Moving overseas

[katiegud]

I'm going to be moving from Nebraska to Leeds, so I need advice on coordinating this! Anyone have good experience with a moving company? What should I bring and what should I get rid of? Any tips?

[fuzzylogician]

This has been discussed many times in the past. Here are a few old threads to get you started. I just searched in the Officially Grads forum. I'm sure there are other relevant threads in other forums, but I don't have the time to check right now. 

 

[katiegud]

Thanks for those, but they are all for North American moves. We've moved throughout the US several times, so it's the ocean part that is concerning. 

[fuzzylogician]

Having moved across an ocean myself, a lot of this advice seems relevant to me. It's not that different, except it's even more advisable than if you were just moving in the US to not drag along any furniture, unless someone is paying for you to ship it. Selling/giving it away and buying new stuff will be cheaper and easier. 

[maelia8]

I have moved overseas three times, so here are my tips for you (gathered through some [painful] experience):

 

Bottom Line: If it doesn't fit it two large suitcases, you don't need it.

 

Aside from basic clothes, shoes, and any special medications, you can leave it at home. Books, furniture, even specialized seasonal clothing (such as heavy winter gear if you're moving somewhere colder) can be bought there, and will be better suited to the place you buy them in.

 

You don't need your CDs, your posters, or any electronic devices besides your laptop, tablet if applicable, and your phone (and unless that phone is a smartphone you're very attached to, you're better off leaving it at home and buying a cheap local phone and loadable chip card for service).

 

You will also buy souvenirs and clothes there, so if possible, leave extra space in your suitcase for the next time you move unless you plan on throwing half your clothes away the next time you have to pack up. 

 

Don't bring toiletries or personal hygiene products - they just take up space and will be used up in the blink of an eye anyway. 

 

Don't bother shipping any furniture or special sporting gear - try to rent, borrow, or get that stuff through freesharing groups (when I moved to Germany I got almost all of my furniture for free through a freesharing group for students, including lamps, a bureau, a bed and mattress, and a table).

 

Don't bring extra pairs of shoes, because they just take up space in your luggage, and who really "needs" more than five pairs of shoes anyway? I brought one pair of hiking boots, one pair of everyday lace-up close-toed shoes, one pair of sandals, one pair of dressy high heels, and one pair of nice leather "office-appropriate" shoes, and that's been enough for me these two years.

 

Make sure you remember to bring any medications, including non-prescription stuff that might be hard to get in the country you're going to (some countries have stricter rules about painkillers than the USA, and you can't buy a huge bottle of ibuprofen off the shelf). 

 

Good luck with your overseas move, I hope it's not too stressful