Moving to your new home is always challenging and it’s even more so when you’re about to move to a different country. If you happen to be familiar with the new location, then it’s a bit easier, but you still need to figure out moving your entire home across the world. And even if it’s not literally across the world – it usually feels that way. So here are some moving tips for expats, to help you start a new chapter in your life as easy as possible.

Try leaving behind as many things as possible

This is not a trip, where you take only your necessities, leave the rest at home and come back to it in a matter of days, weeks or even months. This time you need to take everything with you or take care of it another way. You’re most likely moving out of the old house, whether you’re about to sell it or just stop renting it. So what to do with all that stuff now?

One of the most important moving tips for expats tackles just that – the stuff you have. The golden rule is: try to take with you as little as possible. Yes, it’s not like you’re just traveling abroad for a week or two, you’re actually moving. But moving overseas usually means that transportation costs are quite high. Say you reside in Europe and are making a long distance move to New York – can you imagine what it would take to get all of your belongings to your new location?

Do this instead

Moving to your new home and especially moving abroad is a great chance to finally get rid of all the things you don’t actually need and to declutter. Ask yourself two questions when it comes to every single item you have:

• Is it necessary to keep it? Do I really need this?
• Is it necessary to take it with me? Would it be cheaper to take it instead of selling it and buying a new one when I’m there?

Ready, set, go!

If you answer any of these questions with no, it’s all clear. Think what’s the best way to deal with that particular item while you’re still at home. Then just buy a new one at your new location – or don’t even buy anything at all if you figure out you don’t even need it. Yes, we often have things at our homes we never need or use. We often actually have so many things we’ve completely forgotten about! This is a great chance to leave them all behind.

Sell, donate, toss out!

Gather all such things and decide what to do with them. You can sell, donate, handsel or just toss them out. As for selling, you can do it both online and offline, whatever is more convenient for you. It’s a great way to get rid of the things you don’t need and earn some extra cash along the way.

And if you still want to keep some things, but don’t want to take them with you, look for storage options in your area. Also check with your friends and family if they have some spare space you could use.

Consider hiring professional movers to help with packing

When it’s clear what you’re taking with you, you need to pack your belongings. It’s not such an easy task, especially if you’re packing to move. Consider hiring professional assistance to help you with that. If you’re moving to or from New York, Dynamic Movers NYC will be able to help you.

Here are some more moving tips, that is a few reasons to hire professional movers:

• Professional movers will pack your things more efficiently, which will eventually lower your transportation costs.
• It’s less likely that any of your belongings will end up damaged and if even that happens, there’s insurance.
• You will avoid a lot of stress and that’s priceless.

A professional moving company will also be able to help you with transportation and documentation needed for that process. Just ask for a precise quote for your relocation beforehand. Make sure you also check the regulations of the country you’re moving to. Some stuff may not be permitted even though they are in your home country or they may require additional paperwork.

Moving tips on how to put everything in order before you move

Before you move, you need to take care of the utilities you’ve been using at home and of some paperwork as well. So here are some moving tips on this one as well.

Pay a visit to your bank

Let your bank know that you’re moving. You don’t want to find yourself in a foreign country with no access to cash because your bank blocked your card after having found out it’s being used overseas. To make sure you avoid a situation like this, bring some cash with you anyway and at least two cards. Keep them separate, so even if one is lost or stolen you still have another one to rely on. Also make sure you have a card with no foreign transaction fees, unless you want to spend up to 5% per charge while overseas.

Don’t forget to cancel all the utilities you’ve been using so far

Electricity, water, gas, internet, any subscriptions… Make sure you cancel all these services so that you don’t end up paying for what you no longer use. Also unlock your phone as you’ll be using a local SIM card at your new location.

Double check your new resident country’s visa requirements

This is one of the most important moving tips out there for sure. Even if your company is sorting things out for you, it won’t hurt if you check for visa requirements yourself as well. You don’t want to get into a situation where you need some more paperwork done at the last minute.

There’s never too much information

This may come as common sense, yet its importance is often overlooked. People get so occupied by sorting things out at home that they eventually end up at their new location unprepared. Get as much info as possible upfront and spare yourself additional stress when you eventually move.