Managing the International Move
There are many dimensions to
a successful international move.
It starts months ahead of time by assembling those involved into
a team working in the same direction. The team should also include family members and managers who
will be indirectly affected. About a month and a half before the expected move date the plans will
begin to start executing as cost estimates come close enough to the move date to be more realistic.
Two to four weeks before the move date, take or dispose of issues need to be executed. Two weeks
prior to the move re arranging relationships, work assignments and confirmation of schedule
expectations for the move management are daily work.
How To Involve The Family?
It's time to move. There are tons of arrangements to make and a long list of "things to do."
In all of the hustle and bustle, it is easy to overlook people that we are often very concerned
about in the upcoming move, the children and family members. Children have feelings too. Parents,
not friends or relatives, should be the first to inform the children they are moving. Once they
have been told of the relocation, their questions and feelings will need attention, as they surface.
If small children have difficulty understanding what is happening in the world around them, parents
might consider reading storybooks or colouring books with moving related topics. Getting the children
active in the move preparation eases their tensions. Here are some suggestions for concerned parents.
A Family AffairWe feel moving should
be a family affair. Get every family member involved in the move from the beginning. Encourage the
family to start with a viewing of our "Let's Get A Move On" video, a kid’s video guide to a family
move, available from your Bekins International Moving Consultant. After everyone has seen the program
and has a better idea of what to expect during the moving process, we suggest asking questions to
find out what the children are thinking and feeling. Ask your Bekins Moving Consultant for any
additional procedural information the family may need. We also feel that learning more about the
new city can stir some excitement about moving.
Selecting the New ResidenceAllowing
the children to assist, or at least participate in the selection of the new home is another positive
step. Encourage the children to make a list of their ideal home (eg. by school, by a park, room to
myself, big yard with a swimming pool, etc.) in the new city. Of course, you can't promise the
children will get everything on their "wish list", but it does give some indication of what would
help them to adjust to the new environment much quicker . When the budget permits, it wouldn't hurt
to take the children along for the final house-hunting trip to see where they are going to be living.
When the budget doesn't permit such a trip, take pictures of the home for the children. One last
suggestion regarding the new home is to draw a floor plan of each of the children's rooms and let
them start deciding where they want to place their belongings when they get there.
Preparing to MoveA lot of preparation
must occur before the actual move takes place. Assign the children some responsibilities so that they
feel needed during the rush. Some of the duties might include sorting out old toys or clothes;
assisting with a garage sale; writing out change of address cards, mailing cards to old friends with
the new address; and getting the pets ready to move, just to name a few.
Maintaining and Establishing Friendships
Good
friends, in children's eyes are hard to come by. Frequently a child doesn't want to move because
they are afraid of losing their only friends in the world. Parents can help reduce this anxiety
with a few simple steps. First, make every effort to find at least one pen pal, per child, in the new
city. Contact the school to find out who your child can write to get an insight into the school and
the area. This activity also provides the child with an instant friend the first day of school. Next,
let the children know that they can still write or call their friends and relatives in their old city
even after they have moved. It may even be reassuring for the children to know they can visit the old
neighborhood friends or relatives each summer. Permit the children to have a party with their friends
before they move and encourage a neighborhood "get togethers" with the new friends once they get to
the new home. There is nothing worse for children than to feel alone. By taking steps to overcome
this fear, helps children adjust to the new environment much quicker.
What to do about destination entry requirements and taxes?
Your Bekins assigned coordinators will be able to
supply you with general guidelines about your destination entry requirements and taxes as well as answer
other questions you may have. The years of Bekins experience is there for your benefit. The list of
inventory you and your assigned coordinator have built for this move will be needed to put the implications
of entry requirements and taxes into perspective. Usually the goods and personal items are allowed to enter
your new country without significant duty tax or restriction implications. None the less, contacting
the embassy, consulate or trade mission of the countries involved is the way to verify the specific or
exact nature and latest changes impacting destination requirements and taxes.
A list of embassy, consulate and trade missions in Canada - Click Here.
How will the handling of the items being moved take place?
Your Bekins assigned coordinators will outline
the type of equipment being used and provide the schedule that can be refereed to a "air ride" trailer
trucks, pre pack crews, air freight containers, lift vans with palletized containers or steam ship cargo
containers show up on site. The goods will be packed by specialists to reduce damage possibility. They
will work to effectively use container space and allowed weight. The move may have parallel components
with parts using steamship, parts using air freight and parts depending on storage so as to allow
destination coordination to be smooth and reduce the move in impact stress. This always depends on
the needs of the particular move. With costs based on total volume and / or weight of these goods the precise volume only is evident after
every thing is loaded. Packing correctly and optimizing shipment methods are significant ways we
respect your need for value. Rest assured the careful crating, packing, wrapping and padding of each
item will take place based on the type of transportation being used. Should you choose to pack some items they will be included in the desired
component of the transportation and destination phases but remember that packed by owner items can not be
included in the protection package.
What can be expected at the destination?
The Bekins assigned coordinators will
provide the time line, people and equipment, and tasks you can expect to take place. The hundreds of
agents and affiliates used throughout the world provides a proven network of results. These partners
meet the highest level of criteria (i.e. such as membership in the international movers forwarding
associations) in each destination to assure the best level of responsibility to deliver the best
quality moving experience possible. As shipments arrive at the destination the coordination of plans
will again turn into results that flexibly deal with the uncertainties of the new environment to fit
the needs of the people involved.
Bekins also offers a comprehensive array of fee-based relocation services to compliment each move; including
cross-cultural and language training, visa processing, school search, housing assistance and other
settling in services.
For move management questions - Click Here
It starts months ahead of time by assembling those involved into
a team working in the same direction. The team should also include family members and managers who
will be indirectly affected. About a month and a half before the expected move date the plans will
begin to start executing as cost estimates come close enough to the move date to be more realistic.
Two to four weeks before the move date, take or dispose of issues need to be executed. Two weeks
prior to the move re arranging relationships, work assignments and confirmation of schedule
expectations for the move management are daily work.How To Involve The Family?
It's time to move. There are tons of arrangements to make and a long list of "things to do."
In all of the hustle and bustle, it is easy to overlook people that we are often very concerned
about in the upcoming move, the children and family members. Children have feelings too. Parents,
not friends or relatives, should be the first to inform the children they are moving. Once they
have been told of the relocation, their questions and feelings will need attention, as they surface.
If small children have difficulty understanding what is happening in the world around them, parents
might consider reading storybooks or colouring books with moving related topics. Getting the children
active in the move preparation eases their tensions. Here are some suggestions for concerned parents.
A Family AffairWe feel moving should
be a family affair. Get every family member involved in the move from the beginning. Encourage the
family to start with a viewing of our "Let's Get A Move On" video, a kid’s video guide to a family
move, available from your Bekins International Moving Consultant. After everyone has seen the program
and has a better idea of what to expect during the moving process, we suggest asking questions to
find out what the children are thinking and feeling. Ask your Bekins Moving Consultant for any
additional procedural information the family may need. We also feel that learning more about the
new city can stir some excitement about moving.Selecting the New Residence
Allowing
the children to assist, or at least participate in the selection of the new home is another positive
step. Encourage the children to make a list of their ideal home (eg. by school, by a park, room to
myself, big yard with a swimming pool, etc.) in the new city. Of course, you can't promise the
children will get everything on their "wish list", but it does give some indication of what would
help them to adjust to the new environment much quicker . When the budget permits, it wouldn't hurt
to take the children along for the final house-hunting trip to see where they are going to be living.
When the budget doesn't permit such a trip, take pictures of the home for the children. One last
suggestion regarding the new home is to draw a floor plan of each of the children's rooms and let
them start deciding where they want to place their belongings when they get there.Preparing to Move
A lot of preparation
must occur before the actual move takes place. Assign the children some responsibilities so that they
feel needed during the rush. Some of the duties might include sorting out old toys or clothes;
assisting with a garage sale; writing out change of address cards, mailing cards to old friends with
the new address; and getting the pets ready to move, just to name a few.Maintaining and Establishing Friendships
Good
friends, in children's eyes are hard to come by. Frequently a child doesn't want to move because
they are afraid of losing their only friends in the world. Parents can help reduce this anxiety
with a few simple steps. First, make every effort to find at least one pen pal, per child, in the new
city. Contact the school to find out who your child can write to get an insight into the school and
the area. This activity also provides the child with an instant friend the first day of school. Next,
let the children know that they can still write or call their friends and relatives in their old city
even after they have moved. It may even be reassuring for the children to know they can visit the old
neighborhood friends or relatives each summer. Permit the children to have a party with their friends
before they move and encourage a neighborhood "get togethers" with the new friends once they get to
the new home. There is nothing worse for children than to feel alone. By taking steps to overcome
this fear, helps children adjust to the new environment much quicker.What to do about destination entry requirements and taxes?
Your Bekins assigned coordinators will be able to
supply you with general guidelines about your destination entry requirements and taxes as well as answer
other questions you may have. The years of Bekins experience is there for your benefit. The list of
inventory you and your assigned coordinator have built for this move will be needed to put the implications
of entry requirements and taxes into perspective. Usually the goods and personal items are allowed to enter
your new country without significant duty tax or restriction implications. None the less, contacting
the embassy, consulate or trade mission of the countries involved is the way to verify the specific or
exact nature and latest changes impacting destination requirements and taxes.A list of embassy, consulate and trade missions in Canada - Click Here.How will the handling of the items being moved take place?
Your Bekins assigned coordinators will outline
the type of equipment being used and provide the schedule that can be refereed to a "air ride" trailer
trucks, pre pack crews, air freight containers, lift vans with palletized containers or steam ship cargo
containers show up on site. The goods will be packed by specialists to reduce damage possibility. They
will work to effectively use container space and allowed weight. The move may have parallel components
with parts using steamship, parts using air freight and parts depending on storage so as to allow
destination coordination to be smooth and reduce the move in impact stress. This always depends on
the needs of the particular move. With costs based on total volume and / or weight of these goods the precise volume only is evident after
every thing is loaded. Packing correctly and optimizing shipment methods are significant ways we
respect your need for value. Rest assured the careful crating, packing, wrapping and padding of each
item will take place based on the type of transportation being used. Should you choose to pack some items they will be included in the desired
component of the transportation and destination phases but remember that packed by owner items can not be
included in the protection package.
What can be expected at the destination?The Bekins assigned coordinators will
provide the time line, people and equipment, and tasks you can expect to take place. The hundreds of
agents and affiliates used throughout the world provides a proven network of results. These partners
meet the highest level of criteria (i.e. such as membership in the international movers forwarding
associations) in each destination to assure the best level of responsibility to deliver the best
quality moving experience possible. As shipments arrive at the destination the coordination of plans
will again turn into results that flexibly deal with the uncertainties of the new environment to fit
the needs of the people involved.
Bekins also offers a comprehensive array of fee-based relocation services to compliment each move; including cross-cultural and language training, visa processing, school search, housing assistance and other settling in services. For move management questions - Click Here
