How to Pack When Moving Overseas
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Are you planning to move overseas with your company? Or is your expat assignment coming to an end and it’s time to move on? You’re feeling sad, happy, anxious and excited all at the same time. I feel you; I’ve been in your shoes. 4 times! Houston - Angola, Angola - Houston, Houston - Argentina and Argentina - Austin! On top of feeling and giving space to your emotions, you also have to prepare to move!
If you’re moving internationally with your company they should pay for a moving company to pack you up and transport your goods back to your home country if you are repatriating or to your expat destination.
While you will have movers do all the heavy lifting for you (actual packing) believe me, there is still a lot for you to do before the packing can begin!
Contact w/ Shipping Company
Initial Contact
When the shipping company contacts you they will likely ask you to fill out an inventory of all your items and their value (cost). Be sure to be very detailed with all your furniture and large important pieces.
This serves two purposes. First, they will get an idea of the size shipment you will have. Second and more importantly, this will be the document you refer to in case anything gets damaged during transport. For example, let’s say a glass vase arrived at your new destination broken. You and the moving company would reference the inventory you filled out and the value you listed. Then the value you listed would be returned to you.
Walk Through
The shipping company will now want to do a walk through of the items to be packed. This will help them determine how many days it will take them to pack up your home (typically 1-4 days).
The first time we moved overseas in 2014, we had a company representative come and walk through our home to get an idea of how much time was needed to pack and load the shipping container. But in 2020, we did a virtual consultation where we walked around our apartment on a Zoom call. Either way, be prepared to have a representative evaluate your goods before setting a packing date.
Valuable Items
Be sure to note to the shipping company representative what items you want to be put in a wooden crate for extra protection. Mirrors, TV’s, and large wooden figurines from Africa were items we chose for extra protection.
Pack Date
Once the inventory sheet and a walk through have been completed, a pack date will be set. These are the dates the movers will come to your home to pack everything up.
2. Prepare for the Movers
There are different types of shipments your company could provide you with. The three most common are hand luggage, air shipment and a sea or ground shipment.
Hand Luggage
This is for anything you can fit into suitcases and bring with you on the plane. Some companies will give you an extra allowance to cover airlines fees if you go over the allotment.
When we moved to both Angola and Argentina, we took way over the free luggage limit so that we would have more comfort items with us when we arrived. However, on the way back home (repartiating) we stuck to the airline limits - 3 bags each in business class plus 2 carry-ons. Trust me, we maximized that luggage space! These carry-ons bags have so much space! When we were in Angola, we used these duffle bags all the time to check-in. We were able to fit so much in these. They’re less expensive but hold up great. See pics of them at the bottom of this page…
Before the movers show up at your home to pack you up, you’ll want to have anything you’re planning to take in your suitcases in a separate area, set aside. Like really put them aside. You don’t want the movers to mistake your items and pack them away in boxes.
When I was packing up in Argentina, I separated the items I wanted to take in our luggage into a closet that had nothing else in it and taped off the area so the movers knew not to pack anything in there.
In your hand luggage, you’ll want to include things you will need immediately upon arrival. This could include:
Majority of your clothes (use these Ziploc bags)which vacuum the air out so you can fit more in your suitcase). Consider the season of where you’re moving. If winter is about to start, maybe you can put your shorts in the sea shipment to leave room in your suitcase for other items.
Electronics - laptops, ipads, kindles, headphones, camera, etc. These items will need to go in your carry-on bags.
Kitchen tools you use daily. We packed a frother, quality cutting knives and our favorite cooking pan.
Random items you use daily such as an alarm clock (currently on sale!), noise machine, prescriptions, workout shoes, etc.
Items very special to you. You are limited by size however if you have special photos or small momentos take them with you so you don’t risk losing/breaking them on the shipment. We have a small tea set we purchased in Beijing that we always take on the plane with us when moving. It’s too precious for us to risk in the shipment.
Air Shipment
An air shipment is something companies typically give you to help you get a few important larger items to your destination quicker than a sea shipment. They will normally designate a container size that you have to keep your goods within (ours was about 6’x4’). The container is transported by a cargo plane and typically takes 4-6 weeks to arrive at your destination.
The moving company will be packing these items but you’ll want to keep them in a designated spot so your air shipment and sea shipment goods aren’t confused. When preparing for the movers, I like to place duct tape on the ground to outline the size of the container. We will then fill it with things we’d like quicker than the sea shipment.
For our air shipment, we included many more of our cooking items like pots/pans, utensils, bowls, plates and silverware. Also, photo frames and other mementos to make our house more “homey” while we await our sea shipment, the majority of our shoes, dog beds, etc. You get the picture...items that are important but you could live a few weeks without.
Finally, when the movers arrive, make sure you tell the leader what the designated area is for. You should also create a sign (in English and the local language) in case not everybody on the moving crew got the message.
Sea/Ground Shipment
These are goods you own that are too large to take with you in your luggage and air shipment or things that you will not need right away. Once you’ve designated what goes in your luggage and air shipments, there’s not much to do with the sea shipments since it’s simply everything that’s leftover!
Ours included furniture, exercise machines, ski clothes, blankets, pillows, TV, eating dishes, outdoor furniture...you get the idea.
Remember, these items could take up to 6 months to arrive at your new destination. That is a worst case scenario timeline but our Angola shipment found its way to Denmark instead of Houston and was delayed an extra 3 months. It left Angola in November 2017 and arrived in Buenos Aires in June 2018! So it does happen. Our shipment from Houston to Buenos Aires was estimated to take 8 weeks and it took 18 weeks to arrive. Be sure not to put anything in your sea shipment that you will need/want right away.
Hot Tip - Drink Station
With our latest move, we set up a drink station for the packing team. In the past, we’ve had crew members come up to us all day asking for a glass of water. So this time, I set up a station just for them. I set out about 20 throw away plastic cups and 4 large containers of water. It was so helpful for them to have a space to not only get drinks but put their personal items too like cell phones, backpacks and jackets. Try it - it will help the whole packing day(s) go more smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Finally, before the movers complete their packing, be sure you go through all your nooks and crannies, drawers and closets to ensure everything was packed. You’ve probably been living in your home for a while and you don’t want anything to get missed!
Congratulations! You’ve made it through packing for an international move!!
I know packing to move overseas can be a logistical nightmare but if you follow the tips and processes in this blog I promise you will feel and be more prepared and your international packing will go as smoothly as it can.
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