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Whether you are moving to Spain, France, Portugal, Japan or Australia it is imperative to takes the correct steps in order to have a smooth transition. Moving from North Carolina can be easy with the right movers Charlotte and appropriate planning initiatives.

Step One: What's being moved and what is being left behind

Whether you're moving overseas permanently or short-term, the first step you need to take is to go through everything you own and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. It is important that you do this before you arrange for the moving company to come in and make a quote. If there are items you will use up to the last minute but will not take with you, mark them clearly, so your moving consultant knows not to include them in the space requirements or quotation.

The next stage depends on whether you are moving permanently or on a temporary basis. Temporary moves may mean that you can leave items behind in self storage facilities. However, it is always important to consider what items are time-relevant i.e. if you're storing your children's toys and they will be three years older when you return, it's not really worth the expense of storing these items.

Permanent moves will require a good hard look at what you own, love and don't really need anymore. You can save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars by taking a realistic approach when sorting through your belongings. After a few overseas moves and quite some domestic I take the approach that if it's not sentimental and I haven't used it for more than two years – it's time to say goodbye.

When deciding on what to take with you, you will need to get a good idea of the type of accommodation that will be available to you in your destination country. You may be leaving a house with good square footage to move into a much smaller apartment. In Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and parts of the Middle East accommodation rates are at a premium and you may not have the budget to acquire the same space you have now.

If you need to leave some of your furniture and belongings behind, or want to store your belongings while you work out the logistics in your new country – try self storage units and facilities. Your moving company may have this service available or you may find a reasonably priced local self storage company who can help you with your requirements.

Lastly, take the time to research the customs website of your destination country. Some may have restrictions or warnings about the types of goods that will require inspection (adding costs) and possibly fumigation. For example, if you are taking plastic containers overseas and also have a large amount of wooden furnishings you may be subject to fumigation at the receiving port. Plastic absorbs the chemicals from the fumigation and will not be suitable to hold any future food products.