1. If your moving abroad it is possible to do it yourself and I have met many who have. However it is quite complicated and customs can be very tricky. Therefore I would recommend getting the movers in. If your going to do it alone though do get in touch and I can give you some tips on what to watch for.
2. Set a budget and shop around. The company J works for gave us a relocation allowance, however we didn't get our hands on that money until J was in the U.S. That meant we had to get a loan of some money and stick to our budget. A quick Internet search will give you lots of companies that can help move your belongings. I would recommend getting some personal recommendations as the last ting you want when you arrive in your new country is to find all your stuff smashed. Many families Ive spoke to brought nothing other than what they could carry in suitcases, only shipping max two large boxes. This means you can save some of the relocation fee and make further savings if you decide to sell what your not bringing. We did think about this but with the trio and my tendency towards homesickness having as many home comforts as possible might help.
3. Have a look at what you own carefully and make a list on good ole pen and paper of exactly what you want to bring. When we first rang some moving companies for quotes they would ask what size container we would need. We had no idea. As we were leaving our home furnished were advised a twenty foot container would be plenty for a family of five. A friend of mine however had a forty foot container as she was bringing beds and sofas. Ive even met people who brought over their cars which needs their own container
4. Give yourself lots of time. I work really well when I leave things to the last minute but this is one time when you really don't want to do that. Pinterest was my best friend here are some of my Pins that I save that helped me a lot. The timetable is fab and really helped. Now I know if your hiring movers isn't that what they do and yeah they will pack everything but I found by packing up each area I decluttered as I went. This meant I more than halved what was packed had I just let the movers in I'm sure 15 tubs of dried Playdoh, 22 broken car toys and countless used colouring books would have made the trip. Also find out how long it will take to move everything to your new home. For us it was two months!!! We scheduled mine and the kids arrival around this as I thought it would be easier to stay home and arrive a few days before our shipment, rather than arrive in a foreign place and wait months for our favourite "stuff"
5. Consider storage, be it a professional storage company or your Granny's attic. We left behind some baby clothes and a pram that was used for the trio and some other sentimemtal items that weren't going to be used but I couldn't day goodbye to.
6. Know whats involved with customs. As I've mentioned previously I had started packing before the movers arrived that miserable day in December. I thought I was the most helpful woman in the world and I would be the movers favourite customer, what with my boxes labelled by rooms and endless tea with the "nice" biscuits. Yeah well turn out customs requires a detailed list of every single thing in each box.......like right down to 6 teaspoons and a chipped Bosco mug. This I where our movers were worth their weight in gold. They had brought their own moving supplies so didn't require my empty Tayto boxes and as they wrapped every Paw Patrol mug they but it on their inventory list for customs. They removed all batteries explaining that the extreme cold may cause damage so best to take them out.
7. Relax on the day as much is possible. Hopefully you will have done the preparation work and have organised it so its clear whats to go on the container and whats to stay behind. We were both nervous and excited and it made our big move seem imminent. I may or may not have shed tears xx
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