5 Must-Have Packing Tips for Long Distance Moves

Few things in life can be as exciting as moving your life to another country, which is equally terrifying. It is the very definition of turning a new leaf. You pack your things and leave everything you know behind to start a new life in a different country. It’s actually pretty overwhelming if you think about it, and the level of commitment and courage it takes to do that is impressive. While a lot goes into such a step, the most complicated angle will be the actual moving out process and the packing. These tips will help you approach the matter without losing your sanity.

Create an inventory

Moving your life to a distant location is rather complicated, and packing for that step can be quite cumbersome and exhausting. This is why you need to create a thorough inventory of your current household’s property, all of them. You need to divide your current belongings into certain categories: things that will travel with you, items that you will give to friends or family, and clutter/junk that will get thrown away because you have no need for them. This will help you ensure that nothing important gets left behind during the move, and it will just make your life much easier.

Establish a timeline

The order is the one thing that will make the packing and moving process smooth. Just as you created an inventory to easily pack your valuables, you need to also establish a timeline. Things tend to get pretty hectic over the last few weeks before you travel, and you need a schedule to keep you sane and ensure that you don’t forget other pressing matters. For example, set a date by which you’ll have created an inventory, another for getting rid of all the items you won’t be needing, and one by which you’ll have packed everything you are going to take with you. It’s this level of discipline that makes the move simple and organized.

Find a removal company

This is the tricky part. It goes without saying that you can’t possibly move your items overseas on your own, and one way or another, you will need to hire a moving company. You really need to be careful with the kind of company you hire, because long distance moves, especially international removals can be complicated and they require a certain level of experience and competence. So, take your time researching possible candidates until you can find people with the right credentials. The plus side is, those moving companies will help you with the packing, and they come with their own boxes and bubble wrap, so they even save you the trouble/money by getting the packing materials.

Organize your belongings

While the right moving company will do all the packing for you, it’s imperative that you are there to supervise the entire process for one very important reason. You need to organize your belongings in the boxes that will be travelling hundreds of miles. Keeping fragile items together, and with extra wrapping, is important and will protect them, and organizing the boxes in general makes it much easier for you to unpack once you’ve reached your destination. You definitely have to label the boxes as well, which will also make the entire unpacking process a little less annoying.

Consider getting an insurance

While this isn’t directly related to packing, it is a very important step of your entire moving out process. The items you’ll be taking with you are going to be your most valued possessions, from that antique piano to that modern TV. And you need to be sure that nothing could happen to them, but even the best movers out there run into unfortunate situations. This is why it might be a good idea to consider getting your items insured. They’ll be travelling for a very long distance, and a lot could happen before they reach their final destination. Chances are your moving company already has some sort of coverage, but it rarely is 100%. So, getting a full coverage is definitely worth considering to ensure you’ll get reimbursed for any hiccups that might happen during the long distance move.

The most important thing to keep in mind while taking this step is staying on your timeline. It is going to get quite overwhelming at one point or the other, but having a fixed schedule will help you make sense of things. Today you’ll continue packing the boxes, tomorrow is labelling, the day after is getting different quotes from removal companies, and so on. The more methodical you are with a long distance move, the smoother it will be.