Making the move to live overseas is a big deal. It’s not like you’re moving house to a suburb on the other side of town. There is a lot to consider, loads of planning involved, and it’s a complete change of lifestyle and possibly culture as well.

Anything you can do that will make the transition smoother, more seamless and less stressful will always be a big plus.

When it comes to moving overseas, it’s very likely shipping containers are going to play a role. A shipping container – as humble as it is – can be your best friend in situations like this and chances are you’ll be using one yourself.

In this post we’ll take a look at how a shipping container can make everything a lot easier when you make the move to relocate to an overseas destination. We’re looking at shipping container storage.

Some Quick Facts About Shipping Containers

Before we get right into things, let’s very quickly glance over the options you have when choosing a shipping container to suit your needs.

Firstly, they come in 3 common sizes:

When it comes to moving and storage in scenarios like this one, the 10 footer is generally far too small. If you have lots of furniture, then the 40 foot container will likely be your preferred choice. Most people find a 20 foot container is large enough. Plus it’s cheaper to hire or transport than a 40 foot container.

There are also a few different types of shipping container:

Standard

High cube

Refrigerated

Dangerous goods

Top loading

Side loading

And a few more...

You probably won’t be requiring a refrigerated model, or one purpose built for dangerous goods. A top loading container likely wouldn’t be very practical either, but a side loading container could prove useful. More than likely you’ll go for the standard end loading container, or even the high cube, which gives you about one extra foot of internal headroom. This could be a good option if you have some furniture that is extra tall.





Image source: https://www.tigercontainers.com/blog/shipping-container-storage/



Moving Overseas Temporarily

Often times people move overseas because of work commitments. It may only be a temporary assignment to gain experience, or one that will lead to a promotion. Whatever the reason may be, if your move abroad isn’t permanent, chances are you won’t want to take all your furniture and worldly possessions with you, so you’ll need to be able to store them somewhere in the interim until you return.

Shipping container storage provides the perfect solution in circumstances such as these. Yes, you could load all your stuff up into a traditional style of storage shed, but often these are not very big, and the bigger ones can cost almost as much per month as renting an apartment.

Container storage is a far better option.

There are actually storage facilities that specialise in container storage and nothing else. They are set up very much like a regular storage yard, except all the facilities for stowing your goods are various sizes of shipping container.

You don’t need to worry about your goods getting damaged while you’re away either. Each of these containers will be airtight and watertight. Not only does this keep the elements at bay, it also prevents dirt and dust getting inside, and there’s no way vermin such as cockroaches can get in and take up residence amid your possessions.

You’ll discover that prices for shipping container storage are very competitive too.

Another option is to hire a shipping container on a long term basis, pack it with all your stuff and store it somewhere yourself, such as in an industrial area or the yard of a friend or relative. This allows you to keep all your stuff in one place, safe and secure.

Moving Overseas On a More Permanent Basis

You have a few options here if your move is likely to be permanent, or you know you’ll be gone for many years.

On the one hand, if you don’t want your stuff with you abroad at any time, you could either get rid of it all, or store it in container storage as mentioned above. Storing it indefinitely depends on whether you’re willing to keep paying for that storage long term.

Another likely scenario is you will want your furniture and personal possessions with you in your new place and country at some point, so the best option here is to pack everything you’ll want to take into a shipping container, get yourself settled overseas, then have that container shipped over to you when you are ready to receive it.

Keep I mind that shipment can take several months, so if you’re staying in temporary accommodation overseas, try and time it so your container arrives roughly around the time you’ll be moving into some accommodation that’s more permanent.

Before you leave for your overseas sojourn, depending on what you have and how much, you might split your furniture and possessions into two groups:

What you want with you overseas What you will leave behind

This way you’ll have your container packed and ready to go when you want it delivered, and the other one can be left behind in permanent storage until you decide what you will ultimately do with it.

When it does come to shipping your gear to your new destination, a shipping container is by far and away the best way to do it. These vessels are strong, air a water tight, and they are very safe and secure for your valued possessions.

They are easy to pack and unpack on each end, and usually you can do this at your leisure as you’ll have time.

The Takeaway

As you can see, employing the use of shipping containers in your move abroad is the most logical choice on a number of levels.

The best thing about shipping containers is they keep your stuff safe and secure, which gives you total peace of mind and one less thing to have to worry about when making the big move.