The school has given such a small amount to move that I can't even pay for boxes by ship with me dropping them off.
Is this normal for European schools? What options do I have other than out of pocket?
I am trying hard to get the house sorted but it seems daunting. There is so much stuff EVERYWHERE. The storage room of the garage is full, the garage has tools, power saws, chain saws, tires, everything.
I feel so overwhelmed and yet must just be able to take clothes, toys, some linens, kitchenware and make do.
How to make a move on so little and is this normal for Europe?
Moving Allowance or lack thereof?
Normal
How much are they giving you? When i went to Italy, my school gave me 300€. Its very normal for Europe and pretty normal for most places outside DoDDS. The intent of you moving allowance is for extra baggage on the airplane, not for moving your households kitchenware, toys, etc. You should be packing for a month long cruise or vacation, not trying to move your home. That said some people absorb the extra out of pocket expenses to ship by cargo more then is typical. I'm sorry but self packed cargo container is the cheapest transport (unless you have friends going there and you can buy their baggage allowance). Have you just looked into storage?
Last edited by PsyGuy on Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'm in the same boat. Our plan is to sell or give away
pretty much everything other than our clothes, a few books,
a FEW personal items, and our laptops and other small electronics.
It is liberating to think about not having so much baggage, both literally and
figuratively :) We are looking for an apartment that is at least partially furnished, and we've found a few that even come with pots, pans, and dishes. Maybe you could do the same? If not, there's always IKEA. Take whatever money you make selling your old stuff and buy new once you arrive. Or, maybe a departing teacher will be looking to get rid of stuff.
At any rate, good luck! Take a deep breath and realize that the hassle will all be worth it. (And I'll try to stop panicking and take my own advice.)
pretty much everything other than our clothes, a few books,
a FEW personal items, and our laptops and other small electronics.
It is liberating to think about not having so much baggage, both literally and
figuratively :) We are looking for an apartment that is at least partially furnished, and we've found a few that even come with pots, pans, and dishes. Maybe you could do the same? If not, there's always IKEA. Take whatever money you make selling your old stuff and buy new once you arrive. Or, maybe a departing teacher will be looking to get rid of stuff.
At any rate, good luck! Take a deep breath and realize that the hassle will all be worth it. (And I'll try to stop panicking and take my own advice.)
Putting all we can into storage and with family. I am already planning on packing the boxes and brining them to the warehouse to save. Still that is nearly $800 over budget.
I traveled Europe two years on a row for two weeks with just a carry on, but this time I need to set up a house and won't have much money. Europe is quality of life but not much money.
I will keep trying.
I traveled Europe two years on a row for two weeks with just a carry on, but this time I need to set up a house and won't have much money. Europe is quality of life but not much money.
I will keep trying.
[quote="doubtful"]I'm in the same boat. Our plan is to sell or give away
pretty much everything other than our clothes, a few books,
a FEW personal items, and our laptops and other small electronics.
It is liberating to think about not having so much baggage, both literally and
figuratively :) We are looking for an apartment that is at least partially furnished, and we've found a few that even come with pots, pans, and dishes. Maybe you could do the same? If not, there's always IKEA. Take whatever money you make selling your old stuff and buy new once you arrive. Or, maybe a departing teacher will be looking to get rid of stuff.
At any rate, good luck! Take a deep breath and realize that the hassle will all be worth it. (And I'll try to stop panicking and take my own advice.)[/quote]
Good luck to you also. I truly understand the panic of looking around and seeing sooo much stuff. I live on a ranch and our amount of things is beyond reasonable. We have a barn, 2 car garage, shed and a storage room. 25 years of stuff.
I am sure for both of us the opportunity will be wonderful and we will gain so much from the experience. I hope we can find a departing teacher and staff along with thrift stores and the Netherlands like craigslist. I want to bring my bike as everyone rides there but it is too big.
pretty much everything other than our clothes, a few books,
a FEW personal items, and our laptops and other small electronics.
It is liberating to think about not having so much baggage, both literally and
figuratively :) We are looking for an apartment that is at least partially furnished, and we've found a few that even come with pots, pans, and dishes. Maybe you could do the same? If not, there's always IKEA. Take whatever money you make selling your old stuff and buy new once you arrive. Or, maybe a departing teacher will be looking to get rid of stuff.
At any rate, good luck! Take a deep breath and realize that the hassle will all be worth it. (And I'll try to stop panicking and take my own advice.)[/quote]
Good luck to you also. I truly understand the panic of looking around and seeing sooo much stuff. I live on a ranch and our amount of things is beyond reasonable. We have a barn, 2 car garage, shed and a storage room. 25 years of stuff.
I am sure for both of us the opportunity will be wonderful and we will gain so much from the experience. I hope we can find a departing teacher and staff along with thrift stores and the Netherlands like craigslist. I want to bring my bike as everyone rides there but it is too big.
It is really tough to get started. We used Freecycle and Craigslist a lot. It is liberating and when you return, you won't need half the stuff you are paying to store. Even our beloved books are not that valuable/usable anymore as we have moved into ebooks. Toss it, give it away, sell it. Don't think in terms of moving an American household into a European home, instead think in terms of adapting to the European space as much as possible. Kids need the toys they will play with, not a toy box full. You need place settings for the number of people who eat regularly. Clothes storage is limited, so you don't need 18 pairs of boxers or 20 pairs of shoes. After looking at my woodshop tools after storage for a year I put them up for sale, I can buy new ones that won't be rusted from non use when I am ready to set something up in the States.
Wygal, taking a bike on an airplane isn't as difficult as you'd think. Just see if you can get a bike box from a local bike shop and pack it in one of those. I've carried bikes on planes plenty. You have t check it in at the oversize baggage area after your usual check-in. Some airlines let you get away with it for free, and others you just pay whatever the regular price is for excess baggage. There are plenty of forums out there with more information on them about it, but if you really like your bike then I wouldn't rule it out.
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lightstays
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wrldtrvlr123
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[quote="lightstays"]This is, pardon my French, utter horseshit. Any school that won't provide a moving allowance for you to move a quarter of the way across the planet does not deserve your employment.[/quote]
I would agree that many, if not most, good schools (even in Europe) would give a moving allowance in the $2000-4000 range that would let you ship 2-4 cubic meters of belongings.
I would agree that many, if not most, good schools (even in Europe) would give a moving allowance in the $2000-4000 range that would let you ship 2-4 cubic meters of belongings.