Moving house is a stressful time, there’s so much to manage, money, legal documentation and of course items for transport. It’s difficult enough to manage moving from county to county, imagine doing it from country to country. There are many more things to worry about when moving overseas; packing your stuff is part of that. Here are some tips to take some of the stress out of moving to another country.
Only take the essentials
The more belongings you have to take with you abroad the more it’s going to cost. Seems obvious, with the weight and space taken up by all of it but when moving stuff internationally the cost goes up more than transporting domestically. Therefore try to figure what exactly needs taking with you. Family heirlooms and important memories, those are probably things to take. Cheap plastic chopping boards and the deck chairs, probably not. In fact someone else might find a use for them, you could donate them to charity or sell them depending on what it is and how you feel.
Furniture is also important to consider. They’re the biggest and heaviest things in the house but maybe you really like your chair or don’t want to buy a new bed. Making sure that you can transport it over is one thing; the second part is making sure it can actually fit in the new house, both physically and visually. Have an idea of where you’d put it and what it would look like before deciding.
Legal Requirements
When travelling across the world you have to deal with international customs, as nearly every country has a difference in what they’ll allow and what they won’t. Say for example a varnished wooden chair, perfectly legal in the UK but the finish used might be illegal in another country. Doing your research beforehand can save you a lot of headaches later on.
Packing
Next comes the packing, the usual ideas for safety still apply, strong boxes, padding and good tape. However there are certain other things that can help moving. Such as:
- Either by actually using labels or just writing on the box, know exactly where the box is going in the house will make unpacking easier. This can be done with names or a colour coding system. The other thing to do that connects to this is
- List everything. Having a go to list of where everything is will allow you to keep track of everything easier. Make a list of every box so you can do a headcount when you get to your new home to make sure none have been lost. Also make a list of everything inside the boxes for the same reason as well as helping with unpacking so you know which specific boxes to prioritise.
- Make the customs officer’s job easier. Should any items be a little bit of a worry for you when travelling but you’re not sure it’s not allowed, or can be mistaken for something that isn’t allowed, get a special box just for them. If you do it this way the officers will only have to open one box instead of having to go through all of your possessions.
- Put together the essentials. Pack a box of personal essentials that you can access easily. Include things like travel documents, other paperwork, medication and money. The medication will of course need documents as well.
With these tips you should have an easier time getting yourself moving abroad. The final piece of advice is to plan early. As always getting it done properly as early as possible is key to minimising stress during the move, keeping you in control.