I have family that lives all over the world. You may not
know this but my dad lives in England and my cousin lives in Switzerland. He
moved there in 2008. I always remember my dad having a lot of stuff. He had
guitars, amps and just many odds and ends. I have flown a lot so I am very
familiar with how many suitcases and carry-on bags you can have on a flight. So, I
know he didn’t fly with all his stuff. Since you can’t drive to England,
regardless what a map program says, he had to figure out how to get all his
keepsakes to his new home. I know that he had a lot of things from my
grandparents and other family members. I doubt he sold all of his belongings to
go on this new adventure. His only option
was to use transloading to make sure his stuff made it safely. First he would
have to ship it to England in packing crates and then have them unpacked to
trucks to be delivered to his new home.
He could have mailed himself all of his belongings but that would have
been extremely expensive and there are limitations of what you can send through
the mail. There is also customs and more of a chance that his things could be
lost in transit. Things could get damaged. This way everything is all together and safe
to make it to its destination.
My dad used to also
have a couple really nice cars that he received from my grandpa. My Grandpa
Bill used to collect classic and exotic cars. He had a Ferrari that he gave to
my dad for example, I know that he wouldn’t have left those behind. Another thing to consider is when you move
somewhere across the world you might not have a permanent residence yet. You
might start out in an apartment until you find a home you like. You may need
extra storage that your apartment cannot provide. If you are moving there for
good, it makes more sense to send your stuff, so if you need something you can
access it. Asking friends and family to hold on to your things can be an inconvenient
and if they move, they have to also move your things. You may not think you
will need something, until it’s thousands of miles away where you can’t get it.
Then you are stuck with asking whoever is hanging on to the item you need to
mail it to you. I personally believe it’s best to have everything in the same
country that you reside in, ideally somewhere close. Be sure to find a
reputable company that will take great care of your stuff. Look for a company with specialized equipment,
proper knowledge and experience. The handler is usually has to pay for any
damages but sometimes money cannot replace your memories. You don’t want to
have to worry about your household goods while you are relocating to a new
country.
