Make a plan and a budget for the move. List the tasks. This way you will not forget something important on the day of the move and it will help you calculate the approximate cost of the whole project. Request a quote from several moving companies and ask a representative to come and make a prior inspection, if necessary.
Sort your things and get rid of items you no longer need or use. Donate the unnecessary things, sell them, take them to a recycling centre or throw them away. Separate and recycle any paper items. This way you do not need to pay for moving unnecessary things.
When moving, you will find things you do not use very often. It would be a good idea to ask yourself how often you need these things. If you haven’t used them for a couple of years, it might be reasonable to throw them away.
Decide what kind of items you plan to package yourself (if at all). Use boxes of the right size and strength. Things tend to break in empty or flimsy boxes. Things packed too tightly can also break while moving them. Ask the moving company for information about packaging materials and methods. For moving hanging clothes, remember to ask for wardrobe boxes with hanging rails.
We would suggest that you pack your own books, clothes, bed linen, footwear, etc. On the other hand, you should leave the packaging of fragile items (crockery, souvenirs, paintings, electronic devices and furniture) to the moving company. Put similar items together. Proceed room by room as you pack. Put heavy items (documents, books, etc.) in small boxes. Wrap souvenirs, crockery and other fragile items separately in paper. Use bubble wrap or other packing supplies when necessary, because it would definitely be more expensive to replace broken delicate items. Label all boxes.
Write information about the contents of the box to the label. Stick a label to the side of the box and another on top of it. Based on the labels, the moving company will deliver the items to be moved according to the moving plans to the destination rooms. This will facilitate fast and easy moving and make it easy to unpack. Save the contacts of the moving company in your mobile phone. Provide the moving company with exact addresses and instructions. This way no valuable time will be lost in looking for the correct place.
Packaging plays a major role in moving works of art.
There are specific regulations that have to be observed when packaging works of art, specifying the packaging methods and materials to be used. Nevertheless, packaging works of art is a task that calls for great ingenuity, because every painting, statue or decorative item has a different shape and size, requiring a different approach.
That is why we recommend leaving the packaging and transport of works of art to the specialists. Ask us for a quote!
Packaging is a task that often calls for great ingenuity; and depending on the items, they must be packaged differently.
When packaging furniture you must always look out for any protruding parts, meaning that more attention should be paid to the edges and corners. Remember also that any removable parts (e.g. shelves) should be removed.
The boxes must be made of heavy-duty double-wall cardboard. Remember to avoid recycled cardboard. Double-wall cardboard is actually mandatory in case of exports. The boxes must have hand holes for more convenient moving.
You should always use boxes of the right size and strength when you move. Empty or single- walled boxes tend to collapse when stacked and things may break in them. In addition to packing boxes, you might need to use the following materials for your move: bubble wrap, corrugated fiberboard, packing film, packing film roll, packing tape, wrapping paper, cardboard corner protectors, etc.
International moving requires extensive experience over many years, attention to detail, knowledge about documents, customs procedures and insurance. It is also important to know the specifics of road, sea and air transport, and to have a large network of reliable partners all over the world.
International moves can be carried out by different means of transportation:
- Road transport: in most cases, it is reasonable to use road transport when moving in Europe. Choose a company that provides moving services by using either its own vehicles or carefully selected transportation partners who have all the necessary certificates to provide transport services as well as trained professional drivers. In general, road transport in Europe takes about 7 days. Before the move, you should settle the dates and set down the schedules with the moving company.
- Sea transport: used for moves out of Europe. Choose a moving company that takes care of all the customs proceedings and has agreements with all the major shipping companies. Shipping companies are chosen on basis of the destination and the most favourable terms for the customer. Based on the amount of the customer’s personal items, we use either a partial container or a 20 or 40 feet container for the move. Moving by sea can take about 30 to 60 days, depending on the continents. People often use air transport for moving vital items in smaller amounts and then the rest is transported by sea.
- Air transport: we use air transport for smaller amounts or urgent deliveries that need to arrive faster. Choose a moving company that will take care of all the customs procedures, is an agent of all aviation companies and therefore can offer you the best price. Moving by air takes about 7 days.
Very many international moves are carried out in summer. That is why it would be a good idea to ask for a quote quite early and set the required dates, if you plan to move at this time.
There are no special restrictions on the items you can move in the EU (even alcohol is
allowed). Different countries have established different restrictions on the items that can be
moved out of the EU. Before the move, it would be a good idea to ask the moving company
about any restrictions applied in your destination country.
Make a backup copy of your computer’s hard drive. When you arrive at your new home, check the delivered furniture and boxes at once. If there are any damages, inform the moving company at once and make a note on the delivery note as well.
Make childcare arrangements early on.