Boston Movers Blog

Moving is not usually on a homeowners' list of favorite activities, but international moving has its own unique challenges. International moving has become much more common for people because of work opportunities. In fact, many US companies have locations in other countries, and they frequently transfer employees from site to site.

Incomplete paperwork or improper content declaration can get house hold goods locked down by U.S. Customs or foreign customs. When moving internationally, choose a moving company that has experience with international shipping.

Marathon Moving is an international moving company that can expertly handle international moves, either large and small. Our crews are fully trained in all areas of international moving. Your crew will be familiar with not only how to pack certain items but also which items are not to be packed for transport.

We can also carefully process your special handling items such as cars, motorcycles, and boats. Let us provide full coverage for your goods while in transit and customs assistance and information for any country. Your belongings will be in good hands while being transported across the world, relax and contact Marathon Moving.

Are you moving internationally? At Marathon Moving, we pride ourselves on helping you with a stress free move. Being prepared for your move is the number one way to reduce the stress. The easiest way to prepare is to have a convenient checklist. The following is a checklist to help you prepare for your international move:

8 Weeks or more weeks prior to your move:

• Is your company relocating you for work? If so you should verify what expenses and responsibilities are theirs and which are yours.
• Are you permanently relocating or will you be coming back after a year or two? If you are planning on moving back, you may find it less expensive to store most your items and rent a furnished apartment abroad until you return.
• Track the expenses you do pay for, many moving expenses are tax deductible. You should contact your company’s tax department or your accountant to verify which expenses can be deducted.
• Create a valued inventory for all your possessions being shipped. You will need this for insuring your shipment and for declaration purposes with customs. Download an excel worksheet for your valued inventory from our website. Don’t forget to keep a valued inventory for what is to be donated to charitable organizations. You should keep the list of donated items and their value for your tax records.
• Make sure your passports are valid and have at least 12 months remaining before they expire.
• Check whether any permits are required, e.g. for residency, work, vehicles or firearms.

5-8 Weeks prior to your move:

• Are you moving to a country where vaccinations are required? Check to see which vaccinations are required and contact your physician and/or children’s pediatrician to arrange for them.
• Organize all your personal documents and keep photocopies in a safety deposit box or fire proof file box.
• Notify your lawyer, bank, doctor, dentist, insurance company, building management, schools and theDepartment of Social Security of your move. Obtain copies of your personal records from the above and keep with your other personal documents.
• Cancel subscriptions to clubs, online memberships magazines and journals.
• Keep copies of receipts or invoices for all new purchases (for customs import formalities).
• Begin to organize items to ship by clearing out your loft, attic, garage and shed of all items to be donated or disposed of.
• Contact the Chamber of Commerce, tourism bureaus or go online and subscribe to the local paper in your new community to familiarize yourself with your new location, local government, community and social news and activities.

3-4 Weeks prior to your move:

• Discuss your insurance needs with your move consultant and complete your insurance valuation form.
• Go to www.usps.com and complete a change of address form.
• Schedule final account readings for gas, water, electricity, telephone and cable TV. Keep phone and utilities connected at your current home on moving day. You should also provide your mover with a cell phone number and email address at which you can be reached while your goods are in transit.
• Cancel all rental agreements.
• Start to use up stocks of food and drink.
• Confirm your travel documents and tickets are correct.
• Arrange special transportation for your pets and plants.
• Arrange to close accounts at your local bank and open accounts in your new location

1-2 Weeks prior to your move:

• If you’re moving out of or into a building with elevators or loading docks, contact the building management to schedule use.
• Confirm your moving date with your move consultant.
• Clean any garden tools, bicycles, outdoor equipment etc. All of these items will need to be clean in order to insure no moths or insects are in your shipment.
• Arrange care for children and pets on moving day.
• Close accounts with any regular deliveries such as your newspaper.
• Empty lockers at school and work.
• Drain fuel from power equipment (motor mowers etc).
• Give away perishable food.
• Take pets to the vet for any necessary immunizations and get copies of your pet’s veterinary records.
• Obtain parking permits for moving van if necessary.

4-7 days prior to your move:

• Separate all personal items which will be traveling with you, e.g. keys, documents, passports, tickets, certificates, money, clothing, etc.
• Disconnect, clean and dry any electrical appliances that you wish to ship.
• If you are splitting air and ocean freight, identify the air freight items and clearly label.

2-3 days prior to your move:

• Defrost your fridge and freezer if shipping.
• Pack a box of personal items that will be needed immediately at your new home. Have this box loaded last or carry it with you.
• Contact your Marathon Moving consultant to confirm the arrival time of the moving van, as well as to notify your mover of any last minute details or changes.

Moving Day:

• On moving day, relax and let Marathon Moving do the work!
• Remain on hand in case the packers/loaders have any questions.
• Be sure to check all rooms, cupboards and walls to make sure nothing is left behind.
• Record all utility meter readings (gas, electric, water).
• Remember to review, sign and get a copy of the inventory of goods moved.

A moving checklist is so much more than just a collection of things that need to get done before a move - it will quickly become your lifeline during a very stressful time. Before your movers show up at your door on moving day, you will have to organize a hundred little details in order for your removal to go smoothly - this is even truer of international moving situations. In order to get more organized, you should find a master moving checklist made especially for international moving situations.

Not only are these useful lists broken down into what you should do in the months preceding your move, you can also find moving checklists that are broken down into more specific categories such as people and organizations to call to have your address changed, things to do if you have children making the move with you and checklists for your pets in case you are moving internationally.

Your moving checklist is the kind of handy tool that will go a long way toward helping you focus on the important things that need to get done now. Instead of haphazardly going about organizing your international moving day, you will have a very clear path of what needs to get done and when you should be doing it.

Despite what you might think, a moving checklist is not something set in stone. You can add to your list and cross off those items that do not pertain to you. However, if you get a very good moving checklist, it can help you remember things you may never even have realized that you needed to do - for instance, international moving requires that you check out the work permit requirements in your new country. Some countries require you to apply for a very specific kind of visa first before you can apply for the work permit. Having a checklist of all the things needed to get done before your move will prompt you to look into such things to ensure that nothing is forgotten or left to the last minute.

People make mistakes, and everyone will make some mistakes in the act of moving their household goods. It is our professional goal to help you limit mistakes so that your move is as smooth and seamless as possible. We’ve been moving Boston for over ten years and just when we’ve seen it all, someone will challenge us with something new. So consider these five simple tips to protect you from surprises down the road.

1. Do Not Over-Pack. Some individuals lack the ability to de-clutter their life, and they hang onto belongings they no longer need. People move goods that are still in the same box from the previous move. Parents keep toys - even though their kids moved out years ago. Now really, are you ever going to wear any of that 70’s wardrobe that is still hanging around? Getting rid of stuff is a cleansing experience and helps make better use of limited space in the home.

2. If you are moving interstate/international or into storage, then you need to Get a Receipt for your goods! It is vital that you receive an official inventory describing the details of all your property before shipping. Once you get your copy of the inventory, keep it in a safe place and have it handy for delivery day. Your mover should again provide you a copy on delivery, but if not you will have yours and be able to be certain all your goods arrive. Also having your original copy from loading day will prevent any alterations to item conditions after your items were loaded to hide mover damage.

3. Read the Moving Contract Carefully. As with any contact you sign make sure you read it carefully. If you have questions, you should ask. Your crew leader should be able to answer any questions regarding your bill of lading. Unscrupulous movers hope you WILL NOT read their contract because it’s written to protect THEM. We write ours to protect YOU. Are you protected from an Act of God? Our contract does while most of our competitors contracts do not. Are antiques and fine art excluded from protection? Not on our bill of lading but they are on most of our competitors. Why is this? Many of our competitors try to minimize exposure to reduce insurance costs. Our company on the other hand has a low incident rate with our carrier and is able to turn the savings into extra protection for you.

4. Get educated on moving insurance. Of course we are fully insured, but there are moving insurance options and this is a subject you need to have addressed by an informed person so you can understand your coverage and risks.

5. Do not procrastinate. Waiting until the last minute to prepare for your move will cost you money and grief. It is as simple as that. Call us Toll Free at (877) 424-1976 as soon as you know a move is definitely part of your future. We guarantee to save you time and money by doing that. It’s what professional movers do.

It’s always a good idea when you’re moving somewhere, whether it is residential or internationally, that you prepare for the moving day. Even if Marathon is packing you, you still need to prepare yourself. Here are 10 steps to go through to prepare for the big day:

• Gather up essential items to take with you during the move, such as toiletries and clothes, and set aside the items in a small closet or cabinet that will not be accessible to packers or movers. If no such area is available, make certain items are clearly labeled not to move.
• Remove breakable and liquid items from drawers and cabinets for packing separately.
• Separate hazardous, flammable and combustible items from the rest of your household goods; either dispose of the items or pack separately to take with you.
• Locate all valuables, such as jewelry, collections and personal records, and pack separately to take with you.
• Defrost the refrigerator and freezer and dispose of perishable foods.
• Drain oils and fuels from power equipment such as lawn mowers.
• Take rugs and drapes to cleaners; when you pick them up later, leave them in wrappings for transport.
• Back up computer files and remove CDs from players.
• Strip beds and wash linens for packing.
• Call your mover to confirm the packers' arrival date and time.