Moving home, as we all know, can be a very stressful time, but imagine if you were planning to move abroad. Whether you’ve daydreamed about a life in the South of France or you’re accepting a job offer elsewhere outside of the UK, the logistics of the move have probably been your biggest worry.
This month we’re on hand to help with a handy moving abroad checklist so that you can see the kind of things you need to plan in advance and how to organise your belongings.
Six Months From The Move
By this point the reality of the move should finally be kicking in, so it’s a good time to start some key preparations. You should have already organised any necessary visa paperwork but if you haven’t, now is the time. If you have children of school-going age you should inform their current school of the move and make preparations for their education in your chosen destination.
You could take a trip to your new home town to familiarise yourself with the place, but what’s more important is having all your paperwork and documents prepared and in one place.
Three Months From The Move
If you have a removals company taking care of the move then get an estimate from them on cost and shop around, find the best quote to keep the costs down – you can help lower the cost by buying your own packing materials too.
Doing some early prep work on your belongings – clearing out things you don’t want or packing things you won’t need until after the move – will reduce the amount of stress you’re under later on in the move.
You will probably have already informed family and friends of the move, but now might be a good time to give them your finalised contact details if you have them.
Six Weeks From The Move
With time ticking away you should make your arrangements for any items which are going into storage. At Simply Storage we offer a variety of storage options to suit your needs whether you need to come back for things once the move is complete or whether you simply need to store them until the day of the move.
Four Weeks From The Move
Getting your affairs in order should be done gradually and from this point onwards you should start sorting out cancelling any utility services you have in the UK, whilst arranging for them to be set up in your destination country.
If you have animals it could become hectic for a few weeks in the lead up to the move. You might want to consider leaving them with family or entering them into a kennel or cattery so that they don’t become stressed or get in your way too much.
Two Weeks From The Move
You’ll be getting down to the smaller tasks now but you still need full concentration. If you need medication ensure you’ll have enough to last over the course of the move. Additionally, ensure your vehicle is in good condition and ready for the journey.
If you haven’t already begun packing and labelling you should do so now; it might help in the long run to have all the things for particular rooms in the same set of boxes.
The Week Of The Move
There will be plenty to do in this week including:
Ensuring you have cash for the short term in your new country
Defrosting the fridge and freezer
Packing a box of essentials for the first few days of the moveGiving final meter readings
This is by no means a full list of things you need to do, but it will give you a sense of how much there is to organise and a rough idea of when you should aim to begin certain tasks.
Here at Simply Storage, we provide personal storage options, so whether you’re planning on moving abroad and need somewhere to keep some of your possessions while you get settled, or whether you’re simply taking a short break and need storage so you can easily claim your things once you’re back, look no further than our fantastic storage facilities.