If you are planning to move abroad, then of course you will need to transport your belongings to your new home. In another blog post, we have already given you planning tips for international moves. But to make sure everything goes smoothly, you should also know how to pack your moving boxes properly.
If you pack your boxes ahead of time, you’ll ease a lot of work and stress during the move. As we say over and over again in our posts, good preparation for the move is worth its weight in gold. To help you know what to look for when filling your boxes, check out this article for some helpful packing tips for international moves.
Pack the boxes yourself
If you are packing your boxes yourself, then there are some things you should definitely consider. This is especially important if you are having your belongings transported by a moving company.
If you decide to hire a professional moving company, then you should label your boxes accordingly. This will also help them know which box to put in which room.
However, you should keep in mind that the employees cannot know which room you want to use as a bedroom or as a living room. However, you can prevent this from happening by putting a note on the room door with tape. On this you write the room name. In addition, especially with international moving companies, there is no guarantee that the movers will speak your language. Therefore, we recommend that you write in English as a priority.
Advantages and disadvantages of packing boxes yourself
There are a number of reasons why you should pack your boxes yourself. In this part of our article, you will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. We will go into these in a little more detail in this point.
Advantages
When you pack your moving boxes yourself, you can also write on the boxes what is inside. Then, when you need a specific item, you won’t have to rummage through a bunch of boxes. Instead, you simply read what’s inside the box and can quickly find a cooking pot, for example, when you want to cook something.
Besides, you will save yourself some money if you do the work of packing yourself. Because if a moving company takes over this activity, you also pay a corresponding price for this extra service. The more work this requires, the deeper you will have to dig into your wallet. If you pack yourself, you won’t incur these costs.
Disadvantages
However, there are not only positive sides to packing your boxes yourself. This is because the moving company’s insurance only covers damage to boxes that the employees have packed themselves. This means that if there is any damage in transit, you will be on the hook for it.
If you decide to pack your boxes yourself, you should also take out transport insurance for this very reason. Again, this will cost a little more money, but still less than having the moving company do this for you. In addition, it is better if you have insurance for transport damage in the event of damage after all.
How to pack your boxes properly
To avoid problems when packing and unpacking your boxes, you should proceed systematically. If you pack in an orderly manner, you will get significantly more things into your box than if you just throw everything in blindly.
It is best to start packing the first moving boxes early on. For this purpose, objects that you do not need every day are mainly suitable. This includes books and CDs, for which you should also use a separate box. There are even special book boxes for them. You can save even more space by placing the books on edge in your box.
You should carefully wrap fragile items such as dishes. This way it is better protected, in case of bumps then not all plates will break immediately. You will have even more security if you put a bubble wrap on top at the end before you close the box.
Also, make sure that the moving boxes are not too heavy. Sure, you’ll have to walk less, but in return, your boxes won’t be as easy to carry. In the end, you will even need more breaks and loading and unloading the van will take longer.
Have a moving company pack the boxes for you.
Instead of relying on our packing tips for international moves, you can instead hire your chosen moving company to do it for you. If you choose to do this, you will save yourself a lot of work and can rely on the experience of the company’s employees.
However, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages here as well. We would now like to discuss these as well.
Advantages
If you have your boxes packed by a moving company, then you can use your time for much more pleasant things. For example, instead of packing boxes yourself, you can go out for a drink with your friends. This is guaranteed to be more fun than packing your boxes at home for the move abroad.
In addition, you will not have to take out additional transport insurance. If the employees of a moving company pack your boxes for you, then the insurance of this company covers a certain damage value.
Disadvantages
There are certain downsides to this as well. Probably the most obvious disadvantage is that you will, of course, pay significantly more for this service.
Moreover, the moving company’s insurance does not cover the entire value of your possessions. Instead, it covers a certain value. Valuables, important documents and objects that have a high emotional value for you should be transported by yourself.
In addition, you can rely on the experience of the employees. But you should also keep in mind that they probably have a different system of organization than you do. So if you don’t pack your own boxes, you lose some of the control. Just because you pack your pan and your plates in the same box doesn’t mean the professionals from the moving company will.
These were our packing tips for international moves. Now you know whether you would rather pack your boxes yourself or hire a professional moving company to do it for you. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, which you should definitely consider when making your decision.