Making Moving Easier

Moving overseas can be a complicated endeavor. You can't just throw all of your household goods into a moving truck and drive it to your destination. And you can only check so many bags at the airport. But if you don't want to buy all new items for your house, you have to get your possessions to your new destination somehow. Freighter shipping is usually the answer. Your possessions are packed up, put on pallets, and placed on a freighter ship for delivery to your new home. However, shipping is expensive – it can cost between $2000 and $3000 for a full container load. You can save some money by packing your own pallets, but it's important to know the right way to pack a pallet for the safety of your possessions. Here are some tips that can help.

Gather Your Packing Supplies

First, you'll need a pallet and a pallet box. There are several options for both of these. Pallets come in wood, metal, and plastic. Keep in mind that wood pallets may have been treated with chemicals to prevent pest infestation, which may make plastic or metal a more preferable choice. Pallet boxes come in cardboard, wood, or plastic. Choosing cardboard boxes will save you money, but cardboard is also less durable than plastic or wood options.

You will also need pallet wrap, bubble wrap, and security straps. The pallet wrap will protect your boxes from moisture or pests. It's important to buy bubble wrap instead of stuffing the box with newspaper, because your box will be in humid conditions while it's at sea. If moisture does penetrate the pallet wrap and container, then the newspaper will get soggy and won't protect your items. Security straps are used to fasten the box to the pallet so that it can't fall off. Most of these items can be easily obtained from any packaging store or home improvement store.

Pack Your Box

The pallet will be too heavy to move once it's packed, so the first thing that you will need to do is determine where you'll put it for the shipping company to pick up. The shipping company will need to use a forklift to lift the pallet, so make sure that there's plenty of room for that. Your driveway is probably a good place.

When you have the pallet in place, set an empty box on top of it, and place two sets of security straps – one vertical, one horizontal – underneath the pallet and box. That way, when the box is full, the straps will already be in place. Fill the box, using bubble wrap as needed to protect your items and to fill any empty spaces. You should pack the box as tightly as possible – the less things can move around in your box, the less likely it is that anything will break.

Secure and Finish

When you're finished packing, put the lid on and attach the security straps that you previously laid out over the box and pallet. You should do this before you use the pallet wrap, not after. Applying the pallet wrap over the security straps makes the security straps less likely to move. Feel free to use the pallet wrap liberally.

Once your pallet is wrapped securely, label it and attach the documentation given to you by the carrier. This ensures that your items will wind up on the correct ship and will end up at the correct place. You can cover the documentation in a single layer of clear wrap if you want – that way it will still be easy to read, but there will be less of a chance for it to become detached somehow. Finally, take a picture for your own records just in case you need to prove that the pallet was intact and undamaged when the carrier got it.

When you pack and secure your pallet with these tips, you can rest easy knowing that your household goods are safe as they travel to your new home. For more tips, contact an international relocation company.