Knowing the best way to start preparing for international moving will make your life much more manageable. So, how to prepare for movers is one of the questions you should answer to have the relocation experience worth sharing with your family and friends. So, be prepared and know what to do before a professional relocation crew comes to your home.
What do I need to do to prepare for movers is one of the questions most people ask themselves when booking professionals. And whether you’re relocating for the first time or not, this is a step you should take if you want to avoid relocation stress. Check some useful tips for moving day and be sure everything is prepared for a professional relocation crew.
The First Task on Your Moving To-Do List Should Be Finding a Reputable International Moving Company
Choosing an overseas shipping company that you’ll entrust with all your items is the first step after finding enough reasons to move to one of the best places to live abroad. You should start the search at least 8-10 weeks before the relocation day. This is even more important than finding a new job in another country.
Trust us, you can move without a job, but you can’t do that if you don’t contact a reputable and trustworthy relocation company. Before you pick the best company for international moving services, it’s wise to contact and get estimates from at least three different businesses and then decide. Take some time to do this, and don’t rush.
Be Careful – There Are a Lot of Scammers Out There
Relocation scams are, sadly, quite common. If you want to avoid the disaster that these scams always are, you have to be careful and do detailed research on the company before you contact them. Here’s what to ask yourself when considering a particular company:
- Do they have a professional website?
- Is their customer service friendly and happy to answer questions?
- Do they have a USDOT number on their website?
- Did they offer to schedule an in-home or video inspection of the house?
- Is their quote based on the said inspection?
- Did they provide you with a contract and insurance policy?
If the answers to the questions above are yes, then the business is likely legitimate, and hiring them won’t drain your bank account. However, you should always be careful, even when the movers have already arrived at your soon-to-be-old home. If you notice something suspicious, you can cancel their service even then.
Know How to Prepare for Movers With the Right Plan
Moving to a new city in a completely different country will require a lot of steps and planning, from deciding what to pack for moving abroad and what you’ll get rid of to figuring out how to prepare for professional movers. Keep in mind that a good plan will go a long way.
So, if you plan on investing in professional services, such as overseas vehicle shipping, be sure everything is organized. Start planning as soon as possible and spend less time packing your stuff – most people consider wrapping one of the most stressful parts of the whole move.
Prepare a Checklist Of Things To Do That Will Keep You Updated
There’s no better way of organizing yourself for the move than making a moving abroad checklist. It’s one of the proven methods that will keep you updated, and you won’t panic nearly as much as you would without one. Here are some things you probably want to add to your relocation list:
- Set the relocation budget and calculate all costs approximately,
- Create a packing list with all the supplies needed,
- Donate all the stuff you don’t use anymore to Goodwill,
- Label all the boxes correctly,
- Prepare your house for the relocation crew,
- Prepare cash for tipping members of the relocation team,
- Notify everyone about the move.
Pack Items On Your Own and Save Some Time When Moving Overseas
Having professional movers by your side with all the moving hacks they know will make the entire process a breeze. However, you’ll still have to do something before they arrive at your house. In fact, one of the relocation mistakes is letting the relocation team pack your entire household when you have a bit of time to do it yourself.
Leave the packing services for the bulky stuff you want to move. For example, you’ll definitely need help to move a piano, so why not just leave it for the experienced relocation team to do it. So, if you’re asking should I pack before movers come, the answer is yes.
Deal with things people often forget, like moving day essentials and other important stuff from your home. However, know that the insurance will be included if you let professionals take care of your stuff, so that is also something to keep in mind. Check out some useful tricks for packing your belongings efficiently and learn how to move as a minimalist.
Preparing for Movers Means Knowing What They Won’t Pack
If you’re wondering how to prepare for movers to pack items, the answer is quite simple. You just need to put aside all the items movers won’t move, that is, those things they aren’t allowed to move. Besides wrapping up clothes and preparing boxes for protecting fragile items, you need to ask yourself – what do movers hate?
When they arrive at your house, make sure you have separated boxes with stuff they won’t move to a new place. Here’s everything you need to avoid besides plants and pets:
- Perishables,
- Fireworks,
- Weapons,
- Gasoline,
- Chemicals,
- Cleaning liquids.
Selling, Donating, or Throwing Stuff?
The best way to reduce the cost of the move is to reduce the amount of stuff you have. If experience (and clients) taught us anything, it’s that you don’t have to take everything with you. Organize a garage sale to finally sell all the unwanted and unnecessary stuff you don’t need or don’t want.
Depending on the house you are moving to, some items may not work well in a new space. You can always donate the things to breathe brand new life into them. Also, throw away the things nobody else can use. There is no point in shipping them internationally if you won’t be using them or you won’t have enough space for everything.
Once You’ve Gotten Rid of the Excess Items, It’s Time to Buy Supplies
Now that your home is purged from unnecessary clutter, it’s time to buy packing supplies. The reason why we suggest you do this only after the decluttering stage is simple – once you know how many things you have to pack, you can estimate the number of boxes and other supplies you will need. Besides boxes, some of the essentials you should also get are packing paper, bubble wrap, and high-quality tape.
How to Prepare Your Home for Movers
After you pack all the boxes, make sure your home is ready for movers. This means you should clear all the paths before they arrive. Yes, one step to achieving a stress-free move is surely doing everything to prevent potential injuries. Just imagine what would happen when professionals are carrying furniture and run into a pile of boxes?
So, after all the obstacles are removed, ensure all the floors are protected. You can use cardboard to cover the floor and protect it from scratching. If you’re not sure what to do, one of the most effective relocation tips we can provide is to use furniture sliders. And if the floor gets scratched anyway, you can use a matching stain and cover it up. As you can see, moving to another country will require many preparatory steps, so ensure you have everything under control.
Ensure Children and Pets Are Away on the Moving Day
If you could use some tips for moving abroad with kids or pets, then the best thing to do is to keep them away from all the chaos at your home on a moving day. They can’t give you a helping hand once the professionals arrive, but they could experience some negative feelings like stress and anxiety or even get hurt by getting in the way. So, ask a family member or a friend to look after them while the relocation crew is doing its job.
Pack Essentials You’ll Need Until Your Things Arrive
Overseas shipping can take some time, which means that whether you decide to stay in your old home or move to the new one immediately, you will have to spend some days without most of your stuff. Living in an empty home until you’re reunited with your belongings can be a rough experience.
It’s best that you pack all the essentials like clothes, electronics, chargers, documents, medicine, and things for hygiene that can get you through the upcoming weeks. Pretty much the same stuff you would pack for a vacation. Book the hotel on time with a free cancellation policy so that you can shorten your stay and not end up overpaying.
Don’t Forget to Transfer Utilities and Change Your Address
Transferring utilities and changing an address is usually done two weeks before the move, but that’s not a rule. You can even do it after you move to another country – just don’t forget to do it while you’re busy unpacking or checking tasks off the new place checklist. Adjusting to a new country can be overwhelming, so it could happen that you forget to do this.
Prepare Accordingly and Avoid the Unnecessary Stress
Although it seems like a lot of work, you’ll see the positive results once you’re done. And it’s not only about efficiency, but you also have to keep in mind that your health is at stake. Too many worries and stress can cause some serious problems, especially when moving overseas and having to deal with the culture shock and many unknowns. So, prepare everything in advance and let the professionals take care of the rest. That’s all there is to planning a successful international move.
