Moving Smarter Not Harder

Posted on: 28 December 2015

Moving to a new country can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, especially if you have never lived outside of the United States before. You may be ready to fully explore a new country, yet at the same time, be nervous about the changes that you are about to experience. Taking a bit of time to prepare for your move can help ease some of the stress you have when it comes to moving. Here are some tips on how to prepare for your first international move. 

Prepare a Budget

One of the very first things you need to do when preparing for an international move is to sit down and create a realistic moving budget. You may be surprised at how much it costs to move to a new country and this could possibly delay your move until you save more money. Preparing a budget for international moves is a bit difficult, as you may not know exactly how much you need. However, taking the time to thoroughly do your homework on the budget will help you come up with realistic estimates for all of your expenses. Figure out how much moving companies cost and how much it will cost to get your new documents to live overseas. You need to determine how much money you will need to come up with to rent a new place to live, or how much your utility and insurance costs will be. You are hit with many expenses at once when moving to a new country, so you want to make sure you are realistic in your estimates and have a healthy savings account to cover any expenses you may have overlooked or under-budgeted for.

Get Your Documents and Paperwork in Order

As the date of your move draws closer, you will want to get all of your important documents and paperwork in order. This includes information that will be hard to obtain overseas, such as birth certificates and medical reports, as well documents you will need to enter and live in the country, such as passports, visas and work permits. Depending on where you are moving, obtaining the papers you need to live in the country can be a fast and easy process or a long, drawn-out process. Do your research, and check with the local embassy, to find out what information you need, how to obtain those papers and approximately how long it is taking to process those papers. 

Hire an International Mover who Has Experience Moving to the Country You are Going To

When you are getting ready to move internationally, you want to work with a moving company who has recent experience moving those from the United States into your new home country. The custom requirements of what can and can't be transported into a country vary from country to country, as does the declaration paperwork the mover must fill out to bring your possessions in. A company that has recently completed this process likely knows the requirements well.

Additionally, when you are moving your items internationally, there are different ways to ship your household goods. They can be shipped by train, air or boat. Each of these methods has pros and cons, including shipping time and cost. An experienced international mover can help you decide which method makes the most sense for your belongings, or even break your belongings down into two shipping groups, so the items you need right away are shipped via air, whereas the items you can live without for a few weeks are shipped cheaper by boat.

Designate a U.S. Contact Person

The last thing you want to do when preparing for your first international move is to designate a contact person who lives in the U.S. who can assist you as needed. This could be a family member or trusted friend. This contact person can accept your forwarded mail and ship it out to you or can assist you with obtaining items you may have forgotten and can't get overseas, such as important documents. You don't want to spring this responsibility on someone, so ask around and see who is willing to help you.

As you prepare to move internationally, you may experience a wide array of emotions. However, being worried about your international move shouldn't be one of them. Taking the time to thoroughly research and prepare for your move can help you understand what you need to do prior to the move to ensure everything goes as smooth as possible. Click here to learn more.