Five Top Packing Tips

1) Boxes are a staple for moving because they are usually quite regular sized, easy to carry and if taped together correctly, rarely fall apart. Regular sizes are important for maximizing your van space and ensuring you're not wasting areas in your transport that could otherwise be filled. On the flip side, bags can be compressed anywhere! It is possible however for bags to be mistaken for rubbish.

2) Bags are good for items like clothing, and bedding, and when you've ran out of boxes to pack anything. Teddies and soft toys work well in bags - edged objects, or items that are likely to be too heavy to carry in a plastic bag would probably work better in boxes. Bags also work well with linens.

3) Whilst packing, it’s important to maximize space - and pack your biggest objects first, and fill space around them. Books are easiest to pack, odd shaped, awkward items such as ornaments and other items are the worst to pack, and both types should go in boxes, as should dishes and other objects that are considered fragile.

4) Mark all boxes and bags (if you can) carefully - it makes them easier to find things in, and to sort into rooms without having to break them open. This will all help in your new house. Always remember to mark bags you're using for belongings clearly so that they don't get mistaken for rubbish - or buy completely different bags for your rubbish and your belongings.

5) While it may only take you a couple of weeks to pack, it can take eight weeks - or MORE to unpack at the other end - so though you're 'just boxing items up for a couple of days' remember that you may not find it for up to two months, or perhaps more.

Moving Further Than a Couple of Streets

Sometimes, moves take us hundred's of miles from our home town – to new states, countries or continents. These moves are harder to plan for, and require much more stringent assessment of belongings, so that you can afford the move itself.

Long distance moves are harder on families who are used to supporting one another – you'll often find that your phone bill increases and that you'll have more problems adjusting if you're moving away from familial support – if you're moving TO your family though, you can be sure that things may get easier – if a little nutty. Moving back to one, or both families guarantees that your life will probably be filled with help – or interference, depending on how you view your family's input – either way, its worth it, once you find clear and consistent boundaries.

The move itself should be planned the same way as you would any other move – but remember, the more you're moving, the more petrol you'll need. A 400 mile move MAY end up costing you the same as renting a van in the UK – a move out of the country may be cost prohibitive, and it may be easier just to sell everything and start fresh when you get there.

A long move such as over several hundred miles may also change schooling arrangements, or your job – uprooting over a distance of hundreds of miles can lead to new opportunities – or the loss better ones back where you were – so you have to carefully evaluate what you want from your life, and whether it would be best served by moving to a whole new part of the world.

Moving to a different country or continent may leave you with language to consider – do you speak the language that is predominant there – and if not, can you learn it? If you can't communicate, you'll find it harder to do many things we take for granted.

Finding a New House

The adventure of moving home generally starts properly when you look for a new house.

Moving home, though stressful can be a very rewarding experience, but its important to keep several things in mind when moving. These can include the welfare and comfort of your children, the support structure you'll have when you move (are you moving nearer your family, further away from your family?), ease of commute to your job, schools and more.

Children usually feel moves the most, as they often find it hard to settle into new environments and like, above all else, security, and safety. If the move is in relation to a family separation, it’s important to include them in the process where at all possible, and ensure their voices are heard when picking a house.

Often you can research amenities, such as local shops, schools, leisure areas and more online, which may ease the burden of investigating all of that personally. Highly rated amenities should make it easier to choose between two areas, but its also important to consider what you're looking for in an area.

Your job too plays a huge part in picking a house - can you easily travel to your place of work, and more importantly, is the area able to offer a similar job, should the worst happen?

You can also balance isolation and city life with what you prefer - if you prefer a quieter pace of life, its better to move to a town, though you may find that houses further out of cities may cost slightly more. But you will obviously find that the houses give you more room, including - possibly - a garden. With all the choices you may have to move houses, the best decision you can make is one that leaves you satisfied, and gives you the closest to your perfect match of needs and wants as you can find.

Declutter Before Packing to Move

Decluttering before packing is an important aspect of preparing to move - because it allows you to decide what you'll need for the new house, what you'll have room for, and what you won't.

The most important thing to remember when de-cluttering is that you'll be making room and getting rid of emotional baggage, whilst lowering your moving bills. An average four person house requires at least a seven tonne van to move, whilst a house that doesn't de-clutter might need twice that!

De-cluttering can be considered essential or heartless - but either way, moving house is one of the best times to do a proper de-clutter - in fact sometimes, its the only 'spring clean' that some people do. And while its always good to hang onto things of sentimental value, do you really need a newspaper from 1985 with an article about something that you needed to follow up within a week of the printing?

Get rid of any papers that you don't need (though keep all important documentation) - consider donating any magazines, books, old toys or clothes in good condition to a local charity - or sell them on Ebay or similar, to make some cash.

These donations and sales make mental and space sense - you're not wasting perfectly good items you will probably never use again, and you could sell the really good condition items in a variety of places. You could hold a yard sale, or garage or even a car boot sale - or if you have enough time, auction them online, either via a recognized site, or through your own website, if you have the know how - getting rid of the things you don't need is both very freeing and releasing, and can actually generate you some extra money for the move.

You could even sell off surplus office, or craft supplies, if you have them spare, making your home office move leaner, and easier.

Booking a Removal Company

When booking a removal company, its important to do so as far in advance of your move date as possible - removal firms who do all of the packing and moving for you expect to be able to come out and assess your belongings, for insurance and van/person ell cover.

It’s important to de-clutter, or have a guesstimate of how much you'll have de-cluttered before you move so that they can give you an accurate quote. If you overestimate the space you need, you'll not get a refund, and find that space is wasted – especially, if you book a larger van than you require. Too small and you may find that your belongings don't fit, or that you get charged extra. You also might not get to move that day, if they have to unload one van and reload another, or book another transport for your belongings.

Allowing a company to pack your belongings isn't without risk, so before you hire a removal firm be sure to check their credentials and references thoroughly. You'll have items you don't want them to pack - make sure you pack them yourself, or tell them, clearly what you expect them to pack and not pack. Its always good to take an inventory before allowing anyone to come in and pack your belongings - and if you can, take photos.

Most companies provide insurance and are consummate professionals, but some can cause more damage than the cost of hiring them, and its important to have redress when moving belongings. Their insurance should be carefully examined to make sure it covers everything - this will also give you an idea of what they will and won't pack - and what extras (such as mattress covering) they'll provide.

Companies can come in and pack your house in as little as two days - so its important to know what to expect and when to expect them. You will want to stay and watch them packing (and possibly pack some of your own things) so make sure to allow for that when planning your move.

Buying Boxes

Boxes and bags are the staple for moving - whether you're using plastic boxes and under bed storage containers, or getting cardboard ones - using suitcases, or black and plastic bags, you'll need to consider how many you need and allow for extra. You'll also need newspapers, paper, packing foam and/or bubble wrap. You'll also need tape, a marker pen and if you get them, stickers to mark your boxes.

Buying boxes and containers from hardware stores or supermarkets is a good way to get sturdy, reusable containers for your new house, but may not prove to be cost effective if you've got lots of belongings. Boxes are a good, cheap alternative to plastic containers and can be bought from websites, along with tape and stickers to mark your boxes.

Boxes are a great way to pack things into regular spaces and makes them easier to carry. You can also get boxes from supermarkets, and sometimes from recycler and on Craig’s list. Some removal firms also supply them if you're using their vans, or their moving men, or provide them if you are letting them pack for you. Packing clothes into suitcases or bags means that they are easy to transport, and easy to fit into spare spaces in your transport, but you need to make sure that the bags or cases are sturdy enough to contain your belongings well.

Cheap bags are no good if you need to use two of them or they burst when you pick them up. Snagging risks are also something you'll have to consider, as anything sharp might cause tears in your bags. Containers should all be stackable to get the most use whilst moving - or should be placed in front of your boxes so that your space is maximized whilst the move is in progress.

Booking your Van

Unless you're moving a very short distance and can do many hops in your own transport - or if you're moving with a group of people (such as in the Military), or your family has access to a suitable van, its important to book your van as far in advance as possible, to allow you to ensure that you get your van.

You can collect quotes online based on your move date and expected destination - and the phone and confirm and discuss these quotes if necessary. During this phone call, you can also ask about anything you've got concerns about, if anything.

You'll need to decide whether you're moving yourself and just hiring a van, or hiring a van and moving team. Or even hiring a company to take care of it all, from packing to moving you to your new home and arranging your belongings so that you can unpack.

You may also need some basic information on the amount of items you want to move, the sizes of your bulky items, and whether you'll be moving into a house that's up stairs or an elevator - and what access you have, as some companies charge premiums for this if you're using their team to move. Access includes whether its a long way to your front door, or if parking is readily available, or conversely, difficult.

Booking your own van can be pretty straight forward - once you work out how large a van you need. An average four bedroom house requires around a ten tonne van, but some families have less belongings, and some have more, so its important to judge carefully and ask around rental firms for their opinion. You'll may also have to pay a deposit on your van so you should take that, and your petrol requirements into account - so that you can budget accordingly. These may or may not be included in your final price for rental, so you may need to look closely at each quote before deciding which one works for you.