An assessment of the actual home tells how much space will be required to ship the belongings whether by air or sea as well as the kind and amount of packing materials required.
Over the past 15 years, Christine Asiko has moved from Kenya to the UK to South Africa and back. The career moves to foreign countries have spanned much of her children’s lives who are now teenagers. It is not easy, she says.
“I remember at one point, when we were moving from the UK to South Africa, my eldest child decided not to move with us and we actually had to leave him behind,” Ms Asiko says.
Moving to another country to start a new job can be difficult. The young and single may find it easy to put on their more adventurous side and move from one end of the world to the next in search of a higher standing in the corporate ladder and better fortunes.
Relocation for families with children, however, is a bit difficult as parents have to consider the effect of uprooting the children from their school and social lives, in addition to relocating family belongings.
“For a new foreign office, you are likely to walk into a structured environment similar to the one you held before. But family members are impacted differently by the move because they have to deal with unfamiliar places,” she says.
Ms Asiko says such moves are hardest on the children who get into different schools or learning system. She advises targeting the start of an academic year so that the children are not the only fresh entrants.
Relocating or moving household belongings to a storage house for two or five years while away is also another hassle.
Ms Asiko’s most recent move, early this year, saw her transport her belongings to three different locations including Mombasa which meant more labelling and packing to ensure the movers get the right thing to the right place.
“I had to decide what I needed to put in storage, what I want moved to the UK and what I wanted brought to Kenya,” she says.
Being an experienced mover, she advises that one considers the things that he is likely to get in the destination country, the sentimental possessions to be carried and what can be disposed of.
Import seats, TVs
Some bulk relocations, however, do not involve actual movement to a foreign country. Sometimes, one can import household goods from television, designer artworks, sofa sets to antique bookshelves when doing a home make-over.
Ms Asiko said that when considering a international mover, she relied heavily on word-of-mouth from her close associates who had received satisfactory service.
“Getting a moving company that has people who think outside the box is very helpful because you are hardly sure of what challenges you will face when you arrive,” she says.
Avoid customs
She opted for the door-to-door service offered by Urgent Cargo so as not to deal with the customs department.
However, she brought in by air the more urgent and less bulky stuff while the rest were shipped. While nothing was damaged, she was cautious enough to pick insurance with the mover.
Taka Awori, the relocations manager at Urgent Cargo, which works with partners across the world, says most of the transferees they get are moving from Kenya to Europe, USA and South Africa while others are coming into the country.
Of importance, she says, is to make a decision whether you need 100 per cent pack-out or a few items will be left behind for use until day of leaving.
Other times, people with about a week to their relocation opt to have all their belongings packed and ready for shipment while they leave out of a suitcase in a hotel or a furnished apartment.
An assessment of the actual home tells how much space will be required to ship the belongings whether by air or sea as well as the kind and amount of packing materials required.
Packing
“Different items are packed in different boxes. Clothes are packed in a wardrobe or flat pack boxes. Other items such as kitchenware are wrapped for protection before placing in boxes. Furniture is not placed in boxes, but only wrapped well ensuring no damage occurs during shipment,” Ms Awori says. For personal items like jewelry and other prized possessions, Ms Awori notes that most clients prefer to pack them on their own.
With export customs documents ready, an air freight shipment of up to 500 kilogrammes generally takes a few hours to pack.
It takes two days to pack and load a 20-foot container and double the time when dealing with a 40-foot depending on client’s requirements.
A prior notice of about a week is required though rushed moves can be booked 48 hours in advance dependent on the shipper’s availability.
The US dollar charges are normally pegged on volumes, packing requirements, freight charges applicable and whether or not the client wants a door-to-door or door-to-port transfer.
A sea shipment to the USA, for instance, can take about 50 days, 28 days to Europe and about 10 days to get to South Africa. Having marine insurance for ship transfers or separate insurance for goods on transit, helps in case of damages.
Cheapest provider
International moving is the fastest growing segment in the moving industry generating millions of shilling in profits and attracting fraudsters.
Gil Recizac, the managing director of AGS Frasers Kenya says it is advisable to engage a company that has branches in the destination country. “This will enable the customer to deal with the same company instead of several who will reject responsibility in case an issue arises,” he says.
AGS Frasers Kenya is branch of international removal company AGS Group that has 127 locations in 84 countries.
As moving is a service rendered, Mr Recizac recommends the cheapest provider might actually be the best in the market. He cautions, however, that a customer should confirm beforehand that the mover has official certification.
“Ensure the company you pick to move you is ISO FIDI, meaning that it adheres to the supreme professional industry standard worldwide,” says Mr Recizac.
AGS Frasers Kenya moves clients across the globe with the most commonly requested destinations including Europe, Asia, Africa and the USA. Upon receipt of a moving request, AGS Frasers surveys the goods that a customer desires to move, sorts them out and ascertains the volume.
“We have 19 box sizes which allow us pack each item individually. We use crating for fragile items to avoid damages,” he says. As recourse for property damage, the company has an insurance guarantee for its customers.
Air transport is most preferred for small quantities of up to 500 kilogramme and takes an estimated 10 days for door-to-door removals.
Moving via sea is usually for freight of more than five cubic metres and can take between one and two months for stuff to get to its destination.
