Your Guide A Guide to Shipping For the majority of people, a domestic move is more familiar than an overseas move. Both can be testing times for you; however it is important to remember that proper planning is essential to a successful move. To simplify this process, we have outlined a brief guide as an indication of what to expect. Planning It is imperative to contact us approximately three to six months prior to your proposed removal date. This is primarily to aid us in providing a valid removal quote and to confirm your packing crew in advance. During this time, you may need to sell your property or provide notice to your landlord, apply for relevant visas, arrange medicals or simply wrap up any loose ends in the UK . De-Clutter When it comes to decide whether or not to ship things, you must be ruthless! Ask yourself: do I really need it? Have I used it in the past year? Could someone else benefit from it? What could I survive without until I am settled overseas? When you clear your property of the things you will not need, there will be a lot more space and positive energy. Additionally, de-cluttering will also save on your removal costs as these will not be shipped. Rather than throw everything away, it is worthwhile to consider donating items to charity shops, sell them on eBay or Gumtree or simply pass them onto friends. If you do re-coup money for de-cluttered items this can also go towards paying for your move. Free Estimates If you would like to know a general figure of cost, please complete and return our removals checklist by email. Alternatively, as part of our service and commitment of excellence to you, we offer complimentary pre-move surveys for which you are under no obligation! This enables us to understand what you intend to ship, allowing us to provide a quote based on your removal requirements. Both parties are then in a much better position should you wish to proceed with your move. Air Freight If you only have a few items to send overseas, then perhaps you should consider sending them by air freight. Not only will this service probably save you time, it may even be a more cost-effective method of transport. We have a global network of agents spanning all five continents in over 100 countries. With this service there is no need to utilise our boxes - simply ensure that each item weighs no more than 30 kilos and that it is clearly marked with your name, reference number and respective destination. If you do require boxes, then call us to make the necessary arrangements. Shared (Groupage) Container or Sole Use Container Depending on which destination you intend to ship to, there is a cut off point whereby it is more cost effective to have all of your household effects packed and shipped in their own sole use container. Usually this is around 20 to 23 cubic meters within a 20 foot container and about 40-50 cubic meters in a 40 foot container. By default, if you have less than these volumes, your effects will be returned to our warehouse and loaded in the next available groupage container. Moving with Children Moving is without doubt one of the hardest experiences for a child to go through. Regardless of whether your children are the most outgoing and sociable creatures, they will still have to get used to a totally new environment whilst developing a new social circle of friends. Therefore it is especially important to ensure that they are involved at all stages and settled as quickly as possible at destination. Taking many creature comforts and familiar items will assist with their acclimatisation. Also, speak with your travel agent or airline and check your baggage allowance. When emigrating, you may be entitled to take more on the plane. Moving Pets If you have any pets who will emigrate with you, Global Relocations will be more than happy to recommend the services of professional pet movers. Storage If you require any length of storage, either prior to departure or upon arrival at destination, Global Relocations will be able to accommodate this service for you. We offer containerised storage within a modern, secure warehouse. At Destination Upon arrival at your respective destination there are many things that you will need to arrange before taking delivery of your shipment. Ideally, whilst making these arrangements your shipment will arrive at the destination port of entry where our agent is able to collect it, clear it through customs and either hold it in their bonded warehouse or schedule a delivery time and date. Our global network of accredited agents spans across all five continents in over 120 countries. They have been carefully selected by us as they have similar high standards of quality and service whilst offering peace of mind, in that they carry the necessary accreditations of either FIDI (the International Federation of Furniture Removers) or Household Goods Forwarders Association of America Inc. Copyright © 2008 Global Relocations. All Rights Reserved. International | Europe | Car | Articles | Press Release | Resources | Sitemap Shipping from UK | Shipping from UK to USA | Moving to America from UK Website by Web Design London friends and family