This is resulting in overcapacity and/ or equipment shortages. While affecting ports worldwide, it is especially being felt in Southampton, Felixstowe, New York, and Los Angeles.

The shutdowns due to coronavirus mean that some vessels may not be able to enter or choose not to enter certain ports as the loading and discharging of goods grows. Shortages of 20-foot and 40-foot shipping containers have also been a side effect of the Coronavirus and ships that are running as scheduled are at maximum capacity.

Please be patient, flexible, and allow for possible delays in container availability at the time of loading. The more notice we have, the better!

Due to these issues, there is a possibility of extra charges incurred and freight cost fluctuations are a possibility.

Your shipment may need to remain in storage at origin until containers become available. Continuous planning and pro-active measures are taking place to mitigate any delays for smooth movements by us, however, delays in transit times are possible. We expect this to continue through early 2021.

UPakWeShip will do everything in its power to maintain your existing quote and transit times and will keep you updated via our automatic tracking system and by our coordinators. Please be patient during these difficult times and know that everyone at EuroUSA and UPakWeShip are doing everything possible to keep your shipment on schedule.

At the time of writing, this is not affecting our U-Crate and pallet services but is affecting some of our self-load 20 and 40-foot shipping container routes.

The post Important Information Regarding Shipping: Covid-19 and Brexit appeared first on UPakWeShip.

So, this is how you can ensure safety is your priority, without compromising on a happy move.

1. Follow the updates on travel advice and guidance

Despite wanting everything to be normal, things aren’t, and every country is dealing with the pandemic in different ways. The best thing you can do for your peace of mind and your move is to be prepared. Governments are constantly updating their official websites with advice for travel and those coming into and out of the country. Take a look at the local news from your destination and ensure you’re aware of any guidelines or quarantining rules you might need to follow. Every country differs with precautions, laws, and rules, and things are changing all the time, so stay up informed.

Here are some useful websites which may be of use:
UK Foreign Travel Advice
USA Foreign Travel Advice
European Foreign Travel Advice

2. Use a reliable curbside mover that prioritizes safety

UPakWeShip is a curbside moving company, which specializes in collecting and delivering on your door-step. This means, nobody has to go into your home, nobody is using your toilet, nobody is touching your belongings, and you know exactly where everything is and what needs prioritizing. By packing yourself, not only do you minimize the impact of your move, but you can also save yourself a lot of money. Curbside moving is the perfect option for those who want to move safely and affordably. You can receive an instant quote for your move, right now.

3. Fly in comfort using the money you’ve saved on moving

Not only is moving with UPakWeShip safe, it’s also affordable. We’ve laid out how using UPakWeShip’s moving services are socially distant, but the impact of moving with us goes further than that. Moving without packers means you’ll save the money usually spent on people coming in and packing your belongings. Why not use this extra budget to upgrade your flight and ensure you can have a bit more room and be less likely to sit near others in cramped economy seating.

If you’re looking to move overseas safely and affordably, you can find out your moving price right now with our instant rates calculator. We are looking forward to another fall/winter season of moving people to their new destinations.

The post 3 Steps for a Safe Overseas Move in 2020 appeared first on UPakWeShip.

But what does a curbside move look like? This blog post will break down our services so that you can decide what works best for you:

U-Crates and Pallets

When you order a U-Crate or pallet, we will drop it off at the desired address the same way a parcel is delivered. We just require a signature to confirm you’ve got it, and then you can take it into your home – for you to start the packing process! You may have a pre-arranged date for your collection, or you may be playing it by ear, but once you have your U-Crate or pallet, we ask for an optimal 7 days notice for it to be collected fully-packed.

Some people choose to practice their collection day, or practice fitting their U-Crate together, whilst others go with the flow on the day – ultimately, it’s up to you! On collection day, you will need to take your pallet or U-Crate onto the curbside or drive, and from there, start to pack it with your boxes. If you have a U-Crate, make sure you’re using the straps and cover that comes with the service – but any extra cellophane wrap will always be a good thing! If you have a pallet, it is your responsibility to make sure it’s secure.

Then, you wait! Your driver will be in contact to give you a time-frame for your collection and so that you can organize your packing. When they turn up, they will simply use a pallet-jack to lift your service into the truck – and with a friendly smile and a signature from somebody 18+, that’s it!

It really is that simple.

One of the reasons our customers love UPakWeShip is that we don’t need them to be there to sign off on the collection themselves. If you need to leave the country prior to your belongings, a trusted friend or family member is totally fine to sign off.

20ft and 40ft Containers

Whilst our container process is slightly different, it remains as safe as possible for all of our customers – that’s thanks to the ‘you pack’ in UPakWeShip.

Your container will be trucked to your location on a set day which you will have pre-arranged with your shipping coordinator. It’s always important to be prepared and ready to have all hands on deck, offering a couple of cold beers to those who help out is always a great incentive!

The truck will arrive, and you have a 2-hour window to pack it up yourself. If it takes longer, an hourly fee will be applied.

We don’t supply anybody to help with the move, which is why the more you can rely on those are you, the better – particularly for a container move. Our truck drivers are simply there to drive to and from your location and confirm that we have your belongings.

This means you will have minimal interaction with people you don’t know, and nobody touching your belongings.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our services, we offer all-inclusive, immediate prices on our website – so you can start budgeting for your move today!

The post What do we mean by a ‘curbside’ service? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

UPakWeShip has continued to ship the belongings of customers around the world. So, whilst you can rest assured about any logistical concerns you may have – there still remains the question of how to ensure yourself (and your family) will protect your own health and safety.

1. Flying will be a necessity if you’re moving across the pond, but there are precautions you can take to protect yourself as much as possible. As is the law in many States currently, wearing a mask is always advisable, as is bringing hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes to clean the area around you.

Taking these extra steps have become a norm for anyone who has flown over the last couple of months, so even if you won’t be flying until later in the year, it’s worth ensuring you’ve got the means to sanitize yourself and your seat. Airplanes are being thoroughly deep cleaned between flights currently, but if you’re extra cautious, you could always use some of your lump-sum relocation allowance to upgrade your seats and give yourself more room on the plane.

2. Make sure all of your relevant documents have been translated to your destination language. English may be the universal language, but if you’re moving to a small village in the middle of the French countryside, you can’t depend on that. Having medical records and relevant information about allergies in your new home’s language will help ensure you receive the correct care if necessary.

3. If somebody in your family has an ongoing condition, it’s vital to make sure your destination country has matching healthcare and treatment. The medical routes can vary from country to country, so if you or someone else moving is receiving ongoing care, you’ll want to check that they can continue to receive it when you land – and that you’re aware of any extra costs involved.

4. Prioritize your help by upholding social distancing where possible. Social distancing isn’t going away anytime soon, wherever you are in the world. When organizing a moving company, you may be wary about organizing strangers to come into your home and packing all of your belongings.

The simple solution is to pack your belongings yourself and use a trusted moving company to organize the pickup and delivery of your items. With instant all-inclusive quotes, door-to-door services and a range of different sized pallets and U-Crates, UPakWeShip only requires one person’s signature upon collection and delivery. Ideal for social distancing, and making sure you know exactly what’s where in your move!

The post 4 Steps to Maximizing Your Health and Safety When Moving Abroad appeared first on UPakWeShip.

As an international moving company, we are doing everything we can for our customers under the restrictions. And with one of the UPak team catching an emergency flight back to the UK after just moving to New Zealand – we know firsthand the impact of this uncertainty.

However, if you have found you have more time than previously planned for your move, we want to put some positivity into how you can use this time to make your move more affordable.

Depending on your reasons for moving abroad, you may have a relocation allowance provided by your job. At the very least, you should have a rough budget on how much you’re willing to spend on the process.

So, how can you use these extra months to your advantage in the meantime?

1. Book Cheaper Flights
If your flights were booked for lockdown, most airlines are offering refunds or new flights in the knowledge you can’t fly currently. With this in mind and no date for resuming normality, it could be worth accepting the refund rather than the new flight date.

Flight prices are expected to drop dramatically, with airlines desperate for their grounded planes to be full of passengers. The chances are, if you get a refund and then rebook your flights when the time suits you, you’ll save much more money than on the ticket you initially bought.

2. Research potential movers for the best deal
Having time on your side means you don’t have to rush into finding a mover for your needs and wants. The safety of your belongings shouldn’t be compromised, which is why shopping around is incredibly important when deciding to move anywhere.

On top of this, you’ll often find some movers are less transparent than others. Make sure the mover you go with has no-hidden-fees, and the price you are quoted is the price you pay when your shipment is delivered.

3. Save money on movers by packing yourself
Packing yourself is one of the easiest ways to save money on your move – and right now, you have the time to do just that. UPakWeShip is currently able to deliver pallets and U-Crates straight to your front door.

By having the service there with you, you can practice packing, have a better idea of the most efficient way to fit, and save yourself money by not paying for movers. Not only will it save you money, but having your service ready for collection when business resumes to normality puts you right at the front of the line!

UPakWeShip is continuing to offer services with certain limitations. Keep up-to-date via our Facebook page or email move@upakweship.com.

The post How to use this time to budget for your move abroad appeared first on UPakWeShip.

If you’ve been presented with the opportunity to move, you’ll likely be wondering whether it’s worth it, or if it will be the right decision for you.

With over 30 years of moving experience (and a lot of personal experience from our team too!), we’ve pieced together the pros and cons you should consider before moving abroad:

Pros

There is a unique opportunity to travel when you’ve moved to a new country – whether it’s to explore the country itself, or its neighbors (particularly when moving to Europe). Travel anywhere is an invaluable experience, and getting to discover more about the world is hugely exciting!

The idea of ‘travel’ doesn’t even need to be in the air, you could get a train ride to the next city, or maybe there’s an incredible restaurant you would never have experienced otherwise. The likelihood is, however, once you’ve moved abroad, you’ll be more open and willing to explore other places and make the most of the opportunity.

Moving abroad will likely see personal growth in both yourself and your loved ones. It’s a daunting experience, even more so if you’re moving solo, and it requires a lot of networking and putting yourself out there. Any position in which you’re out of your comfort zone will lead to personal growth, and for a lot of people, there’s nothing more rewarding than the experience of moving abroad.

You’ll meet new people, even if you’re wary initially, it will become natural to say hello to your local coffee shop owner, or see familiar faces in your neighbors. You could meet your new best friend or even the love of your life! If you’re moving abroad to join a loved one, you’ll also become a part of their lives and network, which will include meeting more people and experiencing their culture first-hand.

Moving abroad looks great on a resume, because it shows you have a lot of transferable skills, including initiative and independence. Whether it’s for the country you’re moving to, or for when you eventually come home, having a long-term experience abroad will really make you stand out against other candidates, and can lead to a natural flow in conversation during interviews.

Cons

Naturally, the biggest con is that you’ll miss your friends and family. Even the most seasoned expats get homesick. Whether it’s for their loved ones or a type of food you can’t buy in your new home country *cough* Marmite *cough*. Homesickness is real, but it does get a lot easier, and the chances are you’ll be so caught up in the moving process, that it won’t impact you too much.

Missing home is also related to culture shock, which happens when you aren’t familiar with your surroundings. This plus a lack of support network can be the downfall of many expats, however, it’s important to stay positive and know that everyone feels like this once. For more information on overcoming culture shock, why not check out our guide to dealing with it?

The bureaucracy of moving abroad can be daunting, for instance, it’s notoriously hard to rent in a lot of Europe without a native to be on your side and prove to agencies you won’t be running away. If you’re going somewhere and don’t speak the language, simple tasks like setting up bank accounts and sorting out your driver’s license or tax numbers can become mountains to climb. Always make sure to do your research on your new home. Making friends with locals will also help you to overcome these boundaries, as most people are more than willing to lend a hand to someone struggling to get to grips with it all.

Deciding what to take with you can be a huge challenge, but nobody knows your belongings better than yourself. If you’re looking to move abroad, why not pack your own belongings and have peace of mind that you know exactly what is what and where is where. That way, you won’t be landing with furniture you’re unable to store, and you can de-clutter in the process! UPakWeShip is a self-packing service for international movers. Save money by packing yourself, and we’ll pick up from your doorstep and deliver it to your new front door! Even better, the tax and customs forms are all part of the service – and most importantly, the price!

To find out more about the rates at UPakWeShip head to our US or Europe sites for an immediate quote.

The post The Pros and Cons of Moving Abroad appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Best regards,
Vincent

International Moving Doctor says “Thank you Vincent for a brilliant review. What more could anyone say! Good communication, saving $5,000 nothing broken or missing!  That is what a good international move is all about”

The post International Moving Review to Switzerland and back with UPakWeShip appeared first on UPakWeShip.

If you guess correctly where the moving doctor took this picture we will give you $50 off your international move.

We have the best rates and service if you are moving to England. We ship every week and have our own offices in the USA and the UK.

Oh and did you know we have a 5 star rating on google reviews. That is the highest you can get!

The post Moving Gnome? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

A touchy subject this one but a lot of people look for reviews before choosing an international mover. But however hard a company might try, no one can keep everybody happy all the time in a service industry. Different people have different expectations and let’s face it when shipping someone’s precious items half way around the world, there is always a chance that somewhere in the logistics chain, something could go wrong. Who would have thought one of the top ten shipping lines, Hanjin would have gone bust a few weeks ago leaving thousands of containers with all kinds of things, stranded around the world.  If you are involved in shipping widgets across the globe, a vessel delay, a customs inspection or a truckers strike, might not be a big deal but the slightest hiccup with a customer’s belongings can be a different story.

It has been said that International household goods and personal effects is the only commodity that has a voice when being shipped and that voice can get quite loud across social media if something goes wrong. It doesn’t happen often but sometimes the logistics fairies have a bad day I guess and the well-oiled chain gets a hiccup. Now a good company will get it sorted out quickly and quite often the customer might not even know there was any problem. Other times you have to let them know the bad news and sometimes with the whole stress of moving, people can say and type things that they really might not mean. Unfortunately whatever the moving company might have done to make things right even if it was part of the shipping process totally outside of the mover’s control, the bad review has been posted and there is nothing they can do about it.

Now some companies might deserve a bad review but many others do not. I recently did some Google searching on International Moving reviews and to be honest no one has a perfect record. I saw some horrific reviews about companies that I know, do a very professional job.

I guess the reason I am talking about reviews is because we recently got knocked on social media about something we had no control over and it makes us look bad and it’s very frustrating that it doesn’t matter how hard you try, someone can tarnish your reputation by the click of a mouse!

We have had a few shipments exporting out of California where USA Customs have requested an exam of the container which has resulted in a lot of extra unloading and inspection fees on top of our normal lump sum all-inclusive quote. This is Customs right to do this and it can happen anywhere in the world. Obviously you can’t include these extra charges as the majority of the time it doesn’t happen and when it does you never know how much it is going to be. Now when this happens, we pass on the official invoices to the customer without adding anything extra and keep them informed about what’s going on. But unfortunately it’s the mover, be it UPakWeShip or any other mover that has to advise the customer that they now owe more money due to a customs inspection and through no fault of their own, stand a chance of being called scammers or advising everyone in their social circle that they are being ripped off.

I think in all fairness these days whether you are looking at reviews on Amazon about a product, a Yelp review on a contractor or reviews about an International Mover on Google you have to look at the average! If the majority is good, they are good and if the majority is bad, they have a problem!

So bottom line, no one International mover can have all 5 stars and all great reviews. No one International mover is the best for all destinations and for all sizes. Your best bet when choosing a trustworthy mover is make sure they have a good reputation, experience with the destination you are moving to, and if you are moving from the USA, are fully licensed and bonded with the FMC. (The Federal Maritime Commission)

It’s worth noting that if you have a problem with your International Mover in the USA, you can contact the FMC and they will investigate on your behalf. With their independent shipping expertise, they can confirm to you if an extra charge is legitimate for example or contact your mover to see what is being done about a problem.

Choose your International Mover wisely. By all means check reviews, but also compare like for like all-inclusive quotes, see if you can get personal recommendations and chat to the company you are considering, making sure they know what they are doing and are knowledgeable about the route and destination you are moving to.

The post International Moving Reviews, when looking for an International Mover. appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Mar 04, 2014 by Louise

We got a very very competitive rate to have a sole use 20 foot container from the UK to Western Canada. Whilst it is hard work self packing and loading, the cost savings were great. We also could bring everything and nothing got broken!). We paid for door to port (to the inland city we have moved to) and cleared customs ourselves (no charges) and hired a local haulage company to collect and deliver the container for unloading (less than £300). Other agents were quoting £1700 for this piece in Canada alone. Chris in the London office was really helpful and gave us lots of good advice, even when the polar vortex interrupted sailings – and unloading in -25 was quite chilly…..frozen mattresses! Generally a very positive experience! Thanks Chris.

The post Excellent low cost DIY shipping to Canada with UPakWeShip appeared first on UPakWeShip.