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Moving internationally is certainly a life-changing experience. Some of us may be relocating as part of a career move, while others may be seeking new opportunities or experiences abroad. Regardless of the reason, moving overseas requires thorough planning and organization. One of the most stressful aspects of planning an international move is not knowing where to begin or where to go for answers.

 
With the help of an International Moving Specialist, you can reduce the stress involved with moving and enjoy the excitement of this new experience. Whether you’re moving to Brussels or Bangkok, the following suggestions should point you in the right direction and help you put together your game plan for a smooth international move.
 
Do Your Research By learning everything you can about your new country, you can best prepare your family for becoming acclimated to your new surroundings. Your local library is an obvious but often overlooked place to begin your research. Your library (or local bookstore) will have plenty of resources to learn more about your new country, its customs, and language. If English is not spoken in your new country, are your language skills good enough to get by? (more…)

Moving to a new home is a hectic task. With all the activities happening around all the time even a skilled planner tends to forget the important issues. To not to forget the easily forgettable, here is a list of The 10 Most Forgotten Items in a Move for you. Having this handy checklist with you during the move really safes you from a lot of inconvenience.

 
1.Health Records: Get the medical and dental records for everyone in the family. Don’t forget to get the veterinary records for your pets. After all they are also part of the family. Isn’t it? Be sure to have records of all vaccines and immunizations before you leave. In certain cases notarized letter may be necessary. The details about the requirements can be had from American Medical Records Association.
 
2.School Records: Your child’s permanent school records are important documents to move on with. To enroll in the new school they are necessary. Often copies of the records are not sufficient. Proof of documents with official seal on them is a must have.
 
3.Phone Book: Pack your phone book. You may presume that you remember some frequently used phone numbers. But presumptions do fail sometimes. So it is better to carry the phone book along. It would safe you from directory enquiry expenses. (more…)

BE SURE - Moving can be extremely stressful, be as certain as you can be that it’s the right move for you before you go. If possible visit the country before you make up your mind, don’t rely on other people’s impressions. Ask yourself if the new culture will really suit you (and your family). BE PREPARED - …For anything and everything to go wrong. Don’t assume that you’ll be able to find the perfect job or house immediately. If possible make sure you’ve got enough money to see you through the first couple of months at the very least (preferably longer). And to do that you’ll need to…

BUDGET - As unglamorous as it sounds, good budgeting could be what makes the difference between a successful relocation and a disaster. Before you go, work out what everything is going to cost during those crucial first months when you’re trying to find your feet in a foreign land. (more…)

‘Culture shock’ is a term used in differing contexts, occasionally with different meanings. However, when used with reference to relocation it refers to the process of coming to understand and adapt to differences in culture manifest through daily interaction and situations.

Culture shock is a process that affects people of different walks of life. EFL teachers, managers, sportsmen and children all deal with culture shock as part of international relocation. Learning to recognise it and its effects is a useful means of minimising any negative side-effects of relocation.

Relocation abroad is a huge step. The changes and contrasts in the simple things such as the language, food, TV, weather, shopping and socialising are only a small part of the relocation process and culture shock. It is often the deeper differences in customs, mentality, world view and interpersonal interaction that have a more profound effect.

Experts have identified varying stages of culture shock. The most common stages of culture shock one faces with relocation abroad are: (more…)

Being in a safe community is one of the most important factors that buyers consider when purchasing a home, condo or any other type of real estate. So where are America’s most secure places to live? The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies has released its third annual ranking of top 20 ‘Most Secure U.S. Places to Live’.

Bert Sperling, a database expert with http://bestplaces.net, compiled the Farmers rankings based on data from 379 U.S. municipalities. Factors such as crime statistics, unemployment rates and risks of environmental hazards, terrorism threats, natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, were taken into consideration.

The communities were divided into three groups – large metropolitan areas (above 500,000 residents), mid-size cities (between 150,000 and 500,000 residents), and small towns (fewer than 150,000 residents).

According to the survey, the most secure community to live in the U.S. among large metropolitan areas are the adjacent communities of Boise City and Nampa (both in Idaho), which topped all large metro areas. Located among the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the area has one of the lowest unemployment rates and enjoys a wonderful climate.

Among the Mid-size cities, those with a population between 150,000 and 500,000, the safest community to live is Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces was the first among mid-size cities in low unemployment rate and favorable climate categories.

St. George in Utah topped all small cities with populations of 150,000 or fewer in the survey. The city has 110,515 residents who enjoy a mild climate, clean air and low annual precipitation. It also has the lowest crime rates of all the 379 communities surveyed. St. George stands first in employment rate among the 138 small towns in the Farmers study.

The following are top 20 communities of America’s most secure places to live among large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns:

The top 20 safest communities to live among the large metro areas are:

1. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 2. Portland-South Portland-Biddeford, Maine 3. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada 4. Honolulu, Hawaii 5. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California (more…)

Moving can be a costly and stressful experience. The moving tips below can help you save money when hiring a moving company as well as make your move go more smoothly. 1.) Get rid of items that you no longer use and have been storing for a long period of time, especially if the items are bulky. Consider having a garage sale or donating these items. Often the cost of packing and moving these items is greater than their value. If you have furniture that is quite old and in poor condition, it may make more sense to apply the money you save by not moving these items towards the purchase of new furniture.

2.) Do a good job of packing. If you have a lot of items that are not packed or are improperly packed, this will significantly increase the amount of time it takes to complete your move as well as risk damage to you property.

3.) Your move will proceed much more quickly if you are organized. Have the path that the movers will use to load your property clear, including the hallways inside of your residence as well as stairways and sidewalks outside of your residence. Having your boxes stacked together roughly 4 ft high can also allow the movers to move more quickly. If you do this, you should place the heavier boxes on the bottom of the stack and place the boxes that are the same size on top of each other.

4.) Check your parking area to see if there is a good spot for the movers to park to load your property more quickly. If ramps are available in the parking area, consider a path where the movers do not have to roll the dollies over a curb. If possible reserve a spot by parking in it and then move your vehicle when the movers arrive. In an apartment complex, if the movers will park along the back of a row of cars, open up a spot so that the movers do not have to move your stuff though a tight space between cars. (more…)

Probably the most important question and possibly the hardest to answer is “is this the right thing to do”? This, of course, is the question only YOU can answer and it depends a lot on your family. If you’re single then there are your parents, siblings, and other close family and friends you may miss who have to be informed. If your married (or separated) with a family then it’s a totally different scenario. If your kids are old enough to understand then they have to be fully informed and you have to listen to them. Both partners need to be 100% committed to the idea – a half hearted attempt or negative attitude will make the transition even harder.

This is a deeply personal subject and we experienced it first hand. Before we had kids we had visited Canada and I wanted to go for it – my wife wasn’t sure and didn’t want to leave her parents. About 3 years later after another visit to a different part of the country everything changed, we had a son and the town that was visited was everything we had dreamed of to raise our kids. The lifestyle available was vastly superior to the way we were living and obtainable by ordinary people. My wife came back to the UK and announced that she was 100% behind a move and we set the ball rolling straight away – the rest they say is history!!!!

So, once you are all in agreement, then you are past the first step. The real “fun” starts here!! (more…)

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