Let’s get things started! We’d like to know the origin and destination of your move, and most importantly what made you decide to pack up and leave! What was that experience like?

We needed to relocate for work from southern Germany to the Athens area in Greece. The move had been planned for three years, but with the pandemic and lockdowns, everything was delayed for a really long time. We are Americans, and an international move in Europe seemed way harder to navigate than our move from the United States to southern Germany. So many details and in two different languages!! We did a lot of research, had a friend who found a house for us to rent, and when things opened up, we began seriously planning the details of the move.

Finding a good moving company is painful, we know that. How did you manage to choose the perfect one out of all the options out there?

We did a lot of research on moving companies. The shocking part was how much prices had changed since we shipped our items from California to Germany almost ten years ago. So, price definitely factored into it. However, we did not go with the cheapest company. Ultimately, we went with the company that made us feel most comfortable. Several of the companies we reached out to made us feel like it was a huge pain for them to move our things to Greece. But the company we ultimately went with assured us that it was no problem and that they would get our things delivered. It was a perfect experience.

Let’s get to the fun part! Take us through the moving day – did everything go as planned?

Everything went exactly as planned! The movers showed up, and began loading the truck. We had packed our belongings ourselves, so everything was ready for them when they arrived. It was fun to see them play Tetris for adults trying to get things into the most logical space. And they were strong! Things we were using dollies for, they just picked up (with the dolly!) and loaded them into the truck. It was quick. I think they were done in less than two hours. They stuck around for coffee and pastries when they were done and then were on their way!

Are you master of chaos or is chaos the master of you – What are your top 3 tips to help others make their moving day less chaotic?

I am the master of chaos! I hate being unprepared and I hate that feeling of everything needing to be done at the last minute. So, I do have some tips to make moving easier. Start early! We knew we’d be moving months before the actual move, so when we knew we wouldn’t be needing something until after we moved, we packed it. For example, after Christmas, we packed all of the decorations ready for the move knowing we wouldn’t be using them until we moved. Buy packing material! Just get the bubble wrap, the paper, tape, and boxes. It makes it so much easier when you have the right tools at your disposal. Declutter! We got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved. We asked ourselves this question . . . “Would we buy this item for full price again today?” If the answer was no, we got rid of it.

Let’s talk money – did your move cost as much as you thought? What do you think made the cost higher/lower?

Higher than expected

Gas prices have skyrocketed – so we knew that would make the move more expensive than it would have been previously.

Last words? 😊

You can do it! And once you’re in your new place you get to explore and have all kinds of new adventures!