Most people would say that moving in winter is more stressful than beneficial, but this is not always the case. In fact, relocating in colder months can offer more advantages than summer relocation. If, for some reason, you need to move during winter time, here are some tips to help you make the most of this decision and make international moving less stressful.
Is moving in the winter the best option? Well, it all depends on what you wish to gain from the move. Even though summer relocations have their charm, moving abroad in colder months can be less expensive, more flexible, and faster. Still, to get the full benefits of winter moves, you need to stick to some rules and tips.
The Best Time of the Year to Move?
Relocating across the world is not a simple task and will demand a lot of effort and planning to make this whole experience as stress-free as possible. And big part of those plans is hiring an international moving company. For most companies, the peak season is during the warm months, to be precise, from April to September. And most people prefer to relocate during these months.
For people who move with kids, these months are the best because school is out. Also, the weather is better and the day lasts longer so the movers that you hire can finish the job in one day.
On the other hand, companies are quite busy during the peak season and you will probably have less choice when picking an overseas moving company, also the costs of relocation will be more expensive than during the off-season months. In the end, the best time of year to move is when it works the best for you and your family.
Moving in Winter – What Are the Pros
When organizing a move, especially when moving internationally, the first step is to decide where to live, and the second one is to decide when the action will take place. Think about all the logistics and work you will need to do when relocating abroad, from getting the travel documents and finding a place to live and a new school for kids to overseas shipping and packing up the entire home.
Some of these things are a lot easier to do during the off-season. It is well known that house hunting is a lot easier during the colder months, as the house market is a lot slower, no matter if you plan to relocate to Asia or Hawaii.
Here are some pros of wintertime relocation so decide for yourself what is the best option for you.
As we mentioned before, the biggest benefit of relocating during the colder months is that you will probably save on relocation costs. Since these months are off-season, companies will most likely offer lower prices. This is due to the market situation since there is less demand for shipping companies most companies will lower their prices to be competitive in the market.
Not only that you will be able to choose among many companies (since the demand is lower there will be more companies available for the job), but you will have more choices to pick a relocation date. During the peak of the season, most people will have limited choices for a date since the companies are very busy. During colder months you will be able to choose a date that works best for you and your family.
The off-season means it is off-season for everyone, including the housing market. This means that real estate agents will be more motivated to sell your home than they would be during summertime when there is a job on every corner.
Also relocating to a new city means you will have to buy or rent a new place to live. The choices and the costs will be much better during winter as well. Since fewer people move during winter, you can expect to find a place to live with reasonable rates even if you plan to relocate to some exotic place like Japan.
For most people, relocating to a new home means they need to take a couple of days off work so they can finish up everything. If you pack the entire house (depending on the size), it can last from one to six days. And this is only packing. There will be a lot of preparations you need to do before you begin to pack. You will have to downsize for a move, get rid of all the clutter, apply for a visa, arrange car shipping, and so on. And all of these things will take at least one day to do. Keep in mind that applying for a visa can only be done during working hours.
So, even if you hire professionals for a packing service, you will have to do an inventory of all the things you plan to bring and prepare for movers. For this reason, people usually take days off work and weekends to finish everything. The benefit of relocating in winter is that you can use holidays for this purpose and save days off work for something else you will need to take care of.
Even though most of the hard work will be done by professionals, there are things only you can do. For example, packing up the essentials and the travel bags, cleaning the house, and all the items before packing. This job will be much easier to do in colder months than during the peak of summer.
There Are Some Cons You Should Be Mindful of
Still, with all the benefits, there are some cons you should know about. Here are some of the downsides of relocating during the off-season:
- The risk of bad weather – During the off-season, there will be more risk of snowy weather, icy roads, stormy seas, and low temperatures. Also loading the boxes on the truck will be more difficult, and there are chances some could fall if the drive-through is slippery. Another downside of bad weather is that there could be delays due to it.
- The day will be shorter – Another downside is that days become shorter in fall, which means that, at some point, the movers will be working during nighttime.
- Extreme temperatures – When relocating overseas, belongings will be shipped either by sea (if you plan to move furniture and large items) or by air (if you have only smaller things to pack). In the first case, you need to think about extremely cold temperatures since they can damage belongings.
- The school year is not over – During the winter, school is not over yet and if you decide to relocate in this period, it could be more stressful for kids.
The Best Winter Moving Tips When Moving Overseas
Now you know the pros and cons of relocating during the cold weather. It’s time to learn that you can overcome most of these difficulties with a few simple tips.
Tip 1 – Hire a Professional Overseas Shipping Company
The best and least stressful way to relocate abroad is to hire professionals. Companies such as Sunset International Shipping have a lot more experience in shipping overseas than most people. And the easiest way to make this journey smooth is to leave everything to professionals. Keep in mind that quotes will be less expensive and that you will be able to hire a company for the whole package (packing and moving, even car shipping).
Tip 2 – Get the Right Supplies for Relocation Day
On the relocation day, there will be a lot of people coming in and out of your home. From rain to snow, you should be prepared for all eventualities. Have shovels and salt ready in case there is snow and ice on the driveway. Keep umbrellas or raincoats near you if there is heavy rain.
Depending on where you have decided to relocate, bring supplies you would need for that location as well. It can happen that you start relocating in snowy weather and end up in sunshine country. So pack a bag of essentials for a new place to reflect the local weather.
Also, since it is winter time, make sure you have lights for the driveway. Since the dark will hit fast, part of the job will have to be done at night time, and the lights on the driveway and all the pathways will minimize the chance of somebody falling and hurting themselves.
Tip 3 – Clear All the Pathways
This tip is probably the most important one if you wish for things to run smoothly and to have a safe move. If the weather is snowy, make sure you shovel off all the snow from the pathway.
Also, pour salt the night before and prevent ice formation during the night.
The pathway should be cleared of all the junk as well – movers should be able to move easily in and out of the house.
Tip 4 – Set up Utilities at the New Home
Once you know when the relocation day will take place, arrange for utilities to be canceled a day after this day, just in case there is any delay. Also, make sure utilities at the new location are connected a couple of days before you arrive.
Tip 5 – Pack Fragile Items Carefully
As we mentioned earlier, extremely cold temperatures can damage stuff, especially fragile items and furniture. So if you decide to do the packing alone make sure you double-pack all the fragile items and wrap them in both bubble wrap and paper. Put an extra layer of cushioning in the box as well. Still, ff you want to be absolutely sure that fragile or valuable items are correctly protected for shipping overseas, hire a company to do partial packing only for those items.
Tip 6 – Have a Safe Space for Kids and Pets
This moving tip you can implement regardless of the weather outside. But if it’s cold, you should know that the house will get cold as well. The doors will be opened so the movers can take everything on the truck. To ensure kids or pets are warm and comfortable, make one room to be their safe space, where the heat will run smoothly and they will have things to do while everybody else is busy with moving.
Tip 7 – Protect the Floors
Since there will be a lot of people coming in and out, you should protect the floors somehow. Use old sheets and place them on the floor in the rooms where professionals will come in the most. This will prevent the floor or the carpet from getting wet and dirty, and you can easily clean everything afterward.
Shipping Overseas With the Freezing Good Professionals
Relocating abroad is not an easy task and there will be a lot of things you need to finish and arrange. So reduce stress to a minimum and contact the best professional movers, Sunset International Shipping, to help you out. And if you have decided to relocate during the winter time, you are in for a treat – not only you will get lower quotes but you will be able to pick the best and most dedicated company for the cause.
