Throughout my career in the moving industry, I have been to plenty of trade shows such as the Latin American & Caribbean Movers Association or known as LACMA and the International Association of Movers (IAM) conventions just to name a few.

Every exhibitor that attend these shows and others have to ship their exhibits to the site or convention. They can ship it directly to the trade show site which is usually a hotel or a convention center or an advanced warehouse. The process of getting your booth, supplies and materials from point A to point B seems fairly simple but it’s actually more complex than you realize.

Often referred to in trade show circles as “material handling and drayage,” this highly coordinated effort that ensures the movement of your exhibit items between moving truck and your booth space involves an extraordinary amount of planning and preparation.

Exhibitors usually have a decision to make regarding the move to the trade show. Ship it directly to the show site or move it to a warehouse. My opinion is to have your exhibit always moved to the warehouse, here’s why:
• If you ship it to the convention center or hotel, there’s probably another show or possibly several of them in which your shipment could potentially get lost. In addition, there could be confusion as to which dock to offload your freight to which could lead to a delayed delivery.
• By shipping it to an advanced warehouse, your materials will be ready and waiting for you as soon as your allotted time for the exhibit set up begins.
• It provides peace-of-mind and one less thing to worry about when your exhibit booth and materials arrive at the warehouse. Less confusion, because if you are exhibiting in an international trade show like I have been doing, there’s less chance of it being delayed or something that goes wrong if it’s shipped to a hotel or convention center.

Take the headaches out of an international trade show and ship your exhibit to an advanced warehouse so you can check one more thing off your to-do-list.

Safe moving!

Leaving your home country usually does not mean that you are beyond the reach of its tax authorities unfortunately. Any income from investments or other sources that is in effect in your home country usually remains subject to tax. Your earnings abroad may be taxed directly by your host country.

In most cases as an expatriate, you will pay taxes to your country of residence, however that may be defined. In some cases, your country of residence may have an agreement of exemption, or double-tax treaty, with your home country. This means that your home country credits your payment to your host country, so that the same income is not taxed twice.

Receive tax advice before leaving:
Many employers provide tax counseling and assistance to their expatriate employees, either in-house or through outside consulting firms. If this service is not provided by your employer, you should establish your own contacts with an international accounting or consulting firm specializing in international tax matters.

Tax responsibilities for expatriates
Contact your respective government agency for information on what your tax responsibilities will be while living away from your home country. In addition to contacting your appropriate government department, the consulate of your destination country may be able to provide useful information.

By knowing the tax laws in your new city overseas and learning about your tax responsibilities here, you won’t be taken surprised by a big tax bill at the end of the year and best of all, Uncle Sam won’t be knocking on your door.

Safe moving!

When you are moving overseas whether it’s for employment reasons or you just want a different scenery and lifestyle, it’s ideal to make sure you have all your ducks in a row before jetting off. Throughout my career at Rainier Overseas, I’ve seen many blunders people make when moving to another country.

Relocating overseas is hard work and there are plenty of potential problems to trip you along the way. I’m going to share with you the six major blunders I’ve seen people make so you can avoid them like the plaque and have a safer and successful move to a foreign land.

Six big blunders:
1. False premise – vacationing at your destination will be the same when you live there:
Taking a vacation is a lot different than living there long-term. No matter where you live, you will always have daily frustrations and routines. In other words, unless you are Bill Gates, you will still have to go to work, access public services, and clean your toilet wherever you live in the world.

Just because you live in a picturesque town in a warm climate, you will still have to adapt to a new life and system, potentially new language and adaptations that accompany any relocation. Set realistic goals for your new life and don’t assume that all your worries will disappear and your life will become perfect.

2. Not doing your research:
Make sure you do your research before you move. Research should include looking into local laws, customs, taxes, building regulations, the health and education systems, and the public transport systems. These all will be part of your daily life and in case of things like the health system, we are talking about your health and the quality of it.

Learn about the country’s property taxes if you are buying a property, tenants and landlords rights if you will be renting, and school policies if your kids will be in the local school system. Talk to expatriates living there and about any issues they had to deal with during their first few months in the country.
Safe moving!

3. Job over-commitment:
Just because you’ve always dreamed about teaching English in Brazil doesn’t mean you will love it in reality. Don’t sign too long of a contract for work because if things don’t work out, or and for whatever reason you can’t overcome the barriers, it will reflect badly on you with your employer if you break your contract.

Instead, ask for a few months for a gradual commitment to allow you time to adjust and really know if you will like living in the country. This will benefit both yourself and your employer.

4. Purchasing too soon:
Be willing to rent for several months before you decide to purchase a new home. This will save you a lot of headaches because you may learn that your new neighborhood is unbearable during the offseason, noisy at peak times, and your beautiful old home is right in the path of floodwaters in the rainy season or beautiful mountainsides are vulnerable to forest fires in the summer. Renting will give you the opportunity to learn where the best places to live in your relocated city or town.

5. Not learning the language:
Become part of the local community by learning the country or city’s language. Your new language skills are best learned by interacting with the natives. It’s easy to fall in the “English” trap by interacting only with those that speak English and not the local language.

Not to mention that the lack of language skills can actually be dangerous if, for example, you are not able to communicate with health care professionals or report a crime to the police. No one likes to think of such humdrum necessities when planning an exciting new life, but they are a part of everyday life and, at some point, they will need to be dealt with. Plan to start learning the new language before you plunge into your new life with lessons but lifetime of lessons can’t replicate getting out there and using the local language in everyday settings and interactions.

6. On vacation 24/7:
Spending money like there’s no tomorrow, hanging out in bars every night and sitting on the beach all day are fine for two weeks but insolvency, alcoholism, and skin cancer will do little to enhance your living abroad experience much less your pocket book and liver.

Immerse yourself in the culture and move away feeling like a visitor and become more of a member of the community. Adapt to the local customs, attend local festivals and other events, and live the same way locals do.

Avoiding these six blunders when moving overseas will lessen a lot of stress and hassle. By simply accepting the fact that things in your new country will be different, not necessarily better or worse, just different, you will be on your way to a much more fulfilling life in your new overseas home.

Safe moving!

If you plan to move overseas any time soon, it’s important that you have all of your documents in order before you move. Many tend to forget that you must provide proper paperwork documenting your identity when living abroad. In addition, it’s also important to have employment contracts, lease and rental agreements in hand as well as medical insurance and records especially if there is an unforeseen medical emergency while traveling to your overseas destination.

Documents on the plane:
When you are boarding the plane to head overseas, besides your passport and visa, make sure you have the following paperwork not only for you, but for each member of your family too if appropriate or anyone else that’s moving with you:
• Identification
• Driver’s license
• Certificates of citizenship for naturalized individuals
• Marriage certificate
• Adoption papers
• Divorce and child custody papers if your children are accompanying you abroad (if applicable)

Depending on the country you’re traveling to, you may also need passport-size photographs for your visa upon your arrival, as well as the lease or rental agreement for housing in your new country so authorities know where you’ll be living. Also, make sure you make a copy of your passport and visa just in case you lose either one of them or both when traveling. It’s much easier to go to an embassy or consulate with copies of your passport and visa so officials can look you up right away. Without copies, it could take up to several days. This is a good tip when you are generally traveling overseas or on vacation.

It’s also useful to have several copies of employment contracts. If you don’t have a contract, you should have a letter from your employer outlining terms of the overseas assignment such as length of stay, salary, housing arrangements, and any other pertinent considerations. Your employer may already have secured the necessary permits and approvals for you to live and work abroad, having such documentation handy may answer any questions that arise when dealing with local host-country authorities.

In case of an emergency:
In addition to the documentation necessary for your family to enter the country, you also want to have important paperwork close by in case of emergencies. You should include the following:
• Medical insurance coverage
• Medical records
• Dental records
• Property and motor vehicle insurance records
• Income tax records for several previous years
• Wills
• Power of attorney
Remember to make multiple copies of every important document to take with you and don’t accidentally pack them away with belongings you’re shipping. Gathering all of this essential paperwork ahead of time will help to ensure you’re prepared for your transition to living in a foreign country.

Safe moving!