As everyone knows, moving can be a painful process that brings a lot of stress and anxiety to those involved. Additionally, moving internationally can magnify these worries exponentially. “Will my stuff get there, hopefully in one piece?” is a frequent question. You may know a family member, a friend, or a neighbor who have had a bad experience from a company and have heard horror stories.
As with any major life decisions, preparation, planning, organization, and research are critical in order for your move to be successful and relatively painless.
These are a few helpful tips:
Set a timeline The earlier you start the better, so three months before your actual move date gives you the minimum amount of time to prepare and decide on a number of things, especially if you will be moving permanently back to the Philippines: if you will be selling your home or renting it out, what to bring, and so on. This is also the time to start looking for freight forwarding companies to ship your stuff. Read our blog (can you insert link?) choosing a reliable freight forwarding company.
Create a checklist Among the important things to include in your checklist are original documentation for you and your family (passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, medical reports, driver’s licenses, and school reports), set up online banking, mail forwarding, and cancelling insurance policies. Also include in your checklist what to pack, what to leave behind or sell, and completing all documentation your freight forwarding company has given you beforehand.
Ask questions As the saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” With your freight forwarding company, don’t be shy to ask questions (can you insert link to blog 5 questions to ask?) even if you think they are mundane or silly. Don’t be afraid to clarify a company’s procedures, what their customized services include (or not include), and most especially, the fees they are charging. Also, you should include asking questions from your friends, family, neighbors. Ask them about their experiences, what company they decided to hire, etc.
In summary, preparation, planning, organization, and research are key to ensure a successful and relatively stress-free move. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way. We wish you the best and welcome back to the Philippines!
Metro Box Cargo is a freight forwarding services company established in 2013 with two main offices/warehouses in the United States – in Hayward (northern California) and in Santa Fe Springs (southern CA), and one office/warehouse in Teachers Village in Quezon City in the Philippines.
Founded by Egay Tajonera, and his wife Mabelle, they are passionate in providing exceptional service to the Filipino community. Our company provides personalized, reliable, on-time customized door to door service for balikbayan boxes, container shipments, loose cargo, and odd-sizes shipments. We also offer vehicle shipping services for cars and motorcycles.
Our friendly and helpful staff, as well as our authorized agents, are available to assist you and answer questions you may have. Feel free to call or stop by our two main offices/warehouses, or at our six drop-off locations which can be found inside Island Pacific stores. Visit our website at www.metroboxcargo.com for more details.