Moving countries, though adventurous, can often feel like an overwhelming, frustrating process. It isn't easy to pack up your entire life and start anew somewhere else, especially when you've got furniture, clothes, crockery, pets, and kids in tow! If you haven't relocated internationally recently - or ever - here's a quick starter guide on how to work out which international mover to trust with getting your important belongings overseas, while saving you money on moving costs, and working within your shipping budget.
First up, do your research. Look for registered companies with a proven track record and contact multiple companies for quotes prior to choosing your final mover. Unless you're comfortable with navigating customs and clearance in a new country, always go for a door-to-door moving service. This ensures that you international moving company works as your broker from packing to shipping, clearing, delivery, and finally unpacking, while accounting for all paperwork and fees involved. Once you've done your research, book your initial consultation/pre-move survey and bring all relevant documentation with you. Outline your moving date, timeframe, moving purpose, dependents, and the list of pieces you want to carry with you so that the movers can get a clear picture of what your move entails and enlist the right resources to make it happen in the right timeframe. Everything from the number of movers to the packing materials, size of the moving truck, container, and shipping method depends on these initial conversations, so ask plenty of questions and communicate clearly. You'll also be able to pick your preferred transportation method at this point, so make sure to know your options.
On move day, your moving company will ensure that all your belongings are packed, loaded, and safely transported to your freight method of choice. They'll come with packing materials like crates and boxes, along with specialized packaging like bubble wrap, air bags and padding for valuable and fragile items. The team will be responsible for wrapping furniture and personal effects and begin to load your items into trucks or lorries, ready for transport, or to a storage facility pending your move. They'll also cover all necessary paperwork and documentation at this time. Companies usually offer a host of packing services, in varying levels of comprehensiveness, to fit your budget and needs:
Full packing services (movers will pack all your items and wrap all your furniture). Fragile packing service (movers will wrap all your furniture but will only pack fragile items e.g. glass, ornaments, china, pictures as selected. You will pack everything else). Non-fragile packing service (movers will wrap all your furniture but will only pack non-fragile items e.g. books, clothing, toys, sundries. You will pack any fragile items). Self-packing service (movers will wrap all your furniture but you will pack all the loose items into boxes). Crating (for special care/high-value items).
Typically, there are three main methods of transporting goods.
Land: Truck and rail are the two main types of shipping by land. This is obviously an option for non-ocean crossing shipments only. The cost and speed are both moderate. Sea Freight: Also known as container shipping, this is the cheapest way to ship internationally but is also the slowest. Depending on the route this could take anywhere from several days to several months Air Freight: This shipping method is by far the fastest and most expensive way to ship. An air shipment can cost 10x that of a sea freight. Unless cost is not important and timing is urgent, it is highly recommended to use bulk shipping via sea freight. The main benefit here is speed: you’ll get your things very quickly.
Once your shipment is on route (by road, sea or air) your removal company will typically keep you up to date with progress and keep you informed of key milestones like your shipment is arriving when moving to a new country, clearing customs and potential delivery dates. Some companies may have systems so you can track your own move online or through an app.
When your goods reach the your destination country - which can take anywhere from 2-16 weeks - the moving company will then clear your items through customs, deliver them to your new home, and, depending on the services you've selected, unpack items and discard of used packing material and debris.
While enlisting a moving company is an additional expense to account for in what may be an already expensive move, the payoffs are huge - hassle-free travel, safe passage for your precious belongings, and a helping hand to guide you through a confusing process.