If you are planning to move overseas whether on your own or due to work, it can become very expensive but there are certain steps you can take to make it less expensive.

Here are some useful tips to move on your budget and to make it even less complicated:
• Lighten the load – When you move, this is a great time to get rid of non-important things and items you never use such as books that have been in your shelf for years or a chair that you never use. Less movers have to move, less you’ll have to pay. Plan on giving away your extra un-needed items, donate, sell or recycle them.
• Dedicated mover – Make sure to hire someone that has been in the business for years and is reputable. At Rainier, you will receive dedicated and personalized service. In addition, we know hundreds of agents throughout the world to provide you the very best price.
• Purchase insurance – Movers know how to transport your belongings but accidents do happen. A reputable company will always offer insurance coverage. If something happens during transport, you’ll know you won’t lose everything monetarily.
• Moving date – Generally speaking, movers are extremely busy during the summer months, weekends and at the beginning and ending of each month. If you can be flexible about the date of your move, the ideal times are middle of the months, November through early December, February through April. These are some of the least busy times and some movers may provide discounts during the slow months.

Follow these simple steps and you will lower your moving expenses and will also be organized and prepared for the big move.

Safe moving!

Your moving overseas and what do you do if you want your best friend to come with you? That nice shiny four wheeled friend has taken you many times from Point A to Point B. And now you want your cool car with you when you move. Depending upon where you Are moving, you can have your far-wheeled friend shipped overseas by us through an international auto transport company.

That’s pretty easy but there are some other things you need to consider before your car is revved up to be shipped across the Atlantic or elsewhere. As always, do your research and find out about the country or city’s public transportation system. This really varies from country-to-country and you will be able to assess how much you will need to drive your car and what kind of driving conditions you can expect.

Here are some factors to keep-in-mind and to know about:
• Is your automobile street legal in your new city? Remember that Japan, Britain, Australia and other countries require you to drive on the right-side of the road.
• Make sure your professional mover knows about any import tariffs. Your mover lets you know about any of these potential fees so you are not surprised by any unexpected costs.
• Drivers licenses – Most countries will allow you to drive with your existing American driver’s license but only for a specified period of time.
• Research your new country’s driving regulations and laws before your international move so you know when you need to obtain a new license.
• Purchase insurance – When you move, things can happen so make sure you buy moving insurance for your car especially if it’s a new car. This will provide you peace-of-mind if something should go wrong during the transport.

Follow these tips and ensure you hire a reputable moving company so that your four-wheel friend is taken care of during your overseas move.

Safe moving!

If you plan to move overseas, there are four online relocation tools that you should bookmark before you head on out across the pond. These are helpful tools when you are living in a different country.
• Currency calculator – Oanda provides advanced and comprehensive currency exchanges as well as trading, data input with foreign exchange rates and many other useful foreign exchange tools.
• Language translator – Google provides a solid text and webpage translations. It covers practically all languages in the world.
• Time zones – This gives you current local times in cities and all countries around the world.
• Electrical guide – Need to know what type of adapters to purchase when moving overseas? The website provides you with the type of adapters and power sockets you’ll need so you can use your current electronics and other devices in your new home overseas.

Safe moving!

Invasive bugs like moths can do a lot of damage if they hop on a ride when your personal belongings are being moved. They can destroy and damage your clothes. Moths also metastasize quickly, lay thousands of eggs that can turn into a nightmare when your belongings finally arrive to your overseas destination.

In particular, and most recently in the news during the summer, gypsy moths have consumed more than 93 million acres in the U.S. since 1970 and can defoliate up to 13 million acres of trees in just one season if left untreated. That’s why the federal government has joined the moving and storage industries to stop the spread of the invasive insect.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires anyone moving from an area of gypsy moths to a non-infested area to provide an official certificate of inspection of all common outdoor household items that could carry the gypsy moths. To meet the requirement, one can perform a self-inspection of household articles or hire a state-certified pesticide applicator.

To ensure gypsy moths, moths and other pesky insects won’t be with your personal belongings especially in outside household items, be sure to do the following:
• Inspect outdoor household goods such as grills, lawn furniture, outdoor toys and games, camping equipment, anything items left outside or in your garage before the items are packed.
• Look for gypsy moth egg masses, female moths lay their eggs and caterpillars spread during the summer and fall months.
• Removing the egg masses is simple by using a putty knife, stiff brush or similar hand tool.
• Dispose the egg masses in a container of hot, soapy water, or you can place them in a sealed plastic bag and set it in the sun. You can also dispose them in a garbage can but please be sure the bag is completely sealed.

You can contact the USDA directly for free information about gypsy moths before moving and if you should have any questions.

Safe moving!

Hacked By Imam with Love

Whether you like it or not, you need to clean your home and make sure your new home destination is in tip-top shape as well. It’s the normal process of moving but if you make sure to schedule cleaning task before you move, it will be a lot easier process when you head overseas.

First, make sure you purchase the proper cleaning supplies so you can use cleaning tools for specific items such as counter tops, appliances etc. Some of the suggested supplies to purchase include some of the following:
• Windex cleaner
• Shower and bathroom cleaners
• Magic erasers
• Duster
• Step ladder
• Paper towels and cleaning rags
• Specialty cleaners
• Trash bags

It is much easier to clean your home when your belongings have been removed. The best way to approach cleaning your residence is to schedule a specific time when you will begin to tackle the cleaning. Once your time has been allotted, move through your home room-by-room and scrub the rooms top to bottom, clean the interior and exterior of your appliances and then save your floors for cleaning them last.

Once your current residence is ready to be rented out or purchased, you will need to ensure the new home your moving into is cleaned as well. Here’s some simple tips:
• If moving into a new home, find out if the former homeowners plan to clean the home before they leave. You never know, it may not happen and the last thing you want is to have your belongings moving into a dirty home.
• If you are moving into a rental, find out if the management company or owners plan to have your new home thoroughly cleaned and be sure to ask when it will be cleaned and ready to move into.
• By chance, if your new residence won’t be cleaned before your move, I would recommend hiring a professional cleaning service. It might be a few more dollars to add to your moving budget but will save you a lot of time and will ensure your new home is totally cleaned.
• If you have to clean your new home yourself, schedule a time in your calendar to make sure you plan ahead and have the proper cleaning supplies on hand. I wouldn’t hesitate to invite friends to help you along with your family members and provide snacks and even dinner for their cleaning efforts.

By being prepared and scheduling time to clean your new home, it will make your move clean and stress-free!

Safe moving!

Most embassies and consulates around the world have their own websites. When you move to another country, it’s really important to know the contact information and address of the embassy and consulate of the country you are moving to. They have excellent resources and can assist you if something goes wrong in your new international home.

Here are some important websites you should bookmark and make sure you have on hand before you move overseas:
• Embassy.org – Washington D.C. is the “hub” for international resources, lists of directories, passport and visas guides and much more.
• Governments on the Web – This is one of the most comprehensive lists of governmental institutions on the worldwide web which lists ministries, parliaments, offices, city councils, central banks, embassies, multi-governmental institutions and more. A great resource to use and know about the important local offices in your new country.
• Visa information – A private company not affiliated with a government agency but provides expedited visas, passports and other vital information needed for your move overseas.
• Forms and customs information – Rainier Overseas provides useful information on our own site including forms and customs information you should be aware of. Our online search tool is also really helpful.

Safe moving!

You’re moving overseas and what do you do if you want your best friend to come with you? That nice shiny four wheeled friend has taken you many times from Point A to Point B. And now you want your cool car with you when you move. Depending upon where you Are moving, you can have your far-wheeled friend shipped overseas by us through an international auto transport company.

That’s pretty easy but there are some other things you need to consider before your car is revved up to be shipped across the Atlantic or elsewhere. As always, do your research and find out about the country or city’s public transportation system. This really varies from country-to-country and you will be able to assess how much you will need to drive your car and what kind of driving conditions you can expect.

Here are some factors to keep-in-mind and to know about:
• Is your automobile street legal in your new city? Remember that Japan, Britain, Australia and other countries require you to drive on the left-side of the road.
• Make sure your professional mover knows about any import tariffs. Your mover lets you know about any of these potential fees so you are not surprised by any unexpected costs.
• Drivers licenses – Most countries will allow you to drive with your existing American driver’s license but only for a specified period of time.
• Research your new country’s driving regulations and laws before your international move so you know when you need to obtain a new license.
• Purchase insurance – When you move, things can happen so make sure you buy moving insurance for your car especially if it’s a new car. This will provide you peace-of-mind if something should go wrong during the transport.

Follow these tips and ensure you hire a reputable moving company so that your four-wheel friend is taken care of during your overseas move.

Safe moving!

If you like drinking fine wine like I do and have a wine cellar or collection down in your basement or somewhere in your home, you will want to make sure that damage won’t occur when you move overseas or within the states. Your wine cellar probably took many years and lots of money to build up the valuable bottles in your collection (unfortunately, my wine cellar is always empty because for the life of me, I just can’t stop drinking. I’ve been a professional wino for 73 years now).

Treat your wine collection like valuable jewelry especially if you are moving overseas. Here’s some tips to keep in mind:
• Let your mover know – It’s seems simple but many times people do forget to tell their movers about a wine collection to be moved. Please advise your mover that you have a high-value wine collection among your belongings to be moved. Your mover needs to know so they can take precautionary measures to safely move and appraise your collection.
• Find out how much your wine is worth – When you contact your movers, make sure to tell them to have the surveyor or even a wine appraiser to come over to find out how much your collection is worth. That way, a monetary value is placed on your cellar before it’s moved. Upon knowing its worth, I would highly recommend purchasing insurance through your mover so it’s protected before your fine wine heads overseas.
• High-value inventory form – When making arrangements to move your wine cellar, your movers should ask and provide you with a high-value inventory form. Just like jewelry and other high-priced items, your wine is valuable and this will qualify you to receive protection and replacement plans your mover has to offer.
• Take photos – Be sure to take lots of photos of your wine collection especially your expensive bottles. Take additional photos as your wine cellar expands. This ensures you have a complete record of your entire wine collection before your move.

Preserving a fine wine takes its time and be sure to take time when moving your valuable wine cellar to a new home.

Safe moving!

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!