Each move brings a lot of preparation and work, leaving those who are relocating anxious and stressed. It’s especially true when it comes to international moves that demand even more planning and organizing. However, some moving hacks can help this process become smoother and less nerve-wracking. We prepared smart tips that will make this very difficult period of your life more bearable – and here they are.
How Can I Make Moving Easier? One of the Most Important Moving Hacks Is to Start Early
Starting with preparations on time is a crucial precondition for a stress-free move. The sooner you start, the more organized you’ll be, which will undoubtedly lead to fewer relocation-related problems. This rule goes for any type of move you have.
However, it’s not all the same whether you’re moving overseas or performing a cross-country move. While last-minute relocation is feasible in the case of a local or interstate move, it’s nearly impossible for the international one. Why is that? The answer is simple – when you decide to move to another country, you must count on the period necessary for obtaining the documents needed to travel abroad. That period differs depending on the city you’re relocating to. People planning to move to Melbourne, for example, sometimes must wait for a whole year for their visa to be approved.
In this case, preparations for the move must start long before the actual relocation day. But it doesn’t have to be such a bad thing. While you’re waiting to get a visa, create a relocation abroad checklist, find some tips for learning the language abroad (if needed), start saving, and look for the most reliable overseas shipping company to help you move.
Do Your Research Before Creating a Relocation Plan
If you’re serious about living overseas, you must conduct thorough research. Remember – you’re relocating to a whole other country. Therefore, you must get familiar with their:
- Laws,
- Culture and customs,
- Healthcare system,
- Education system (if you’re relocating with kids),
- Cost of living,
- Work possibilities,
- Crime rates,
- Climate (it’s not the same whether you’re relocating to Greece or want to move to Iceland),
Additionally, ensure you get in touch with expat communities, preferably even before you move. People who have already gone through everything that awaits you soon can give you some first-hand advice and talk to you about dos and don’ts, which can only result in a smoother transition.
Check Constantly for Coronavirus Updates
Traveling abroad has changed a lot since the coronavirus outbreak. At the start of the pandemic, many countries set travel limits. Therefore, if you wish to relocate to some of the best European countries, for example, you need to know if they have travel restrictions and, if so, what they imply. As long as the COVID-19 pandemic lasts, this must be a part of your
Pack Only the Essentials
It’s not a secret that shipping overseas is costly, and it gets more so the more of your belongings you decide to bring. If money is an issue or you just don’t want to lose a fortune when relocating, you should think hard about which items are worth keeping. The rule of thumb is to leave behind all things that don’t have any practical, financial or sentimental value. Additionally, ensure you have only a few large objects if possible – furniture, appliances, and other big and bulky things weigh a lot.
Some people move across the world permanently, but many take this step as a part of education or career advancement with the plan of coming back home after a certain period. Keep in mind that the duration of staying in a foreign country has a significant impact on the decision of what you should keep.
Decluttering Your House Before Packing Starts Will Help You Filter Out All the Nonessentials
In order to bring only the essential belongings when relocating overseas, some decluttering is always going to be necessary. But how to decide what to pack when moving abroad and what to leave? Try to answer the following questions for each item:
- How often do you utilize it?
- Does it have sentimental value?
- Is it damaged?
- Can you digitize it?
- Do you have many similar objects?
- Does it expire soon?
When you want to move overseas, you should also decide what to do with belongings you will not bring. Depending on the condition of the item in question, you can choose to throw it away, gift it, sell or donate it.
Check Your Boxes for Items You Aren’t Allowed to Bring
There are lists of items movers won’t move, no matter what type of relocation you have on your mind. Explosives, flammable liquids, toxic substances, ammunition, and things alike represent danger for both movers and your belongings. Therefore, they are not allowed at the back of relocation trucks or in international shipments.
However, there may be some additional prohibited objects when hiring an international moving company and relocating overseas. Keep in mind that every country has its own list of objects forbidden from importing. Sometimes it will match the previously mentioned list, but sometimes you’ll stumble upon some pretty bizarre bans. Even the States have them – did you know that Kinder Eggs are banned from the US? Or that yellow clothing is prohibited in Malaysia?
If you want to learn about more weird things that are banned by custom laws all around the world, take a look at the following video:
Use Great Packing Hacks for Moving
Now that you know what you should bring and what should be left behind, it would be great to discover some tips to help you pack more efficiently. When the boxing up day (or days) comes, ensure to:
- Label each box – there is nothing worse than arriving at your new home and having to go through all of your packed stuff before finding an item you need.
- Making an inventory list – if you have enough time, it would be great to create inventory lists for all the boxes so you know exactly what each of them holds.
- Separate relocation essentials – with an international move, be prepared to wait for quite some time for a cargo to arrive at your future home. Therefore, ensure you have all of your everyday necessities by your side during the trip.
- Be creative when it comes to storage spaces – think outside of the box (literally) and utilize plastic containers, suitcases, handbags, or even pots for storing your belongings. It’s one of the best answers to the question: How do you pack to move in a hurry?
- Use room by room system when decluttering and packing – start with storage rooms, like attics and garages, which contain most of the rarely used objects.
- Dedicate the one room in the apartment for boxing up – this way, you’ll avoid running around and losing precious time,
- Utilize the right-sized boxes – reserve smaller spaces for heavier belongings and vice versa.
- Take pictures before unplugging electronics – it will help you plug them in more easily later.
Get as Much Help From an Overseas Moving Company as You Can
How do I make a painless moving experience, you ask? Getting as much professional help as you can is the easy way of doing so. International relocation implies more logistics and organizing, so performing it all by yourself can be extremely hard. That is why many people who decide to live in another country opt to hire international movers.
However, most reputable relocation companies have much more to offer than just standard relocation services, and all additional options are bound to help you move efficiently. Therefore, if your finances allow it, consider getting them.
First of all, consider overseas vehicle shipping – unlike with cross-country relocation, driving your car to a new destination is not always physically possible. Sure, you can take a road trip if you’re relocating to Canada, but it can’t be done if you choose to move to the Bahamas. Professional packers, on the other hand, can help you protect and box up all of your belongings if you opt for getting packing services.
Additionally, many people who decide to move overseas choose to get storage services, especially if their move is not a permanent one. Having a place to store your belongings for as long as you need is undoubtedly a significant convenience when relocating abroad.
Save Up as Much as You Can on Boxes and Other Packing Supplies
As we mentioned above, an international move is almost impossible to perform without professional relocation services, which means that high relocation expenses are inevitable. Luckily, some easy tips can help you save up a bit.
For example, it’s expected that some of your money must be set aside for packaging supplies. However, not all of the materials must be brand new and bought for that purpose. If you make an effort, you can find plenty of free supplies all around you. Consider:
- Using the original box for as many electronic pieces as you can,
- Visiting local stores (grocery, liquid, and the like) that can provide you with their spare cupboards,
- Aking your friends and family for some cardboard they don’t need,
- Using linens and old clothes as a wrapping material,
- Wrapping belongings with newspapers
However, these types of supplies are not suitable for all of your belongings. Ensure you still use bubble wrap, paper, and new, quality boxes for more valuable and expensive items. Keep in mind that your packages will be shifted even more than in the case of interstate relocation, so the chance of them getting damaged will be higher.
How Can I Move Cheaply – Get to Know Some More Money-Saving Moving Tips and Hacks
Saving up on boxing up supplies is not the only way to reduce relocation costs. So, what else can you do to lower your expenses? First of all, pick the right day of the year to move, if possible. Prices of relocation services are much higher during the season (from April to September), so the off-season move is bound to be a cheaper option. Secondly, choose to move by sea, as a much more affordable shipping solution.
When it comes to selecting a company, it would be great to get several estimates and compare quotes from relocation companies. That way, you can see if a relocation team is overpricing their service. However, be aware of extremely low quotes, as fraudsters will try to lure customers in only to ask for much more money after shipping.
Of course, don’t forget to declutter as much as you can. As we mentioned, the number of belongings you bring can significantly impact the final relocation cost. But did you know that you can even earn money from purging your home? Note that some of your stuff can be sold either on a garage sale or at different online marketplaces.
Use Our Hacks to Make Moving Easier and Reach the Best Relocation Experience
Moving stress is inevitable when making such a big life change, even if you’re relocating to some of the best places to live abroad. However, by using these easy tricks, you can significantly impact the amount of it. It’s simple – the more of them you use, the smoother your relocation will get. With them, even complex tasks like international moves can become easier and more trouble-free.
