Expat Guide: Tips For Making Moving Abroad Easier

Looking to move abroad but not sure where to begin? Amy Kogan, an experienced expat and the editor of 2LiveAbroad, shares some tips on how to make the transition easier. There are so many details to nail down if you are moving abroad from packing a pallet, if you are taking your personal items with you, to arranging your new life overseas. It can get a little crazy making sure you have everything before and after you go. Whether you are moving short-term or permanent, having a well prepared plan before and after your move will give you peace of mind. Here are five ideas most people don’t know about that can make your move abroad go smoother or save you money.

House Swap Or Find A Property Manager

House swap services offer people who are going abroad the opportunity to exchange houses. This is perfect if you are on a long-term work stay or just want to explore a country that you are not ready to commit to a full move. You don’t always have to swap houses. Sometimes rather than swap, you can have someone live in your home while your away to feed your pets and take care of your property. This frees up your time having to arrange for many of the small details while you are gone because swappers can pick up any mail, and handle any important issues that arise and inform you of anything unusual or important.

Take The Computer Or Laptop

Taking the computer is easy to do no matter where in the world you are going to. That’s mainly because computers and laptop have built-in power adaptors allowing you to manually switch from 110v to 220/240v all you need is a plug adaptor to fit the socket from your destination country and you have all the entertainment choices like You Tube, movie downloads, and music from home with you. Throw away just about anything else with a plug and buy appliances where you are going.

Set Up A Free Calling Plan

Why pay for expensive phone bills when you can download Skype for free and talk to your friends and family at no cost. Even better if you are using a webcam you can see your friends or family nearly every day as long as you call from one Sky account to another you don’t pay for anything.

Pack Small, Save Big

Moving your personal items abroad can be expensive but there is a one way to pack up a good bundle of must have items at a reduced price. Ask your moving company for a partial container quote. By sharing a container with other shipments you can pack a pallet to move abroad for a reasonable price.

Moving With Children?

Get the kids involved creating plans. Moving a family abroad can go a lot easier of you give your kids task like gathering e-mail accounts from their friends. Ask them to use the internet to find out if there are sports or hobbies available in the new location you are moving to and create a list of possibilities. Have them research fun places to visit and give them something to look forward to instead of looking at what they leave behind.

Vacuum Bags

Yes that’s right I said vacuum bags! If you are packing luggage or a pallet box, clothing will take up more room than you think. By placing your clothing in vacuum bags and removing the air from the bags you can more than double the amount of space in your container or suitcase leaving you plenty of room to take everything. The bags cost around €5/$6 for a set of three and will protect your clothing from any water or damage while in transit. Once the air is removed try rolling them up in to save even more space and money by having less luggage or boxes.