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Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Moving abroad for 1-2 years - what do I take?

18 replies

SadMummy231 · 22/01/2019 21:00

I am moving to Singapore for at least 1 year with DH and a toddler. I'm trying to figure out if it's cheaper to store in the UK or to ship it.

Is it mad to only take the essentials with us on a flight and buy what we need when we get there? We would store everything else in the UK.

Or should we ship a few boxes - some luxuries that will probably be missed but we could get by without for a year? We wouldn't ship furniture - the main thing we'd be looking to buy on the end is a cot.

OP posts:
Johnnycomelately1 · 23/01/2019 12:13

What are your living arrangements in Sing? If you're not in a serviced apartment and the employer will pay I would ship my stuff. Buying all your furniture / bedding / household stuff and kitchen stuff is going to get expensive otherwise.

VimFuego101 · 23/01/2019 12:20

I would think hard about whether you can wait for the shipment with your items to arrive, if you decide to ship. We bought a lot of things as we thought we could manage with the basics, but got tired of waiting for items to arrive and ended up buying a lot of things again. The shipping costs did not work out that different to buying new. If I did it again I would cull all furniture/ utensils and just buy in the new location, shipping sentimental/ irreplaceable items only.

thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 14:42

We did our move in two shipments - a ten day air freight which set off before us, and a much larger 6 week sea freight with the bulk of our stuff. Our toddler loved it when his toys arrived!

Nedzilla · 23/01/2019 14:45

I wouldn't take furniture, but would take stuff thats shipped in a few large parcels like toys, kitchen stuff, bedding, etc

If you already have a toddler now rather than a newborn, im not sure i would bother getting a cot. Just use a mattress on the floor for them so they cant fall anywhere. Then if you stay longer than a year you can just buy a frame to put the mattress on.

notanaturalmum · 23/01/2019 14:59

@thereallifesaffy what did you put in the air freight. How much stuff were you allowed to send via air?

thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 15:43

This was 20 years ago. But our air freight was I think 2 tightly packed trunks. Plus of course suitcases which we took on the plane with us. Everything else - furniture we wanted, kitchen stuff, winter clothes and big toys came by sea
This was to the states

thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 15:47

We def focussed on toys and familiar things for our DS

SadMummy231 · 23/01/2019 16:06

We are paying to rent a flat ourselves, furnished if possible.

Good point re taking familiar things for DS as well as bedding, mattress but no cot.

Did anyone store belongings? How did it work out compared to the cost of shipping? I have lots of toys and clothes that I meant for DS to grow into this year and some of which he is enjoying now, but I've don't think it's worth taking all of it. Feel a bit sad that they won't ever be used by him and wondering whether they are with saving for non existent future babies...

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thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 17:23

Are you renting a uk house out while you're away bc if you are yiu may be able to do what we did and store things in your loft. It means you'll have to let your insurer know, and put plainly in the lease that the loft is for the owners' use. But it's a possibility?

thereallifesaffy · 23/01/2019 17:25

This is a v exciting time for your little family. The anticipation may be scary but let me reassure you that you will bond as a unit in ways you would never have done at home. And have so so many adventures together. It'll be brilliant x

SkylightAndChandelier · 23/01/2019 17:35

I've moved a lot. Sometimes in 5 suitcases for the 4 of us, but when I moved to Singapore the company paid to move me, so I shipped everything I had at the time (6 boxes air freight, and I didn't take furniture, so nothing by ship.) Coming back we shipped the lot by ship, but I had a spreadsheet to tell me what was worth bringing and what was cheaper to buy again than ship.

First, practically, Don't take anything winter - it's 30 degrees all the time, there is no winter. Do take a jumper or two, as the shopping centres/offices are all very airconditioned and you feel chilly. Singapore is great - you'll be able to get anything you need, I didn't feel that I was lacking anything there from the UK.

When it comes to moving, it depends a bit on you.

We've got into a routine of taking only the stuff that we can't buy again in Ikea, and we have a shopping list of stuff that we just go to the closest Ikea and buy. It's about 3.5k for us to furnish living rooms/bedrooms/plates etc. We then donate the stuff when we leave. Did this in Singapore for furniture (At the time, delivery wasn't expensive, even the Market place stuff could be delivered, and they'd assemble it for a reasonable charge. Anything you had to have then, Sing Taxis have enormous boots, so I brought a lot home that way.

BUT if you can't live with Ikea stuff, that won't work for you.

If where I'm going doesn't have Ikea, then I rent furnished.

Also, storage is surprisingly expensive - we currently have a locker full of our stuff waiting for us to find a new place in our new country costing us 400 Euros/month - it's very annoying - so if you have a lot of stuff here, it still might be cheaper to ship it.

SkylightAndChandelier · 23/01/2019 17:37

locker is about 6 pallet loads of stuff - so about a bedroom full - packed floor to ceiling

ArfArfBarf · 23/01/2019 17:42

Check what the maximum baggage allowance you can take on your flight is too. We’ve travelled with 10 23kg bags before when relocating which fits a LOT of stuff.

SadMummy231 · 23/01/2019 18:03

Thanks all the great advice, we are scared and excited. Trying to detach myself from his toys which I'm very sentimental about. I keep looking around our flat and trying to decide what to take with us, what to send, what's worth storing and what we should chuck/donate...

SkylightAndChandelier thanks for the Singapore specific advice.

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SkylightAndChandelier · 23/01/2019 18:32

Trying to detach myself from his toys which I'm very sentimental about

That's the hardest bit for me - we left a pushalong thing that was DS's favourite toy in one move. It's ridiculous, but I think about it often, and he's 8 now!

SadMummy231 · 23/01/2019 21:43

It's ridiculous, but I think about it often, and he's 8 now!

I know! DS won't even remember 99% of his toys in the future! I'm sure he forgets they exist when they're out of sight 😁

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OlennasWimple · 23/01/2019 22:39

We did our move in two shipments - a ten day air freight which set off before us, and a much larger 6 week sea freight with the bulk of our stuff. Our toddler loved it when his toys arrived!

This is what we have done with each move too

The air freight had basic pots and pans, toys and books for the kids, plus some things like dish cloths, cat food and stuff that we didn't want to have to rush around and find on Day 1. We also put photo albums and other sentimental things into the air freight, on the grounds that it was far less likely to get lost in transit, and having them around makes a new house feel like home.

The best advice I can give you now to to de-clutter, de-clutter and de-clutter some more. And still you will end up unpacking stuff that you have no idea why you have moved it....

Our next move will be the Big One regarding baby books and toys - because DS is so much older than DD, his stuff has been kept for her to use. But they're now both too old to read / play with them, so we are either keeping stuff for posterity or trying to find a good home for them. (But no-one seems to want to take second hand cuddly toys.... Sad )

thereallifesaffy · 24/01/2019 16:18

Second hand cuddly toys - try an animal shelter. Dogs love baby toys!

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