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Friday, 30th July 2010

Relocation from South Africa - Packing

Introduction

The last few weeks are the most stressful with many last minute activities can easily be forgotten.

Our suggestion is that every morning you take your list of actions and set your objectives for the day of which ones you will complete. It is important to keep your head at this time as it can be very frustrating when you don't get to do everything in a particular day.

Packing your goods into the container

Packing usually takes up to three days. In most cases the shipping company will do the actual packing so you will need to ensure that someone is overseeing them all the time.

One point is that the shipping agents will require the person signature who's name the shipment is under to sign the papers once the packing is complete. So make sure that the person is at home at the time.

Your Personal luggage

As it can take up to 6 weeks before you see your goods again you will have to make sure that you have already thought of what clothes you need for that time. Take into consideration the following points when packing your personal luggage:Make sure that your personal luggage is kept away from the main packing of the container as once the container is closed that is it for 6 weeks.

Where to stay after packing

If you are selling your house or renting you might find that the departure date does not equal the date that you need to vacate the premises. That means that you will to find accommodation for that period of time. We suggest that you stay with friends or family if possible and at the last resort at a hotel. The other reason to note is that once the container is packed will have nothing to sleep on!

Saying your good-byes

A great idea is to make a list of all the people you want to say goodbye to and then schedule them. This sounds crazy but you will find that you literally run out of time by the end and don't say cheers to half the people so try to say goodbye to friends a week or two before you actually depart.

Get yourself a new address book and write all their contact details in. This includes things such as both the physical and the postal address, e-mail address etc. This book will become a life line back to 'home'.