Over the past few decades, the world has changed tremendously. Regimes have fallen, the world has shifted towards the West, airlines became much more accessible and the Internet has given all of us access to information, education and opportunities.
All these things have made it easier than ever for people to move abroad. While relocation is definitely not a kid’s play, it very often comes with benefits that exceed the hassle: better work and study opportunities, discovering new cultures, being able to help developing countries and so on.
If you plan on going through your own moving abroad relocation, you must feel excited and scared at the same time. You may be doing it for a better job, for a great student opportunity or simply for the sake of travelling but regardless of the reason that lies behind your choice you are most likely at least a bit worried about the outcomes.
Packing and removals are exhilarating experience as such – not to mention when they happen with people who are moving to a completely different country. Many of you will feel quite confused over the things they should pack (and how they should pack them) – so we have gathered some tips to help you with that. Read on and find out more.
1. Do you know what paperwork you need? When thinking of “removal” and “packing” a lot of people do not take documentation seriously enough. Before moving to another country though, you should absolutely make sure you have all of your paperwork with you: visas, passports, ID cards, health insurance, travel insurance, medical letters and so on. Check and double check these! Pack them in your hand luggage and make sure you photocopy and scan them as well – you can never be sure enough with these things!
2. Moving on to the actual packing, you should know that generally speaking, people don’t choose to opt for a removals company when moving abroad precisely because they don’t pack a lot of things. In most of the cases, one or two luggage cases are enough regardless of how much you plan to stay abroad. If you have other items (such as a TV, desktop computers and so on) and if you want to bring them with you, you should try to find out how you can ship them (or how a man and van company can help you if the country you are moving on is on the same continent).
3. What clothes should you bring with you? Now, this is a question both women and men very frequently ask themselves when it comes to moving abroad. The truth is that there is no actual “must have” list to fit everyone. It all depends on you, what you plan on doing abroad and the weather there. So, before you start packing your clothes, remember to check out with the weather there in various seasons. Pack one or two weeks’ worth of clothing and not much more. Try to leave behind clothes you are “emotionally” attached to.
4. Don’t pack anything you can buy from a supermarket. If you can buy it from a supermarket (and if your relocation is not happening in a very remote area of the world), don’t pack it. This includes mugs, cups, plates, cutlery and so on.
5. Don’t pack food. Most countries have very serious laws against bringing food into the country – and you definitely don’t want to be fined for having brought food with you.
6. Pack organized. Make sure you organize your luggage properly so that you can unpack as fast as possible. This means that you should start thinking of how to pack everything at least a few days/one week before the date you have booked your flight at.
