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from International 
Movers in Dubai

Save on your next International Move 

Wise Move aims to simplify the International Moving process and save you money! Stress-Free international moving, starting with these 3 easy steps.

With almost 30 years of experience in the International Packing & Moving industry, let's look at the key areas of finding the Best International Moving Company.

Provide your moving information

You complete our simple form providing only the essential details and we shortlist International Moving Companies who can best cater to your requirements.

The movers present six quotations

The movers receive the details of your move instantly and start work on providing a competitive, FREE, No-obligation quote within 24 to 48 hours.

You compare the quotes you receive

Simply evaluate the quotations and choose the moving quote you feel most comfortable with and make huge savings on your next move. 

"Best Value for money" quotes from 6 Moving companies 
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Finding an International Moving Company

What are the considerations you need to make?

We have decades of experience in the international moving industry, and here is our take on the essential issues you need to address in order to turn your next International Move into a triumph.

When should I start planning my International Move?

The short answer, which is a good rule of thumb is 4-6 weeks before your target move date. You might be able to reduce this timeframe significantly if your International move meets specific criteria. 

This largely depends on three factors, 

  • Who is moving?
  • What is being moved?
  • When is the move taking place?

Wise Move Tip

The more time you have, the better!  It is always nice to have extra days and weeks to allow for any contingencies.

If you are not moving with a spouse and children, you will need less time to prepare. Similarly, if you are travelling light and not taking all of your belongings, it is highly likely you can organise things in half the time.

Movers can get very busy at certain times of the year, (school holidays for example), so if your moving dates coincide you might need to book early with your selected International mover.

What does the Moving company take care of?

Unless you are keen to be very “hands-on”, it is best to leave the main areas of an international move to a professional moving company. This would broadly include…

Packing - Unless the volume is only a few cubic meters, it's a lot of work to take on yourself. Our advice is to let the movers pack your items. Most quotations include packing charges. It’s not only the physical packing that you gain, it’s also quality materials which are not easy to find otherwise, and also the organisation that a good packing crew bring to the table (as we will discover later in this article).

Insurance - Movers will be keen to arrange Transit Insurance for you. But you may want to shop around, for an improved deal. 

Loading and exporting - The packers really come into their own when they load all your goods. This might be directly into a shipping container outside your house, or perhaps require shuttling to a larger moving truck. Either way, you’ll be grateful for the efforts the moving company provides. If you can afford it, tip the packing crew at the end of the day.

Transportation to destination port - The moving company will transfer your good to the port and arrange all necessary export procedures. 

Customs clearance at destination - Unless you are familiar with customs procedures or have connections to help out, this part of the move is very important and best to leave in the hands of professionals.

Delivery to your home - The final part of the move and again this can be labour intensive. The movers should execute things smoothly allowing you to continue the next chapter of your life.

Is there a Peak Season for International Moving?

Yes, given the choice families tend to move during school holidays and at half term. Public holidays such as Easter and to a lesser extent Christmas can get very busy and so try and avoid moving at these times.

International movers tend to have full schedules at the end of the month and so try to aim to move during the middle of a month; this will probably ensure you secure your preferred moving dates

Wise Move Tip

Book your packing dates EARLY. Moving, as with any other industry, operates on a supply/demand basis, high demand and limited slots available invariably leads to higher prices.

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Save on Moving Costs

Should I store my goods?

Any money you might save not shipping your goods can quickly be eaten up in storage bills. The main issue to address is what is the anticipated duration of your overseas move? If it is expected to be more than 2-3 years, then definitely avoid storage, unless the volume of good is less than around ten cubic meters / 350 cubic feet.

Storing for a year or 18 months, even if the volume is quite high might well be a cost-effective option.

Wise Move Tip

Use your International move as an opportunity to purge items you no longer need. Give to charity or to family/friends.

If I am not in a hurry to move, are there savings?

In most cases, YES! Assuming you are moving more than a few suitcases to a new continent, then shipment by sea is your only option.

Once your volume exceeds around 13-15 cubic meters / 460-530 cubic feet then it is possibly the most cost-effective to take your own shipping container, however, if you are willing to be flexible on the door to door transit times, discuss the option of shared containers.

Why is volume such an important factor?

When dealing with household goods, and personal effects, in other words, the important belongings people tend to want to keep hold of, the volume is more relevant than weight.

The space your shipment occupies on a ship/truck/train/plane is going to directly affect cost.

Where can I house my family during the move?

If you are moving from a home which takes a number of days to pack up, then it’s worth discussing logistics well in advance.

The packers may be able to work around you leaving you a bedroom and some basics up until the final day, avoiding the need for multiple days in a hotel at origin.

If the timing of your move goes to plan, there is a chance you will be able to re-establish your new home at destination with a minimum of delay and inconvenience.

It might mean a week in a hotel until your goods arrive and are delivered.

Wise Move Tip

If you plan to move to a furnished home you may decide to leave the bulk of your possessions at home or in storage, this can drastically reduce moving costs.

However, if you are moving to the other side of the world or somewhere remote, you may need to find some temporary furnished accommodation. This will allow you more space and flexibility than a hotel, and if you need to extend your stay due to delays or unforeseen consequences, then costs can be kept to a reasonable level.

"Great packing experience from the company we selected. Very professional, polite and accommodating. Many thanks"

Mrs E. Smith

Company CEO - Abu Dhabi to London, UK
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LCL / Groupage

What is the difference between LCL and Groupage?

LCL (Less than a container load) - Often moving companies who do not have huge volumes to Europe or Australia for example, will hand over your goods to a forwarder, who shares container space. So a number of shipments (sometimes 4, 5 or more, are co loaded into a container and shipped to a hub location (London, Sydney, New York for example). The shipments are then separated and sent out for individual delivery to a residence.

Pro's
  • Between them, the movers will have regular containers leaving regularly (on a weekly or bimonthly basis).
  • This method expedites departure and allows a moving company to provide a fairly reliable door-to-door transit time.
Con's
  • The forwarder acts as a middleman and his deconsolidation charges at destination (these vary between companies) can be exorbitant.
  • To ensure goods do not get mislaid or damaged during the journey, it is advisable to load goods into large wooden crates (‘lift-vans’) leading to additional costs.
  • If packed goods are loaded into lift-vans the volume increases as much as 15%.

Groupage/Consolidation - More established moving companies, who have a larger volume of moves to a particular region, can eliminate the middleman and co-load shipments belonging exclusively to their own customer.

This eliminates the need to use the added security of expensive wooden crates especially when the handling is handled exclusively by the mover and their office (trusted partner at the destination.

Wise Move Tip

If your items are non-essential and/or you are very flexible with timing go for Groupage option.

Pro's
  • Can be very cost-effective. The freight and handling charges are spread evenly and third party forwarder costs are eliminated.
  • The moving company has completed control of the shipment at every stage, significantly reducing errors, loss or damage.
Con's
  • Mainly timeframe. The container is not shipped until it is full. Depending on your destination this can add days and even weeks delays, so a shipment you might expect is 6 weeks, can take 3 or 4 months.  Not suitable if you have a deadline or need the goods urgently.

What can you take away from this?

International moving can be stressful, but if you get started early, keep ahead of the game and remain focused, things within your control will go smoothly.

Get a clear idea on what you are taking and ask a few companies to view your goods and base a quotation on what you showed them.

Plan packing dates, get an idea of the transit times (allowing time for customs clearance and formalities).

Perhaps add another week for contingencies and if your goods arrive a little earlier then it’s a bonus.

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