Moving Abroad Checklist
Moving Abroad Checklist
How do you go about getting rid of 15+ years worth of accumulated stuff? How do you decide what to keep and what to give away or sell? What should you bring or store? What are you forgetting to do? That question is always running through my mind.
We are less than 60 days out from leaving to Merida and have started tackling each room and getting down to the nitty gritty. We have most of our larger furniture sold. Our friends have been helpful in that regard. Things like our washer and dryer and fridge, we can now keep till the last minute so that's a relief! But we have all these little things to go through.
We started with our room and closet as the start.
I feel like I should put "Day 0" and some deep drums or something should start playing in the background.
Our mattresses are on the floor, we have no nightstands or lamps... I just sold both of our dressers and now have to figure out where to put all of our clothes in the meantime 😬
Speaking of dressers. I got these do-dads to hang in my kids closets since they have no dressers either and it's working pretty well. We all know kids don't put their clothes up in the right drawers anyway.
**Please note I will be compensated a small amount for any purchases made through my links.
So this all got me thinking that a moving abroad checklist would be helpful for families and anyone who's decided leaving the country is something they want to do! There are checklists already out there but I feel not many relating to a family with children or very recent ones.
So here's my moving abroad checklist!
6 months out:
-Apply for your visas! Don't do anything else drastic until you get approved, it would be a real bummer if you sell your house and all your stuff and get denied.
-Make sure everyone's passports are up to date, along with your driver's licenses.(You kinda need passports for visa applications so you prob already handled this)
-Have all of your important documents such as birth certificates, marriage license, ss cards, bank info, etc. In one spot so it doesn't get lost in the chaos of moving.
-Look at any credit card travel benefits to take advantage of. We signed up for a cc that rewarded us milage points for the airline that flies to Merida. We were able to save a lot that way.
-Start a savings jar, account, or envelope for money you can set aside for your move. This will be beneficial for any purchases you need to make when you arrive in your new home.
Once your visas are approved the to do list grows! ONWARD!
4-5 Months out:
-Put house on the market if you own your home. (Time frame can vary, depending on the current market, so speaking with a realtor will be beneficial)
-Start researching which banks are in the country you are moving to and make an account or see if your current bank provides services in that country.
-Start selling items you don't need or use right now. Facebook Marketplace, craigslist, and nextdoor are good selling platforms. Things like décor items, kitchen gadgets that you haven't used in ages, or anything that just has been collecting dust.
-Make a list of what you would like to keep and store.
-Decide if you are going to bring your pet with you and look at the requirements for that country if you are.
-Start researching schooling options for your children. Will you be moving in the middle of the school year or will you be in time for enrollment for in person? Will you be homeschooling?
-Start researching which mail services you would like to use. A traveling mailbox is beneficial for expats and you can still have an address in the states.
-Book your flight and your Airbnb/hotel. It's advisable to get one of these options so you can take your time in selecting your preferred rental. Being able to walk through, test water pressure, consider the layout, and see the neighborhood in person is much more realistic than renting sight unseen. It will also help you avoid possible scamming operations.
2 Months out:
-Start learning basic language sentences so you can get by in the beginning, in your new country.
-Once you have an empty room or other location, start using that room to organize your items. I have a room and all of the suitcases we are taking opened and lined up. I am placing items we want to bring with us in there(will organize again about a month out), and storage boxes with the items to store.
-Sell your cars and get a rental.
-Decide how you are going to transport your items to the new country. Are you driving there? Flying? Shipping your items by crate? Keep in mind and read others reviews online, on their experience with shipping items separately. Are you just bringing the minimum or are you shipping your entire house? For us, we would like to attract as little attention as possible, so we are bringing our belongings in suitcases on the plane.
-Think about the climate of the new location and then take a good look at your wardrobe. For us, we got rid of all of the synthetic fabric items and are keeping the linen and cotton clothing since these are better suited for the hot, humid climate in Merida. I am getting rid of or storing most of my high heels and purses.
-Purchase a portable Wi-Fi, Roku or Amazon fire stick, and a vpn if necessary and decide which online services you are going to keep. i.e. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, etc.
-Be mindful of grocery purchases. If you buy in bulk, think about what you can use up in time. I, for example, usually buy my k-cups, tp, paper towels, giant syrups, giant cereal, frozen veggies, all at Costco because it lasts us a couple of months or longer. I stopped these purchases about 2 months out.
-Figure out how you are going to get any prescriptions in your new country. Some you can just keep getting the same way through your insurance. Others you may be able to just purchase over the counter for less of an expense.
1 Month out:
-Take pet to the vet to get their updated rabies vaccine and a letter of health saying they are ok to travel. This is what is required for Mexico(Well, really it's the airline requirements, Mexico just looks at the pet to make sure they don't look like zombies) but be sure and look at your country of destination to see if any other requirements are necessary and check airline requirements.
-Order the items your pet may need for travel. Weighted vest for anxiety, treats to calm, pet carrier, small bag of food, travel litterbox.
-Cancel all of your subscription services that you will not be using. Dinner meal kits, beauty subscriptions, Subscribe and save items, etc.
-Give your rental their 30 days notice to vacate.
-Have a garage sale-Sell, Sell, Sell! Purchase disposable cups and plates and sell your kitchen items if not taking. Slowly move things you want to sell into the garage so you don't get overwhelmed by seeing piles of stuff inside.
-Go through each room(take a weekend or a day per room) and separate items. Kids rooms and toys are hard to sift through so go slow and steady and help your children get rid of items they don't need to take. My daughter has A LOT of stuffed animals and it was hard for her to let go of some. I told her we could store some and the few she can bring we put in vacuum bags to minimize real estate in the suitcases
-Book moving crate/company if you decided to do that.
-Set up your mail forwarding.
-Rent a vehicle to transport your items you are going to store to a storage unit, if needed.
2 Weeks out:
-Organize and start packing up your items that you are storing and bringing. Weigh suitcases if you are flying with them and know the dimensions and weight restrictions for your airline.
-Look at your moving out checklist for your rental and take care of anything that needs your attention
-Go through your pantry, fridge, and freezer and give away or throw out(expired food) what you won't use up in time
1 Week-a Few Days out:
-Have a "free" or "good faith" garage sale- People love free stuff! In a good faith garage sale you have a box where people put money in, if they wish, for the items they take.
-Say your goodbyes to friends and family.
-Finalize what you are taking and zip up all of those suitcases!
-Finalize anything else needed for moving out of your rental.
-Print out your airline tickets, gas up your car, or anything else for your method of travel.
-Throw out any food/trash the night before.
-Head to your destination! Have fun!
Remember, things aren't always going to go like you have in your mind. But try and go with the flow. Slow and steady! These are the things that I have on my moving abroad checklist right now. If I think of more, I will add them here! I hope you enjoy this list and it's helpful in your next family adventures!
~Bee🐝
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