We’ve looked at some of the rudiments of long-distance moving in a previous entry, including among them the importance of pre-planning, and proper long-haul packing techniques, but that’s far from all the necessary guidance. Here are some additional tips to make sure you’re completely covered during the process from beginning to end. After all, the longer you are in transit and the more convoluted the route, the more opportunities there are for things to go awry when you want them to go all right.
How To Prepare For Long Distance Move
- Calculate Expenses. Even when your move is a mere flit from one part of town to another, it’s good to know an approximate price for the process. This is even more important when the distance between your old and new home is far greater. It doesn’t need to be accurate down to the last per-centage point. Long-distance moves are costlier for obvious reasons, including the fact that you’ll need more man-hours from your movers. The idea in coming up with a figure is to avoid too many nasty surprises that push you over budget.
- Look into regulations. Alas, every country has its own array of rules and regs for incomers. It’s vital to know what you need to comply with when you take all your belongings from one country to another. Breaking rules, even unintentionally, means awful outcomes like possessions or vehicles being seized. Ignorance is no defence and won’t cut any ice. Far better to be fully informed and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ve ticked all the right boxes.
- Keep important documents separate. This advice stands even for short-distance moves. But with long-distance ones it’s crucial. There may be all sorts of junctures at which the presentation of certain documents is required. Having them to hand all the time is the only option.
- Make sure you have special packing materials – the kind that suffice for a quick move is not the same as the kind required for long-distance, although there is some overlap. Get boxes, blankets, bubble wrap, packing paper, heavy-duty tape, marker pens, furniture and mattress covers and anti-static bags (good for electronics that can’t handle static).
- Dust everything before the move. Think how much easier it will be to put all your things into their final resting place in your
