stu:0

Just wondering how most people survive without all your belongings until it arrives in the container. I lived over there a few years back but always rented fully furnished appartments. Been back in the uk a couple of years life has changed, now iv two kids and a wife to be coming back with me so obviously there is a lot more involved. would be looking to ship most of the the house but how do you cope without your belongings. Wouldn't want to be buying loads of things that would be arriving two months down the line?

Bikergirl

Assuming you will neeed to find somewhere to live once you arrive - you could stay at a holiday/short term let for the two months whilst house hunting and waiting for your belongings.
We had 6 weeks in a hotel at company expenses when we arrived, had 3weeks in our placee before our shipping container arrived but had also been provided with air frieght so had plates, pans and essentails in there which was delivered to us on the day we moved in.

Buzzy--Bee

We took 6 weeks to get to Australia, so we arrived just before our container. Cheap holiday really, as you've already paid for the flights........

BB

Bermudashorts

There are a few things you can do, take your time travelling over and then stay in furnished accommodation for the first month or so (it gets expensive though) and then when you find your long term rental, camp in it for a few weeks..

Dorothy

We were lucky that we got a furnished place provided by South Australia. Friends of ours however rented a furnished holiday home for the first couple of weeks until they found the house they bought and just lived on inflatable beds and the outdoor furniture until their container arrived. BBQ used for cooking, outdoor setting used as dining furniture and paper plates for a few weeks. It was like indoor camping.

liloharry

We arrived two weeks ago & are moving into a rental tomorrow. Our container arrives in about 6 weeks time, Gumtree has been a godsend...it is amazing what people give away for free! I have been given loads of good stuff...Tv, DVD player, HDD recorder, iPod docking stations, brand new rice cooker, Hoover & loads more! The only thing I have bought is a fridge freezer but we are not shipping one so needed to buy one. We are just going to sleep on airbeds until our things arrive.

Mummy3

We did airbeds and garden furniture this end when the container had gone, like the others said, indoor camping.
In Australia we may rent furniture or look on gum tree as we will have 2-3 weeks, we have holiday let for 4 weeks booked.

h2oskineil

I posted this in 2006........

Hi
Just wondered if anyone else in having problems with their container shipment?
We left the UK on 5th Jan and was told the container would be in Freemantle about now, or around 55 days, port to port. I have just tracked the container on the web and it is currently in Papetee!!!

It left Tilbury on the 13 Jan and then went to Rotterdam until 30th Jan.
Here's the route the ship is taking
ROTTERDAM, NL Mon,30-Jan-06
DUNKERQUE, FR Tue,31-Jan-06
LE HAVRE, FR Wed,01-Feb-06
NEW YORK, US Sat,11-Feb-06
NORFOLK, US Mon,13-Feb-06
SAVANNAH, US Wed,15-Feb-06
MANZANILLO, PA Sun,19-Feb-06
PANAMA CITY, PA Sun,19-Feb-06
PAPEETE, PF Thu,02-Mar-06
Voyage Reference PR202N
AUCKLAND, NZ Omitted
NOUMEA, NC Omitted
SYDNEY, AU Omitted
MELBOURNE, AU Omitted
ADELAIDE, AU Omitted
FREMANTLE, AU Omitted

It is now expected into Freemantle on 1st April. WHAT THE? Surely this isn't normal?
I've called the shipping agents and they said everything is normal. I tried calling the removal company, they say there is nothing they can do and said it's the shipping company.
Any suggestions as to my next move???? My wife and son are going over seas and have no warm clothes, we have rellies coming to stay and have no bedding etc etc etc for them to sleep on.
I'm trying to stay calm as getting angry wont get it here any quicker, but I just don't believe our container has gone on the correct ship/route and someone must be accountable.... but who?
We have friends who left Scotland on the 12th Jan and their container is clearing customs now.

Beoz

After the shipment left, spent 3 weeks in London in our furnished flat with the bare essentialsand suitcases ready to got. Dumped those items at inlaws (TV, etc) Flew over and spent a month in serviced apartment. Moved into new place just as the container arrived.

As a tip we flew British Airways because they only charged £35 per suitcase so we stocked up. Qantas wanted about $500 per suitcase. I also filled a suit bag full of important documentation like wedding albums, etc. I was way over the limit for hand luggage but they never weighed it.

moneypenny20

We sent our stuff a month or so before we left so we borrowed stuff from friends and the lady buying our house. Got here, were in a furnished apartment for a few weeks and the day we moved into our house, our container was delivered.

Jan4kids

Milk carton vases and cardboard bedside tables can be fun...........and the fridge you buy can become the 'beer fridge'

Jan

rasen78

We are packing up a few days before we leave, then going into furnished accommodation for 5 weeks, so we may pay to have some towels, airbeds and bedlinen sent by airfreight. Looking at around £240 for a 3cuft box, £270 for a 6cuft.

Beoz

Who are you flying? Look into the cost of extra suitcases. Depending on your carrier it might work out cheaper to stuff the linen and towels in suitcases - or spent a lot of time in the "Reject Shop" (the equivelent of a pound shop) when you reach Oz.

h2oskineil

A mistake we made..... Packed the bathroom scales and ended up overweight at the airport. They wanted GBP700 to allow the suitcases onto the flight!!

Luckily we had very little hand luggage. so stuffed everything into plastic bin bags and carries it into the cabin, looking like homeless tramps.

Mummy3

How are qantas if your cases are slightly over? More worried about the hand luggage with all the paperwork to carry...