their Army website to find out about the things to do in your area. They will keep you updated on what's going on in the community as well as in the German area around you.

Ok we didn't come prepared for Germany which made everything a lot harder. Get rid of whatever debt you can. That second car you thought you would leave with mom and still make the payments on it... well that's going to hurt. You will be taking a pay cut!!! Take the smaller car you have because the roads aren't as big as ours and parking is small! Don't rush to get a cell phone over there until you need it. Most people don't have cell phones because there are no plans like there are over here. Every minute you talk you get charged! Your groccery bill is going to increase too. The PX and Commisary aren't cheap either. We could easily spend $250 a paycheck just for food! COLA does not pay enough to cover the cost of living over there. Another wonderful tip is to learn how the train transportation works. It's a life savor and it is in walking distance of Hainenberg. It's all down hill ther and up hill back!  Be prepared to do a lot of walking. Germans are not lazy!

The more you get out the more you will learn about what is around you. We found some of the most amazing places but just getting lost. So get out and explore! The more you prepare yourself the better off you are going to be. If I am back in Germany in September I would be more than happy to show you the roots. We don't know if we are going to be staying there after deployment because the 1AD is suppose to move in March to FT Hood but don't worry, you probably won't go because they wouldn't move you there just to move you back! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. I also have lots of pictures of the area so if you want to see where you are going let me know. My email is Sheffeyswife1220@hotmail.com, I'm on facebook under Kim Sheffey, and also on Skype as KSheffey, Jacksonville FL. I hope this was helpful. I still have more info to give but that would require me to write a novel!  Best of Luck! 

Correction, the 1AD is moving to FT Bliss, TX. Also the Wiesbaden website is www.wiesbaden.army.mil and it's pronounced like V'sbaden. Remember their w's are pronounced like v's. It's fun to listen to them try to pronounce w's. I forgot to mention this as well. There is a little restaurant called the Anchor and it's in the small town right behind Hainenberg called Beirstat (which when translated really means Beer Town). They have the best food there! It's a mom and pop German place. It's out of this world amazing!

 I also live here in Wiesbaden.I am still here.Have been here for almost 2 1/2 years.We live in the crest view houseing area.There is so much to do around here.Like the other lady said..DON'T SIT IN THE HOUSE!!  Lol.Do you have kids? Great german restuarant in Mainz-Kastel is the Brauhaus.So good! Beer takes some getting used to though.If you need anything as well let me know.My name is Ashli. E-mail  urtylilwifey@aol.com">Purtylilwifey@aol.com and Skype is ashli.poole...  Facebook is as well ashli.poole

Could anyone help me with tips on Ramstein since I just stumbled into this and saw how helpful ya'll are? We're PCSing in a few weeks and other than the language and knowing we'll be living on economy without our car ... any help would be a amazing!

what kinda things do you want to know about ramstein?

The good .. the bad .. the ugly? lol. Things like what are the best recommended economy houses. What do people think of working for AAFES or at the BX over there? How does the cell phone system work? Is it hard to get the drivers license? What kind of stuff do they lend you if you get into a house 45 days before your stuff arrives? Does it really take a full 6o days for your HHG to get there?

Posted By Gin Hill on 28 Apr 2010 06:19 AM
The good .. the bad .. the ugly? lol. Things like what are the best recommended economy houses. What do people think of working for AAFES or at the BX over there? How does the cell phone system work? Is it hard to get the drivers license? What kind of stuff do they lend you if you get into a house 45 days before your stuff arrives? Does it really take a full 6o days for your HHG to get there?

aafes treat people like ass for the most part, and services pay more so I would go for them or find a vendor position in the KMCC that way your working there you have better pya beter hours and you don't work for aafes just along side them.

and the HHG when did you ship is the big question, if you shipped last min then you will not get them for a while generally a good rule of thumb for a PCS is min of 4 weeks prior to leaving ship your HHG.

I don't know about the driver's test i didnt have to take it to get my USAFE liscne however you label it but there is a high fail rate but just study you should be fine.

I personally wouldnt stay in an apartment or the main populated american areas, that just because I prefer to experience a culture and there is less break ins into cars with less americna vehicles on show, but then if you live in a place with a good amount of americans you have a support system for emergencies.


FMO can give you most stuff to live on for a while, not sure how long they loan out for but its all flintstone crappy furtinure but it does the job.

Hello everyone, we will be there in June. This will be our 2nd tour to Wiesbaden. Does anybody know about the revised housing policy? Our cars and HHG's are already there so now we are playing the waiting game. Can't wait to get there!

 We just PCS'd from Wiesbaden last summer after being there for 3.5 years and were very sad to leave.  I think the COLA covers most of your extra living expenses and I did not find the commissary overpriced.  I was also shopping for 2 in my family with food allergies and that raises a grocery bill.  Mine was never as high as $250 for a family of 5!  I mostly shopped for my produce and eggs at the farmer's market downtown because it was reasonably priced and so fresh!  There are some great natural foods stores like Denn's Biomarkt and Alnatura down near the Appelallee Real(like Walmart) store if you are looking for organic items.  I definitely agree that you need to get out and see stuff.  I stayed in Wiesbaden with 3 kids during my husband's 15 month deployment with 1AD and did just fine without my husband there.   You become a family with your fellow military spouses.  PWOC and FRGs are also great places for support.  I would try to go to more than just the usual American hangouts like the Brauhaus in Mainz-Kastel.  If you are into wine, an amazing winery in the Rheinhessen region is Weingut Bungert-Mauer.  It is close to Bingen.  They are so friendly, the wife speaks English and they take VAT forms.  If you call ahead, you can go in for a free wine tasting and then purchase whatever you like and the prices are amazing!   Many wineries have free wine tastings.  While my husband was deployed, I went with some friends and we had a blast!  Also, I do not agree with the comment about high alcohol content.  If you read the labels, it is actually lower than American wine and beer.  That's how they can drink all the time!  The higher alcohol content wines are the very dry ones.  My favorite wines were the semi-sweet red and white and were only about 8-9% alcohol.  
I hope you enjoy your time there as much as we did!  We would love to go back!

One last thing...get a cell phone as soon as you can. EVERYONE in Germany has cell phones. You do not get charged for incoming calls as you do in the US so it's actually more affordable. If you know you will be stationed in Germany for at least 2 years you can get a contract, it's cheaper, but you are locked in. I paid 15 Euro for a prepaid phone with 10 Euro worth of minutes included as soon as I got to Germany and used that most of the time we were there. Because they only charge you for calls you make you can get calls even when you have no minutes on your phone! If you have a pre-paid sim-card you can use any phone that you can put it in. The last year we were there I bought an unlocked blackberry online and put my pre-paid sim-card into it and it worked fine.
Good luck on your European adventure!!!

Do those no charge in coming calls include from the US ? Also can you please tell me about the housing in Wiesbaden (on & off post) do they  have garages, are there many houses to rent or just apartments, do they have washer & dryers, etc. Any info. would be helpful. Excited to go there, just don't know what to expect. Thank you...

 Yes, it's all incoming calls.  My husband was in Germany for 7 months before we got his orders fixed to include our whole family and as soon as he got to Germany and was inprocessing he was advised to get a pre-paid cell phone.  I would call him on it everyday from Virginia.  He could access email and would let me know when he was available to talk and I would call him then.  

Our first 4 bedroom apartment on post in Hainerberg Housing was ok, but not great, but they have since torn those down (on Mississippi Str. where the new bowling alley is).  Out second 4 bedroom apartment was enormous (on Texas Str by the elementary school)!  Large laundry room in our apartment and lots of storage, both in the apartment and in the basement.   I have not seen housing with garages except very senior ranking housing.  Off-post you can find housing with garages, but your car will only fit if it's a subcompact.  They are tiny!!!  Parking is pretty limited off post depending on where you live so make sure you check into that before you sign a lease if you have a larger or multiple vehicles.  Hope that helps!

Missed a couple of points...
Washers and Dryers supplied by the Army for use while you are there. Do not bring your own. Put them in storage.
There aren't many single family houses. Any I have been inside were enormous and well outside of most military BAH rates. There are townhouses that have their own little yard. My friend lived in a really nice one in Eltville(about 15 miles outside of Wiesbaden). They had a basement, and then 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors. Some apartment complexes have parking garages under the complex.
Wiesbaden is a beautiful city with many American conveniences so I sure you will get used to things very quickly. There are several Starbucks downtown and they have built a new mall. I am sure even more development has happened since we left there a year ago. Their public transportation system is excellent. If you like fresh vegetables, you will love the Farmer's Market downtown. The exchange rate is much better now than when we were there.

Karen,
Thank you so much for the info. and the encouragement. You must have ESP because I am a Starbucks fan and I shop at the farmer's markets as much as possible. I know we will enjoy our tour in Germany. Is the storage you mentioned in Germany or do they store your things at your last duty station? We are currently in Virginia, are you? Would love to pick your brain some more if you don't mind, we could personal email ,Thanks

i am a local national from mainz, my husband was stationed in wiesbaden, but as the rest he is deployed right now so i took a nanny job in las vegas while he is gone. we just recently got married during rnr and now i am trying to figure out our finances for when he gets back since he is very anxious that he wont be able to support us. i am planning an taking a part time job in the economy until we PCS to k-town in a few months. we didnt get our orders yet though. my questions is, what kind of allowanced to you collect, when you live on post? do you get BHA or just BAS? or anything else that i am missing out on? i am really confused by all the acronyms.i dont have a house or apartment in NV since i am a live in nanny, so we dont get BHA for that, or i don tknow what they call it. also, what kind of expenses will we be facing? like food, phone bill etc?

thank you very much

Does anybody know how long it usually take to get housing in Wiesbaden? cuz we're not suppose to report to Wiesbaden till Oct 1, 2010 and we got orders today and they have me deferred since there saying housing is a 6 weeks wait.

we are in the same boat!