What to Pack in Your Sea Shipment when Moving Overseas

If your company gives you a shipment, please take full advantage. I understand not everyone will receive a sea or air shipment if they move overseas on their own but most companies do provide this benefit. A sea or air shipment is a great way to take additional things from your home to make your new country feel more comfortable while you are living there.

Typically the company wants you to have your own furniture and household goods so you’ll feel more at home in your new location, which will in turn make you a more productive employee for them. This article will give you an outline of how to prepare for and what to pack in your shipment. 

Below are pictures from our shipment deliveries in Angola, Argentina and Houston.

Be sure to download my free packing checklist that includes everything you need to pack when moving abroad!

Remember Timing

You will not receive your shipment from several weeks up to months after you arrive at your new location. The amount of time can really vary depending on location. My sea shipment to Angola from Texas, USA arrived 10 weeks after us, which was actually pretty fast. The typical shipment arrival took around 4 months. In Argentina, we waited 14 weeks; That shipment went from Angola to Texas to Argentina. Make sure you don’t put anything in your shipment that you will need/want for that amount of time.

Think Long-Term with Your Shipment

If you’re planning on being away for 2+ years, think about what you’ll need/want 2 or 3 years from now. I don’t have children but I am friends with expat wives that plan for their kids' needs while preparing their shipment as well. What size clothes will your kids wear in 1 year? Or what toys will they want to play with a year from now?  In many countries, you won’t be able to find typical American toys, especially quality wise. Maybe you have a baby now, but she will soon be a toddler that will enjoy playing with large building blocks. Consider Christmas too. Will your shipment arrive in time for Santa to leave a bicycle under the tree? Put that bike in your shipment! 

What is Important in your Everyday Living

Exercising is important to Andrew and I so we put a new water rower in our last shipment. We knew we probably wouldn’t have access to a gym in Argentina and we wanted to be sure we had some at-home exercise options. In Angola, we purchased a treadmill off an expat that was leaving. 

What will the seasons in your new location be like? Very cold? Put your shorts in the shipment since you won’t need them right away. Tropical? Then put your winter clothes in the shipment. 

I also enjoy baking and good kitchen tools can be difficult to find in more remote locations. I like to include things like a nice blender, slow cooker, food processor and bakeware. But make sure you don’t bring bakeware that is too large to fit in your new oven! Generally speaking US ovens are much larger than the ones you’ll find overseas. I have some dishes that I haven’t been able to use in 6 years because they won’t fit! 

Visualize Your New Home 

Will you have a large tiled living room? If so, maybe you’ll want to include a large plush rug in your shipment for your kids to play on. Does your new home have large windows? Then consider packing privacy curtains. A lot of compound homes around the world can be quite large. Maybe in your new home you will have rooms or space that you don’t currently have. If you’ll have a large backyard it might be a nice idea to put an outdoor furniture set in your shipment. On the other hand, if you’re moving to a smaller apartment, instead of including extra furniture I would include space saving items like extra shelves, wall hooks or a pull out sofa. 

Tip: When your company notifies you that your shipment has arrived in customs, get the contact information for the individual handling everything on the ground in-country. When your shipment arrives, reach out to them, be extra friendly and build a rapport. And continue following up until they let you know when the shipment will be delivered to your home. This technique helped me shave off several weeks delivery time when we were in Angola. If the person sitting at the dock can put a certain shipment to a friendly voice, they are more likely to get it delivered faster than others. 

Packing your air/sea shipment can be a large task but if you keep these points in mind while purchasing items and preparing your house for packing, I assure you the process will be easier. Once you receive your shipment a few months later in your new country you’ll be so excited and you will thank yourself for having taken the time to think ahead and plan. 

Now that you have your shipment packing taken care of, be sure to check out my article on what to pack in your plane luggage.