People relocate for different reasons. Whether you are a casual traveler or someone who is moving with family and planning to relocate with pets, plants, piano and your car, packing principles remain common in one important aspect and that is the load that you are carrying. Thus in short, the golden rule of packing is to pack only the essential items and therefore travel light. A vast majority of us have a habit of gathering goods which after a year, or even months or weeks, we find that we do not really need them. In stead of discarding it straightaway, we keep it. Neither do we sell them, or give them away as gifts, we store them, thinking that we might need them some time in the future – which unfortunately does not seem to come. We only remember and notice such ‘junk’ only when we have to relocate. In stead of moving to a new city, a new home, with the accumulated ‘excess baggage’ try to pack the following way. It can make a world of difference in your entire relocation program:
◾Take and pack the items which you cannot live without. No more of the goods which you think you ‘might’ need in future. Give it to charity, go for a garage sale or gift it to someone who might have a dire need for it. But do not pack and carry such items when you are relocating.
◾It is a wise decision not to trust your brain powers to memorize everything that you need to pack when relocating. Like every other aspect of moving, packing also takes a lot of planning. Write down all that you can remember which have to be packed, instead of relying on memory alone. Having a ready list of things to be packed also comes handy as a check-list when you have to unload and unpack.
◾Are you aware of the fact that American Society of Travel Agents have compiled a comprehensive list of ways to pack your goods no matter whether you are traveling by road, air or ship? The list has been made after taking into consideration the various limitations imposed by airlines as well as governments on goods related to weight, contraband, security risks, health hazard, etc. It might be a good idea to visit their website to check whether you are taking any goods which might get you into trouble. These tips have been compiled by people who know more about relocation than you possibly do.
Over and above the above, here are some general brief about packing, which can help you move to another city or state without any problem. Since there are loads of packing materials that you would require, it makes sense to approach a packing supplies company directly, who might work out some good discounts for your purchase.
◾Never overload your packing boxes. Keep the weight within 50 lbs. The key is to keep heavier items in smaller boxes and lighter items in larger boxes.
◾Pack the items which are not likely to break during journey tightly in smaller boxes so that they do not shift during transit. On the other hand, pack the fragile items loosely in plastic bags after with plenty of bubble wrap.
◾To prevent furniture from getting dents or chips, hire and use furniture pads.
◾To help you unpack easily, mark the boxes according to the room to which it belongs, like blue for bedroom, orange for living room, etc. Fragile items need to be declared with stickers or markings like ‘this side up’ or ‘fragile: handle with care’ etc.
◾Remove legs of larger furniture like bed, bureaus and tables. Take out the drawers from such furniture and stuff them with cloth or pad them with tape and rope. You could also cover them with a blanket or pads and tie them with tape and rope for protection during transit.
The above gives you a glimpse of some of the basics of packing. Of course there are more tips to packing like a pro.
