10/05/2016
Useful Moving Tips:
To Pack or Not to Pack?
Communication is always a key component of successful relocation. It’s not just verbal communication that’s important, either, but written communication, as well. One of the most crucial things to do when you’re preparing for an international move is to set aside a separate room (or at least a portion of a room) in your current home for those items that should not be included in the inventory for the service provider to pack and ship. These items should clearly be labeled “DO NOT PACK.” This includes anything with sentimental value, such as jewelry, keepsakes and photos, important documents such as tax returns and passports, prescription drugs, computer disks or flash drives with important personal or professional information, and other items that may be needed at a moment’s notice or that have a special meaning.
You also should make an effort to downsize in terms of what you will need to bring with you overseas. The less you pack, the less chance there is of something going wrong.
By Air or By Sea?
Another important component is determining which items to send by air and which by sea. Doing an analysis of what it would cost and how long it would take to send certain items by land or by sea, and then measuring that against the overall importance of those items, can help you determine the best route. A skilled service provider can guide you. In short, many things that are critical to have the moment you arrive in your new residence should be shipped by air, but things such as clothing, toiletries, kitchen items and most furniture can go by sea.
Paperwork?
Keeping important documents aside is one thing; making sure you have them all in the first place is another. Not having all the customs and immigration paperwork in order and readily available at domestic and foreign airports, hotels, consulates, train stations, corporate offices and other locations can lead to mix-ups, problems and costly and lengthy delays. One of the most frustrating scenarios is to have your entire shipment successfully reach its overseas destination, only to have it held up indefinitely by customs in a foreign country. Important documents may include academic records; birth certificates; lists of important phone numbers, e-mail addresses and fax numbers; living wills or testaments; marriage certificates; medical records; social security cards; and work visas.
Argument or Discussion?
While the service providers are important, never underestimate the value of having several long, comprehensive family meetings about the upcoming move. Together you might come up with things you may not think of on your own, and together you can keep each other grounded in a calm and reasonable approach to the effort. Everyone can be given a specific job to do. There’s comfort in numbers: no one family member should ever be expected to do it all alone.
This One or That One?
To locate an appropriate international mover, begin by interviewing companies as early in the process as possible—in fact, try to begin the week you find out that you’ll be leaving the states. The service provider you select should be one with which you are most comfortable, the one that has plenty of experience and good references, knowledge of the rules, practices and technologies on the arrival end (which are sometimes different from the rules, practices and technologies on the departure end), and can dedicate a single moving coordinator to your move. The coordinator will confer with packing crews, ocean liners, airlines, overseas customs officials, overseas delivery crews and many others. In short, the coordinator will deal with a dozen or so parties, while you will have to deal with just one. That will be a pleasure. For example, there happens to be a shortage of steamship trunk carriers and containers in the world today, and that’s something that only a skilled international relocation coordinator will be able to both anticipate and resolve.
You also want a company that has evolved with the times, both in terms of technology and trends, has a well-trained staff and a documented network of service providers overseas with which it has worked in the past. And, of course, you want one that will do whatever it takes to solve a problem.
All in all, moving overseas can sometimes be a stressful experience, but in most cases, a truly exhilarating one. With the right preparation, a few checklists, and some open dialogue, the right service provider will make the process a smooth one
After all, even if all the trunks, crates, boxes and suitcases arrive safely at their destination by air and by sea, if you don’t get there, what’s the point?
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