jawaher

Hello all!

I am moving to Montreal this year hopefully and wondering what the best (and most cost-effective) method is to move my possessions. I am not taking any furniture just a lot of clothes, shoes, books etc
I was thinking of buying extra luggage but feel I will need many of these. What other methods are there which is also cost effective?

Many thanks

GMS_AMS

We used White & Co to move from Edinburgh to Toronto last year. They were fantastic, really helpful & weren't too pricey either (we were the same, didn't take any furniture but clothes, books, photos, etc - nothing big or bulky). G

SchnookoLoly

Basically your options are to pay for extra baggage on an airplane, or to ship the belongings in groupage (where you just pay for the portion of a shipping container that you'll use).

It'll be up to you to work out which method is cheaper. If it's just 2-3 suitcases, you may be better off with the airline. Also look into the airline's cargo carrier which sometimes can be cheaper. Also, look into if you get extra baggage by upgrading your cabin - it's not always cheaper but sometimes it can be.

If you are going to go the shipping/groupage route, then do a search on the board for previous recommendations for shipping companies are there are BUCKETS of threads available.

Hope that helps!

withabix

You can send extra suitcases or boxes using some of the UK courier companies.

GMS_AMS

Yeh absolutely, look into the option of upgrading your flight first. We did & had 2 large suitcases & 2 carry on each (the absolute maximum we could carry). But as we had so much stuff , still needed to ship the rest across.

Siouxie

If you have more than an extra suitcase worth then contact Air Transat cargo department. It's not paricularly expensive (a friend bought over two huge boxes of carpentry equipment for around £220 and my son did the same 5 years ago) and it can go on the same flight as you or on a later one if that is more convenient. It's far cheaper than groupage or sending stuff by courier and it will be there the next day.

Cargo, Air Freight Rates and International Shipping | Air Transat
LeisureCargo: The Total Air Cargo Management Experts

(They also have offices/warehous in Montreal).

jawaher

I don't understand how Air transat works - isn't that for flights? I Am flying with American Airlines hopefully

kirstyp

As a few people have mentioned Groupage is one option if you're over the volume that would be cost effective to ship as excess baggage.

here's a volume calculator to help you work that out... http://britishexpats.com/forum/overs...ulator-855263/

If you do go down that route here's a guide to how to find and choose a reputable removal company. http://britishexpats.com/forum/overs...ompany-851592/

Hope this helps!

Siouxie

You book your boxes/bags with Air Transat Cargo, you take it to the airport and check it in with the cargo department and they fly it over, on arrival, you take the paperwork to customs and clear it then collect your belongings from the cargo area. You don't have to be flying with them to use it.

It's a far cheaper option than groupage, somewhat cheaper than courier.

jawaher

Hello

Just in a bit of a muddle - what did you pack all your clothing etc and items in? I don't think I have enough suitcases... are boxes OK to send these in?

Any tips?
Many thanks

GMS_AMS

We had to buy some new suitcases to fit all the stuff we were taking with us on the flight, but for the items we were shipping, White & Co came to our house and packed our items in their boxes.

SchnookoLoly

If you go with an actual moving company like White or whoever then they will move things mostly in boxes. If you pay for them to do your packing then they will also provide all the materials. We went with Robinsons and had them do all the packing - we were so busy preparing everything else and still working that it was way more convenient to do it this way, plus they provided all the materials - boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, etc... and they did a FAR better pack job than we would have done. Not to mention they were SUPER efficient and got our whole flat packed up in under 3 hours (3 guys)... would have taken us DAYS!!!

jawaher

Hi all

So I need some advice
I got some really good quotes from International Parcel Delivery, Air Freight & Sea Freight Forwarding Services and door to door shipping with UPS. The only problem is, if i say the items are personal effects, they require me to be there in person to collect the items. I have family in Montreal who can pick up/collect my items. What do you suggest I do? Are these methods usually safe (my clothes won't get lost?)

Many thanks

SchnookoLoly

I haven't used them, but reviews seem decent...

https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/www.transglobal.org.uk

Though 3 reviews on Yelp only gave 1/5 stars - Transglobal Express - Couriers & Delivery Services - Bromborough, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

rivingtonpike

My God, this brings back memories. You wouldn't think she's a stroppy teenager now! I think we had over 350 items in our container when fully packed (40ft orange thing). Mind you we took pretty much everything we possessed.