normal means of travel...

[Whenurhappy]

I am led to believe that the rules of travelling to/from a European post have now changed. Whereas it was accepted that Dad drove to, say, Naples, did the March In and received the UB etc. then the family flew out commercially at the public expense. Repatriation was in reverse order.

Now it is expected that returning from post you must drive, with ferry bookings made by BFG. this latter factor - the Army - has led to some bizarre arrangements, such as a family heading to a Scottish unit being directed to take a le Harve-Portsmouth crossing rather than a more sensible crossing to, say, Leith or Newcastle. Other families are directed to take the Trooper flights from Hanover to Luton or B'ham - even though they are a day's drive from Hanover.

In my case, in spite of the travel request being in over a month - and I move in two weeks - nothing heard from ESG apart from 'no'! Yesterday - and they couldn't quote the relevant JSP ('cos the system's down'). It does little to encourage overseas tours, which have long lost their gilt (should that be guilt?).

Now facing a long, long drive over Europe in a small car with the kids, cat and dog - and a very @!ssed off, long-suffering wife!

[muttywhitedog]

Why dont you use the "passenger allowance" of the MMA to purchase cheap ryanair tickets back to the UK for your family?

[sisemen]

Just be bloody grateful that you got an overseas tour where nobody was shooting at you.

[sisemen]

@!ssed off, long-suffering wife!

and tell 'er that if she couldn't take a joke etc etc etc.

PS I know some very good divorce lawyers.

[Whenurhappy]

You don't get mileage allowance within Germany as far as I know...so Ryanair is an expensive option this time of year!

[Biggus]

Ryanair is never expensive if you don't have any luggage.....

You're a senior officer - use your initiative:

Buy a (large) top of the range duty free car, get the wife to drive it and the kids back to UK (while you drive the small car) then sell it at a profit.

Invite the in-laws out and get the wife and kids to travel back with them.

Ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle - one way from £36pp

Google (http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy-ab&q=cheapest+way+to+travel+from+germany+to+uk&oq=cheap+travel+from+Germany+to+UK&gs_l=hp.1.3.0i22i30l4.1228.11515.0.16301.31.23.0.6.6.0.1559. 6267.1j10j2j1j6-3j0j1.18.0....0...1c.1.22.psy-ab..7.24.6220.pYCnIgiV214&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49784469%2Cd.d2k%2Cpv.xjs.s.en_US.MpiVkF51mpA.O&fp=79a2a23189da394e&biw=1517&bih=741)

At the end of the day your employer pays for you, your family and your possessions, to move between jobs, a luxury not available to many in the civil world. If you don't like the means of travel your employer will fund, then find alternative arrangements out of your own pocket.

[Whenurhappy]

I suppose I sound a bit precious and ordinarily I'd agree with you Biggus, but the rules have been changed during the tour and there's no opt-out clause, thus in practise, you go as booked by BFG or ESG (which is grossly inefficient), or pay for the full move ourselves. Added to that, baggage allowances have changed with the move to Agility (we were given a greater allowance because of an INVOLSEP tour beforehand) and a special case has to be made to JPAC Casework cell to bring back the same amount. Six weeks on, I've heard nothing. I would stress that I'm not the only one affected; potentially there are hundreds of families in the same situation who end up heavily subsidising moves that are directed by HM Forces (and expect this to ramp up as the Army withdrawal gathers team next year).

A former RAF colleague has moved to Berlin and the relocation package has been awesome - the company used a specialist firm who did everything for him. I appreciate that is not necessarily the norm, but at middle-to-senior management positions, most multinational companies still look after their people pretty well.

[Haraka]

Many years ago ( 40 actually) .......
Certain Junior officers in RAF Int. ( before it was called that), swung 1st class travel, by successfully claiming that it was a security risk for them to share accommodation, " Because they might talk in their sleep".
Non so gullible......

[Onceapilot]

Dont know Whenurhappyies circumstances, could have been a flying exchange post, sometimes in harms way? However, this sort of poor admin treatment is part of the whole sorry saga of the last 20+ years, IMO. What happened to all the promises of improvements that have never happened? Good job most of us have left;).

OAP

[Pontius Navigator]

WUH, I rove back from Cyprus. Two ferries and 4000 miles. There was space available on the trooper and I might have been able to indulge my car home.

For a bachelor it was no contest - I drove. Saved a lot of hassle with packing kit too as most of it went in the car.

I know this isn't an option for you, just that even 40 years ago you had a choice, their way or no way and DIY.

[Whenurhappy]

Onceapilot,

Sadly not an exchange flying tour, but a 'rest' tour working with the Germans; suffice to say I've put myself in harm's way, but not on this tour.

My goat is that the rules have changed mid-tour and we are now expected to effectively pay for our repatriation out of our own pockets (apart from the 'helpful' Ferry crossings), made further complicated by bonkers 'movements' that are now booked for us via BFG, even if we are absolutely nothing to do with that CoC. The number of times I have been directed to 'see your QM, Sir...' to resolve almost any issue, when I then have to point out my closest Service unit is over 5 hours away...

Luckily the Bundeswehr remains helpful and will frequently put on MT and flights for me to conduct UK business.

But you are right. We are expected to do more and more of our own admin - JPA led the way, and then with the removal of junior TG 17 staff and civilians (CS and LNs) means that there is generally no-one at the end of a telphone line, and no 'mission command' - everything is becoming more and more centralised (eg 2* approval for air travel). Of course having access to JPA would be nice ...but that's another story!