A Fresh Start in the UK

We’d like to know the origin and destination of your move, and most importantly the reason of your move. How did you experience that?

I moved from South Africa to the United Kingdom. We decided to pack up and leave due to the closing of my business during Covid and it never quite came right again. A fresh start and a new adventure was exactly what the books called for. The experience as a whole has been a roller coaster of of emotions from scared to excited and everything in-between. I have honestly never laughed and cried more than I did in this moving process. From the sadness of saying farewell to the nervousness of actually leaving to the excitement of arriving. Taking it in stride was the only thing we could do.

I simply don’t regret it!

Choosing a good moving company is painful, we know that. How did you manage to find the perfect one among the thousands of existing ones?

This is a process that takes more research than you realize. You start by asking people who they know or have personal experiences wit. You always want to know the people you are dealing with have helped someone your personally know. Then the next process is using a website like Sirelo to group together a few agencies to get hold of you and you can contact a few directly – although this takes more time. Make the appointments and have the on-site visits I cannot stress this enough. This gives you a feel for the company and gives you a chance to asks the questions that bug you most.
Lastly use your gut feel and your budget restraints if you have any. I went with my gut and do not regret it one single bit.

Take us through the moving day – did everything go as planned?

Moving day is the most stressful day in this process. It started with the company arriving an hour earlier than planned which for me was a huge relief, I wanted to start the process sooner that later. The shock of how many boxes and packing material for my small contingency of items astounded me.
They introduce themselves and explained h

ow the process goes. The insist that you remain with them while they pack so that everything that needs to be packed is packed and visa versa. This process is both faster and slower than you think it will be. They pack with caution and pack well but at the same time for someone who does not professionally pack it seems very fast. Then you count the boxes on the truck with them 1 by 1 and sign off on everything and watch them drive away with your life on a truck. It was perfectly planned, organized and executed.

 What are 3 tips that you think could help others make their moving day less chaotic?

1. Be prepared for things to go wrong and mistakes to happen. Something isn’t going to be packed, something may not make it on the rare occasion in one piece. Just breath and tackle one issue, concern, problem or nightmare at a time its not as bad as you think.
2. Have someone with you on packing day. I actually cannot stress this enough. There is a tea of packers in your house and you cant be in every room at the same time and sometimes more than one person requires and answer. If you have someone with you it will not be as overwhelming.
3. Remember it, enjoy it and live in the moment. This is a big decision you have made remember the funny moment, enjoy the jokes and conversation and live it, its your life after all. And have multiple cups of tea or coffee to get through the day.

Disclaimer: the views shared on this blog belong only to the client. Sirelo is an independent platform and the expat testimonials provided are intended for informational purposes.

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