meg67

Hi.
Been in Tampa for two and a half years and am looking to get back home around Christmas/Spring. My husband is here on an L1 visa and we have been up and down the whole time about staying or going, things haven't worked out too well so I'm thinking of heading back ahead of my husband to re-set up home,find a job etc,I,ve heard all sorts of horror stories about how shipping is unaffordable this way around and far more expensive etc etc, we came out with a 40ft container which cost about 3/4k from what I can remember but going back will be a lot lighter,maybe less than a 20ft container,has anyone done this move recently or in the last year or 2? I'm curious of what this is going to cost realistically, we have all the boxes we came with so packing can be done by us.I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

dunroving

About $6k for a 20-footer. It will cost less if you pack yourself, but then you may not be able to insure fragile items as easily.

Try Rinkens, Wheaton Worldwide, and Upakweship for quotes.

And if you want to survive in Wales, you'll need to stop referring to it as "Wales, UK".

meg67

Thats great, thanks so much!
Dont worry, I'm a born and bread Welshie who even speaks the language fluently!

meg67

P.S.
Is that door to door by the way? I believe the route out was Portsmouth to Miami, cant remember exactly but when you say about $6k,would you assume that includes loading the container,taking it to Tampa/Miami, and wherever in Uk to be delivered to our home in Wales??

meg67

P.P.s
Sorry! Just thought of something else, did you have any trouble registering with a doctors practise or a dentist when you got back? Ive heard that if you've been away for 2 years or more that you aren't entitled to NHS care etc but others have said that's a :confusedload of rubbish if you're a Uk resident etc.

dunroving

Yes, it cost me $6k plus insurance for a 20-footer from Greenville, NC to Caerphilly (that's in Wales, UK ) in 2006. Included packing and unpacking at each end, door-to-door. With Rinkens. Ask for Christoph.

dunroving

Yes, that's a load of baloney, you are entitled the moment you get off the plane (though some conscientious practices may ask for evidence of intent to stay, as the NHS is trying to clamp down on NHS tourists).

Loads of threads in MBTTUK forum on this topic, and one going on in the US forum as well at the moment.

meg67

Thanks, thats great. wow caerphilly, we live in Church village, small world!

dunroving

I was there just last year! I taught at U. Glamorgan for 8 months and still keep in touch with some folks from work, one of whom lives there. I stayed with him and his family for a couple of days last spring.

callowman

I lived in Aberystwyth for 5 years ! LOVED it !

my welsh is limited to Borreda
Nos Da
Shamai (Spelling)?
and of course Diolch Yn Fawr !

However therees one saying amate form the University taught me (he lives i Pontrhydfendigaid)

and excuse my spelling but it goes llike this

Yakki da pop cymru- tot dean pop sais :-)
I think you will get it :-)

meg67

Thats wicked

Just to put you right on the spelling, its "shw mae?' for "hi, how are you?"
and the other is, "Iechyd da i bob Cymro a twll dyn i bob Saes" Oh god, I hope there are no English welsh speakers on here!!!!!!

For some reason "Iechyd da" has become Yukki da and it actually means, "cheers,good health" but not to worry, pretty much all the Welshies I know say it aswell.

Mummy in the foothills

Sut mae Is sort of hows it going kinda thing too.
Iechyd da i bob Cymro a twll dyn i bob Saes That made me laugh!

callowman

I Noticed that when I lived in Aber, there was a difference between the welsh language styles- northern welsh (or Gogs as my friend would call them) have different words than the south ??

PS I think the word "gog" is derogatory ! :-)

meg67

Hello again.
Looks like Im heading back in April for sure, I have contacted an air animal company who say its going to cost 1-2k to get my little dog home (shes about 24lb) so far I have ensured all her jabs are up to date etc, had the blood test done by my vet and kept her here to do her quarantine and have been told the only last thing I will need to do is take her for a flea/tick treatment 24 hours before travel. I know UK laws are very strict and as Im looking to do this myself without using the super expensive transport company, sooo does anyone know if all I have done is sufficient? Do I need any other paperwork from the British Embassy etc, Im just worried about getting the other end and being told that something is missing, also, does anyone know if its simple to get the animal on the same flight as yourself? and if I do this myself,any idea of cost? I have a crate, its basically a training crate, are these sufficient? Thanks in advance for any advice....

dunroving

The DEFRA procedures are contained in the Wiki, and I have only recently re-posted them in a post asking about transporting dogs back to the UK - off-hand, the one thing you seem to be missing is sending the 3rd country certificate to a USDA vet for countersignature. Again, search for recent posts on this topic in order to get the detail.

Also, there are VERY strict regulations for crate size and construction. When I brought Suzy back, I tried to use the exact same crate I had used 5 years earlier, but was told it was too small - luckily, someone had left behind a wooden one that was the right size so I didn't end up making a last-minute dash from washington Dulles Airport to the nearest PetsMart!

Re: getting the animal on the same flight, call the airlines' cargo departments and they will tell you when you can book. My experience with British Airways was that they wouldn't let me book her in cargo until 1 month before the flight, so I booked my own flight and then called a month before departure to get Suzy booked in cargo. She was $1,500 for a 53 lb dog, so your dog will likely cost about $1,000 including the paperwork at the other end (some airlines include this in the ticket, others don't).

I have posted a few times recently about these questions, so you might want to use the Search facility to search for "defra" and "dogs" or "pets" in the MBTTUK forum. Most of your questions have been asked by other people in the past couple of weeks.

For guidance on crate size, etc., visit the IATA Web site, but also call the specific airline cargo departments and ask them for information on their regulations too.