Before you are ready for the moving company to come, you need to prepare your luggage, the things that will come with you in the airplane. Do not get overstressed about forgetting something; you have too much on your plate right now, and you are probably going to forget something important anyways (I’m judging by me; maybe you will not!)
When we came to Spain, I forgot Kiddo’s school records and Hubby forgot the only bank card we had to an account in Euros; still, we managed to enroll Kiddo in a school and to pay our bills with US cards until we opened a local bank account. If you forget something, you’ll manage it; don’t worry, be happy.
Anyways, that being said, let’s try to minimize the opportunity for problems. Here are a few reminders I find useful:
– Buy a new toothbrush for the trip. These are cheap, it is well worth having a new one and not messing up with an used, moist toothbrush that can have mold after the hours in the dark and no air circulation inside the luggage. Carry the new one still in the package, just remove it on the destination.
– Prepare a list of things you want to take in your luggage before you start packing. This can be done up to a week before the packing day, and you go including items to the list during that time. This way, you increase your chances of not forgetting important things.
– Less is more when it comes to luggage. The list is also good for you to think what you really need and to cut some repetitive goods.
– Have a general list and a handbag list. Passports go on handbag; documents to make a new passport go either on another handbag (you partner’s) or on the main luggage. If this information surprises you, read the travel safety tips.
– Your handbag should contain a set of clothes and a pair of shoes for you to change into (among other things). We never know when a luggage will be delayed, so this gives you at least a change of clothes if such happens.
Funny story: once I did not include a set of clothes for myself while moving, our luggage got delayed and I had to go to work on my first three days with the same dress I used on the plane (I also had no car, free-time or knowledge of the area to buy new clothes). That’s when I learned the lesson above.
The next trip I had a set of clothes, but not shoes, and so the beauty portrayed here happened (the sole partially unglued from my shoe), about a minute after I dropped my main bag, still in the origin airport. We fixed it temporarily with large band-aids folded between the soles. Worked surprisingly well! So, if you don’t have space for extra shoes, at least include some band-aids…
– List in hand, prepare your luggage one or two days before the moving company comes; not before, to avoid taking things out – which would make a mess and increase the chances of important goods being left out. Go ticking out stuff from the list as you bag them.
– Take a laptop (better) or a tablet (second best) and a phone with you on the handbag. These devices will be very useful while you wait for your goods to arrive in Spain, as you can book a lot of document appointments through websites.
– Don’t put liquids on hand luggage, except for medicine. Liquids are good to go in the big bags. Yes, airport security does allow a small amount to be carried with you, on tiny bottles; but if you can, avoid carrying any liquid and save some time on security check. Unless it is a medication, you probably can go by without it for the duration of the flight and make life easier.
– When the moving company comes, your luggage should be done. Make sure to point out your luggage to the whole crew, right when they enter your place, before they start working, while they are all still in one room and not busy. Let them know these are not to be packed. Everything else that is in the house will be packed; watch out that they don’t pack your luggage as well.
You may wonder how we managed to forget important stuff, or if we followed our own advice and prepared lists. Yes, we did follow our advice, and the two important items we forgot were in our lists. Our problem was that after finishing the luggage, we both skipped an important last step:
– Re-read the list and make sure everything is ticked.
Good to go? I wish you the best of luggage, and that if you forget something major, you partner also forgets something and so he or she can’t complain. Be good to yourself and to your partner, that after all agreed to go on this crazy ride with you – meaning life in general, not only the move to Spain. And be good to your kids, that may not even have agreed but are going anyways. 😉
Next: Our packing for the move to Spain
