Moving to Guam is easier when essential information is organized before you need it. A local resource list gives you one dependable place for contacts, addresses, hours, costs, and backup options as you settle in.
Start with the situations you need to solve
Do not begin by collecting every business you can find online. Start with the situations that are most likely to create stress during your first days and weeks. Your list should answer questions such as:
- Where can I go if I need urgent medical care?
- How do I report a power, water, or internet problem?
- Where can I buy groceries, household basics, and medications?
- Which offices handle licensing, registration, benefits, or school enrollment?
- Who can help if my shipment, rental, vehicle, or housing arrangement goes wrong?
- How will I travel if my car is delayed or unavailable?
- Which local organizations can help me meet people or find trustworthy referrals?
Create broad categories before adding individual entries. Useful categories include housing, utilities, healthcare, transportation, government services, schools and childcare, groceries, household shopping, banking, communications, emergencies, weather, employment, pets, recreation, and community support.
If you are moving for military service, add military-specific categories such as your sponsor’s unit, installation services, transportation office, housing office, medical clinic, commissary or exchange information, and family support resources. If you are moving for work, include your employer’s local human resources contact and any relocation provider.
Choose a format you will actually use
The best resource list is not necessarily the most sophisticated one. Choose a format that works when you are tired, offline, or standing in a parking lot.
A spreadsheet is useful for sorting by category, neighborhood, distance, or status. A notes app is faster for a short personal list. A shared document works well for households because everyone can update it. You can also keep a small offline note or printed emergency page as a backup.
A practical spreadsheet might include these columns:
| Category | Resource | Contact or website | Area | Hours | Verified | Backup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | Primary care option | Phone and official site | Central Guam | Confirm | Date checked | Urgent-care option | New-patient rules |
| Utilities | Electricity provider | Official outage page | Island-wide | 24/7 reporting? | Date checked | Landlord | Account requirements |
| Transportation | Rental or taxi option | Phone/app/site | Airport or local area | Confirm | Date checked | Rideshare or bus | Pricing varies |
| Groceries | Supermarket | Address and phone | Near home | Confirm | Date checked | Second store | Delivery available? |
Use full names rather than vague labels. “Water company” is less useful than the provider’s name, customer-service number, outage page, account requirements, and the question you need to ask.
Save important phone numbers in your phone, but do not rely on contacts alone. Phones can be lost, batteries can run down, and reception may be unreliable during severe weather. Keep an offline copy of your most important entries.
Build the list before you leave
Start with official sources and organizations that have a reason to maintain accurate information. Depending on your situation, check Guam government departments, utility providers, local hospitals and clinics, school or university websites, your employer, military installation resources, property managers, and transportation providers.
For each resource, record more than a link. Write down:
- The organization’s exact name
- Main phone number and any emergency or after-hours number
- Official website or online portal
- Physical address, if relevant
- Regular hours and holiday limitations
- Whether appointments are required
- Documents, identification, deposits, or account numbers needed
- Whether service is available island-wide or only in certain areas
- A backup option
- The date you last verified the information
Search results and social media posts are useful leads, but they should not be your only confirmation. Business hours, phone numbers, ownership, and service availability can change. If an entry is important, verify it through the organization’s official website, a recent direct call, or a current notice from a government or institutional source.
Be careful with addresses. Guam has villages and districts that may be described differently by businesses, map services, and delivery systems. Copy the complete street address, village, landmark, and any delivery instructions. Ask your landlord or sponsor how local residents usually describe the location.
Prioritize the first 72 hours
Create a short “arrival page” separate from your full directory. It should contain only the information you may need immediately after landing or receiving your keys.
Include:
- Emergency services and local emergency guidance
- Your lodging or rental address
- Landlord, property manager, sponsor, employer, or relocation contact
- Airport, installation, workplace, or pickup instructions
- Temporary transportation options
- A nearby grocery or convenience option
- A pharmacy and medical-care option
- Utility account information and outage reporting instructions
- Your insurance and roadside-assistance contacts
- Important family, school, and pet contacts
If your permanent housing is not ready, add the address and phone number of your temporary lodging. Keep confirmation numbers, check-in instructions, and cancellation policies in the same place.
Ask before arrival whether your rental has power, water, internet, furnishings, appliances, and working air conditioning. If utilities must be placed in your name, record exactly which accounts must be opened and whether the landlord has already transferred or disconnected service.
Do not assume that a mainland service operates on Guam in the same way. Confirm delivery areas, installation times, return policies, warranty coverage, and customer-support hours before paying deposits or scheduling appointments.
Organize healthcare and medications carefully
Healthcare information deserves its own section because an attractive online listing does not guarantee that a provider is accepting new patients or that your insurance is accepted.
For each clinic, hospital, pharmacy, dentist, or behavioral-health provider, record:
- Services offered
- New-patient status, if available
- Appointment process
- Insurance or payment information
- Address and parking instructions
- After-hours instructions
- Whether referrals or prior records are required
- Typical wait-time information provided directly by the office
Before moving, ask your current medical providers for enough medication to cover the transition according to their prescribing rules. Request copies of prescriptions, vaccination records, medical summaries, and specialist contact information. Keep these documents accessible rather than packed in shipped household goods.
For medications, identify at least one pharmacy near your temporary lodging and one near your permanent home. Confirm whether the pharmacy can transfer prescriptions, stock your medication, and process your insurance. If a medication is difficult to replace, ask your prescriber and insurer about travel and refill requirements before departure.
Use emergency services for emergencies. For non-emergency questions, use the appropriate clinic, nurse line, insurer, or local health department resource when available. Your resource list should explain which option is appropriate for urgent, routine, and administrative needs.
Add housing, utilities, and maintenance resources
Housing problems are easier to manage when responsibility is clear. Put your landlord, property manager, maintenance contact, leasing office, and emergency repair number at the top of your housing section.
Record:
- Lease or property-management portal
- Rent and deposit payment instructions
- Maintenance-request procedure
- After-hours repair policy
- Pest-control contact
- Air-conditioning service contact
- Plumbing and electrical contacts approved by the landlord
- Insurance information
- Move-in inspection requirements
- Trash, recycling, and bulky-item instructions
Ask which repairs require landlord approval and which expenses you may be responsible for. Keep written records of requests, photos of move-in conditions, and dates of conversations.
Guam weather can affect travel, utilities, deliveries, and repairs. Add official weather and emergency-management information, along with your utility outage pages. During severe weather, use official alerts for instructions and avoid relying on an unverified screenshot or neighborhood rumor.
Create backup plans for essential services. If your internet service is down, know where you can access a reliable connection. If your vehicle is unavailable, know your transportation alternatives. If a store is out of stock, keep a second option listed.
Plan transportation and everyday errands
Many newcomers benefit from mapping resources by area rather than keeping one long alphabetical list. Group entries near your home, workplace, school, installation, and regular routes.
Your transportation section can include:
- Vehicle registration and driver’s-license information
- Insurance agent or insurer claims number
- Roadside assistance
- Auto-repair shops
- Tire and battery services
- Vehicle inspection or emissions information, if applicable
- Rental-car companies
- Taxi, shuttle, or other local transportation options
- Bus routes and schedules, where useful
- Airport transportation
- Fuel stations along regular routes
Confirm hours before visiting government offices. Some services may require appointments, specific forms, proof of address, identification, or payment methods. Write down what to bring so you do not make repeated trips.
For shopping, list one option for immediate basics and additional options for price comparison or specialty items. Include supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores, home-goods shops, postal or shipping services, and places that sell moving supplies.
Ask locals about delivery fees, special-order timelines, and return procedures. Island logistics can affect availability and shipping time, so check the actual delivery terms for your address rather than relying on a mainland estimate.
Include schools, childcare, pets, and community support
If you have children, gather school enrollment requirements before arrival. Record district or school contacts, enrollment deadlines, proof-of-address rules, immunization records, transcripts, transportation information, childcare waitlists, and after-school options.
For pets, list a veterinarian, emergency veterinary option, grooming or boarding provider, pet-supply store, and local licensing or registration information. Keep vaccination and microchip records with your travel documents. Confirm airline, housing, and destination requirements before departure.
Community resources can solve problems that official directories cannot. Useful contacts may include neighborhood groups, newcomer organizations, libraries, cultural organizations, faith communities, recreation programs, parent groups, professional associations, and local social-service organizations.
Treat informal recommendations as starting points. Ask how recently someone used the service, whether the recommendation applies to your village, and whether there are fees or eligibility requirements. Keep separate notes for personal recommendations and independently verified contacts.
Verify, test, and maintain the list
A resource list becomes unreliable when it is never updated. Add a verification date to every important entry. Review the list before moving, after your first week, and whenever you change housing, employment, insurance, school, or transportation.
Use a simple status system:
- Verified: confirmed through a current official source or direct contact
- Needs confirmation: useful lead but not recently checked
- Backup: alternative kept for emergencies or limited availability
- Retired: no longer operating, no longer relevant, or replaced
When you call, ask focused questions: “Are you accepting new customers?” “Do you serve my address?” “What documents do I need?” “Do I need an appointment?” “What happens after hours?” “Is there a fee or deposit?” Write the answer and the date.
Test the practical parts of the system. Open saved map links, confirm that phone numbers dial correctly, download important documents for offline access, and make sure household members know where the list is stored. Do not claim a service is available merely because it appears in a directory; mark it as unconfirmed until you check.
Limitations are normal. Some providers may not publish current hours, some services may have waitlists, and some recommendations may depend on insurance, village, season, weather, or staffing. A well-built list does not eliminate these uncertainties. It makes them visible and gives you a second option when the first one fails.
Finally, share the finished list with the people who may need it. Give family members the arrival page, save a copy with your important documents, and update it whenever a contact changes. The goal is a small, current toolkit for real decisions—not a huge directory that becomes impossible to maintain.