All relocations require a lot of planning and organising to make things go as smoothly as possible. For international removals, things get far more complicated where the distance between locations becomes a factor. If you don’t use a reputable moving company, you might end up having to use multiple service providers. And this can lead to things going wrong if there isn’t a consistent level of oversight and coordination.
You can’t skip any details because cutting corners will lead to problems later. Fortunately, you can solve everything by working with London’s favourite company for European and international removals. Aussie Man & Van has an unbeatable range of services, and we specialise in relocations to Europe and beyond. We’ll go through the five pillars of moving overseas in this blog.
1: Plan Ahead and Start Researching Early –
There are various arguments for and against putting in the extra preparation work. Some will say they don’t have time to plan things in detail and will do a majority of the work in the final two weeks. Others know from experience that preparing early is crucial for a successful relocation. That’s because you’re giving yourself more time to organise and deal with any problems that arise.
Research is another task that will take up a considerable amount of your time, and it’s essential when moving overseas. You’re entering into a completely new culture, set of customs, and most likely, a new language. Furthermore, you’ll have documentation and applications to take into account, which includes visas and arranging where you’ll live.
You’ll need to be aware of the exact requirements for your entry, and you can’t breeze over this. There are plenty of articles and advice online you can start reading today, but it’s also a good idea to find a specialist if you have any concerns. Let’s start with how to create and use a moving checklist and why you need to work with a reliable removals company.
2: Get Organised and Create a Moving Checklist –
We’re now going to put some action in place with a practical task that you should start today. Your moving checklist is an overview of your entire relocation that consists of every task. Whenever you lose focus, you can refer to it if you’re unsure what action to take next. You can read Aussie’s moving checklist here and adapt it to include any relevant points to your relocation.
Here’s an overview of each duty you’ll need to cover:
- Compile a list of every task for your relocation.
- Use a blank calendar to create a timeline.
- Plan tasks from your checklist and assign them per week on the calendar.
- Research removals companies and seek three separate quotes.
- Check their online ratings on Google and Trustpilot.
- Balance their average ratings and costs to choose the most suitable company.
- Book your relocation to Europe with Aussie.
- Contact utility providers and council to relay departure details and dates.
- Go through this blog again to research and arrange visas.
- Start learning the new language and research more about your new location.
- Double-check each point two weeks before your move.
Overseas moves require more planning and execution than typical relocations in London or the UK. We suggest breaking the larger tasks into smaller chunks to make things easier. Use your moving checklist with a blank calendar to set up a moving timeline. You can assign tasks to each week, and you’ll know the exact time until your moving day.
You should also input specific points relevant to your family, like healthcare, education, and employment. Remember that booking a reliable company like Aussie Man & van will give you the upper hand. We’ll help with any preparation points and send you reminders and prompts to ensure you don’t forget any important tasks. You won’t find a better level of international removals service in London.
3: Prepare the Necessary Paperwork and Visas –
You’ll need to apply for a visa before arranging flights or putting money towards accommodation if you’re arranging either of them. The last thing you want is to have issues when you arrive at immigration. You can read UK government guidelines here to give you some context about your responsibilities. But it’s also worth looking for an agent who specialises in visa applications.
Visas differ between visiting, permanent residence, and work purposes, and there might be subcategories for each one. If you’re relocating for work purposes through your employer, liaise with the HR department and have them also deal with property simultaneously. There might have employment restrictions for specific visas, so go through the conditions in detail.
You need to apply while you’re in the UK; it can’t do this when you arrive. It’s good to put together a list with details of the UK consulate in the new city and other valuable contacts. Expand the contact list to include the people who are organising your accommodation – you don’t want to be left stranded when you land.
4: Don’t Forget to Budget for Moving Expenses –
It’s crucial that you set a budget for your relocation to cover every cost. This should include the fee for your removals service and storage if the latter is applicable. We mention self storage because it forms part of your backup plan in the event you have a delay in moving dates. It’s rare, but it does happen, so it’s better to know the costs. Then add in flights, paperwork, and shipping where relevant.
You should also have an emergency amount when you arrive in your new country. It’s tricky to know how much things will cost until you’re there, not to mention the possible unforeseen costs that crop up. Even with the best planning, problems still happen, and we can’t control everything. If you can’t move into the property straight away, you’ll need temporary accommodation.
If you experience a delay, you don’t want to be stranded overseas with no available funds. It’s always necessary to have a contingency in place to cover every angle. By doing this, you’ll have peace of mind that you have a plan of action if something unexpected occurs.
5: Research Your New City and Learn the Language –
To make this a successful move, you need to Integrate into the customs and culture of your new country and city, town, or village. The reality is that many people return to the UK due to failure to do this. Start learning the language and researching important cultural information now. This will give you a head start, but the insight into their customs should also make things more exciting.
You’ll learn more when you’re there and hear spoken daily but having basic conversational skills will help. This is useful for asking for directions, the time, grocery shopping, meeting, and greeting your neighbours and locals. You can then ease yourself into the neighbourhood, and the locals will appreciate your efforts. You’ll endear yourself to the community by taking their customs seriously.
You can download several language learning apps for all mobile and computer devices. They’re relatively cheap, and you can learn at your own pace, with plenty of additional resources. If you need a more structured environment, you’ll find plenty of adult learning classes throughout London and online tutors.
Balance Excellent Customer Service and Affordability –
From our many years of providing removals and storage for people, we know that most issues occur when people try and leave the planning until the last week. Due to the extra steps for European and international moves, it becomes impossible to do certain tasks that late. It’s even worse when people decide to try and undertake the relocation and removal themselves.
Trying to do this to save money will increase stress levels and might cause irreversible damage to belongings when in transit or loading the van. Your costs will then go up if you have any significant breakages when en route or when you start unpacking the vehicle. You should also be aware that your insurance provider might insist on using a professional moving company. If you ignore this, it could void your insurance policy.
It’s a good idea to check Google and Trustpilot to vet any prospective moving company and see their average rating. You can see what type of service you’ll receive by reading written testimonials from previous customers. And you can see our ratings and testimonials here. Aussie has BAR accreditation and a Quality Policy in place to protect your interests.
Aussie Man & Van excels in customer care and service delivery, and that’s why we relocate hundreds of people to Europe every year. We’re a five-star removals provider with decades of experience. When you book your upcoming relocation with us, your possessions are in safe hands. We’ll update you at every point in the journey as we get closer to the final destination.
Aussie Man & Van – London’s Top European Removals Company –
Aussie is London’s favourite removals company because of our ‘can-do’ ethos that we apply to every job. We can provide you with the best European removals service that safeguards your belongings at every stage. We’ll assist with shipping and documentation requirements for international relocations. We’ll add packing to your package if you’re struggling with time.
We place customer service at the forefront of every service we offer. This provides assurances of the highest level of customer service available. The Aussie team have decades’ worth of experience, and we have thousands of European and international relocations under our belt. People know us by our high standard of service, and many of our jobs are done via referrals from happy customers.
Click here, and we’ll begin assessing your relocation overseas. You’ll then receive a full breakdown of the most suitable removal service, including a free quotation.
