Last year alone, China exported 3.2 million shipping containers.  Now a handful of these containers are being transformed into a novel 5-star hotel experience. This project is known as the Xiang Xiang Xiang Pray House and was specifically designed to be a boutique hotel.

      To read the entire article and see the inside of the hotel rooms click on the following link.

China’s Shipping Container 5-Star Hotel

Written by Sylvia Cieslik

            Moving from one home to another in the same city can be complicated enough – but what happens when you need to move to the other side of the world? You may have already booked your moving company to relocate your valuable goods overseas but it’s important to remember about your pet’s upcoming air travel experience too.

The following checklist can assist with your upcoming pet relocation:

• Make reservations for your furry friend well in advance and be sure to follow airline instructions provided along with having the proper veterinary documents ready to ensure a smooth transfer.

• Carefully schedule boarding and shipping arrangements for your pet to assure that your pet is well cared for until you are available to receive it at your new destination

• If your pet is accompanying you, allow for extra time at the airport. If you are shipping your pet, go to the freight terminal a minimum of three hours in advance of your flight 

• Be certain that contact names and addresses of person(s) responsible for your pet at origin and destination are clearly marked on the pet’s identifications tags and the shipping container.

  

•  If possible, obtain the pet shipping container a week or two in advance to familiarize your pet with it. Gradually lengthen the time each day until your pet is familiar with the surrounding. 

Sometimes you will not be able to move directly into your new home.  If that is the case, temporary accommodations will be in order.  Depending on how long you will be in transition, you will need to evaluate your options.  

There are great places out there that can make your stay very comfortable.  Depending on your budget and your needs, you may be able to find a place that has a kitchenette, bedrooms, sofa-sleepers, laundry facilities, gym and wifi.  Keep in mind that some places will even offer breakfast and happy hour.  If you have a family, having access to a pool is fantastic.  It helps to keep your kids occupied and enjoy something they may not have on a regular basis.  Nothing is better than enjoying the hot tub as your kids tucker themselves out in the pool.

Just remember that when you pack for your move to set aside important things that will get you through your temporary transition phase.  This way you will have access to medication, toiletries and family favorites to make it more comfortable.  If you have electronic games that help keep your kids occupied, don’t forget to pack them.  Further, if you have a pet, make sure to ask ahead of time whether or not your accommodations will allow for their stay.  Of the places that allow for pets, most have size limits and some have restrictions on breeds and exotic pets.  Therefore, calling ahead of time and asking will save you stress at check in.  

Keep in mind that doing a little grocery shopping before checking in will save you some money.  Most accommodations have convenience items for sale.  However, you will pay for that convenience.  For example, if you have laundry facilities, you will want to purchase some detergent before checking in.  You may even want to have spare change to pay for your load.

If you are on a corporate relocation, your relocation representative may have made arrangements for you and your family.  Therefore, you want to confirm with them what is your responsibility.  Further, some have arrangements with corporate relocation apartments that are fully furnished.  So clarifying this ahead of time will be very important.

Being in transition can be challenging, so the more comforts of home you have access to the better you will feel about it.  If you treat it like a vacation, the rest of your family will see it as such.  

It takes time to prepare for your move but it is worth it.  There are several steps that you can take to prepare yourself and your family for the big day.

Itemize your needs:

Before you get started, sit down and identify what you will need for your move.  Ask yourself some basic questions.  Where am I moving?  What is my budget?  Why Am I moving?  Will I need storage?  Am we moving straight into our new home or will we need temporary accommodations?  Are there any special items that need extra care and handling?  What is covered by my insurance and what additional coverage will I need for my move?  Itemizing these needs will help you to take the right steps forward.

Budget:

Setting a budget is essential.  This allows you to understand your constraints very quickly.  If you have a limited budget, you may have to pack yourself.  Think of ways that you can optimize your resources.  For example, asking your friends and family to help you pack could save you some money.  Downsizing may be a great option if you have the time to dedicate to it before your move.  If you are on a corporate relocation, find out what is covered in your move.  Ask your relocation coordinator or human resource representative about your companies policies and procedures.  This will help you understand what your company will pay for and reimburse you.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your professionals here at Starline.  

List:

After you have itemized your needs and set a budget, you will be ready to start your to-do list.  This will change constantly.  Therefore, I suggest you have a centralized location for all your documentation and lists of things to do with reference numbers.  Keeping them in one location will help you tremendously.  It will save you time and energy trying to find things.  Further, it will prevent you from overlooking an important task.  

Secure dates:

Once you have a good idea of when you are moving, secure your dates.  This does not mean wait to contact us until you have a solid date. Rather, the minute you know you are moving, contact us so that we can have you in our system.  Once you have those dates secured, let us know right away so that we can accommodate you.  This is especially true if you are moving during the peak season.  Your professionals here at Starline will do their best to meet your needs.

Downsize:

If you are downsizing from your current location, take full advantage of the opportunity to sell, donate or give away your things that will not fit in your new home.  This will save you money in the end.  Therefore, the earlier you start this task, the more time you will have to dedicate to this.

Storage needs:

For a variety of reasons, you may not be able to move your goods from one location into the other.  If this is the case, understand your storage needs ahead of time.  Your professionals here at Starline have a variety of storage solutions for you and we will be happy to help.  Let us know your storage needs and we will find the best solution for you.

Moving is filled with ongoing tasks.  Therefore, the better prepared you are, the easier it will be on you and your family.

Preparing for your move is essential in making sure you will be successful.  Start as soon as you know you are moving.  This is definitely the case of the early bird gets the worm.  Your professionals here at Starline will do their best to help you. Just keep in mind that during the peak moving season, it is harder to be as flexible.

Here are a few tips to prepare for your big move.

Timeline

Set a timeline.  Based on all of your tasks at hand, put together a timeline.  This will help you keep track of everything that needs to be completed.  If you have to sell your house, make sure you include the time to sell and close on the home.  If you are renting make sure to include your notice to your landlord.  Keep in mind that if you are selling, your timeline will be contingent on the sale of your house.  Include in your timeline all the notifications to your vendors and canceling services.  If you are purchasing another home, do not forget to include that in your plans.

Folder or binder

I can’t say this enough.  It is very important to have one location for all of your important documentation. Get yourself a folder, binder or file container.  Keep all of your important information with you.  Put your birth certificates, passports and other vital information in it.  Make sure to scan backup copies and keep them in a safe electronic place.  This will help you in case your important documents are misplaced.

Downsize

Take this opportunity to go through all of your things and either donate or sell them online.  Ask yourself this very important question, do I want to pay to move this item?  If the answer is no, get rid of it.  Moving is the best time to downsize because you do not have the time to vacillate on making a decision.  Time is of the essence, so you will have to make your decision and stick with it.

Research

If you are moving to anywhere new to you, you will need to do some sort of research online.  You want to start this research before you begin to search for your new place.  This will help give you a feel for your new community and where you think you would like to live.  This way when you conduct your search in your new area for your new place, you will be ahead of the game.

Selling or Renting

Before you move, you will have to decide on whether you will be buying or renting your new place.  Also, make sure to have back up plans in case things fall through.  Remember, if you are buying a new home, nothing is said and done until closing.  Therefore,  delays and unforeseen things can happen.  Do not expect to move in and close on the same day.  Give yourself some contingency in the event things do not go as planned.  Your professionals here at Starline will do their best to meet your needs.  However, the better you plan the better we can help.

Contacting your utilities

Don’t wait until the last minute to do this.  Further, make sure to have a forwarding address set up prior to calling to cancel service.  They will need a place to send your last bill.  Chances are you will not be in your new location, so consider setting up a post office box for your forwarded mail.

Storage needs 

If you have any storage needs with your move, your professionals here at Starline will be happy to help.  Make sure to discuss your options with them ahead of time to make sure the arrangements best suit your needs.  You will have to determine whether or not you would like your goods stored at origin or destination. Ask which would option will be better for your move.

Forwarding your Mail

Don’t wait to the last minute to do this.  You want to make sure that your mail does not inadvertently get lost in the shuffle.  Take the time to make your plans accordingly.  This is especially important if you have plans to move a long distance and/or internationally.

The Ottawa Citizen has published an interesting timeline of allegations that Royal LePage offered “gifts” to federal bureaucrats related to the Canadian Government relocation tender.

Parsing the relocation services case: a 14-year timeline

As we begin a new year, if you are planning to move keep in mind that it is never to early to begin the process.  The typical moving season begins in the spring and goes through to early fall.  Therefore, things will start to pick up sooner than you would expect.  If you have plans to move, you should begin to contact your moving professionals here at Starline as soon as possible.  Your professionals here at Starline will do everything they can to ensure to meet your time frame.  However, the sooner we know of your plans the better we can accommodate you.  

It may seem early to begin preparing for your move, but you will be surprised at how quickly it will turn up.  There are many benefits to early preparation.  Starting early allows you to do your research, evaluate what you want to move, donate or sell some of your things and plan. 

Even if you do not have a specific date in mind, as long as you know that you are moving, your Starline professional can come out and take inventory and let you know the estimate.  This way you will be prepared and can begin to downsize if necessary. 

The earlier you contact your professionals here at Starline, the better position you will be to schedule the date you want during peak moving season.

 Google Business View separates the men from the dogs

There’s an old joke about “on the internet, no one knows you’re a dog”. Well those days may be over. Consumers can now go on the web to see if movers operate out of a doghouse or a warehouse.  Google’s new Business View app allows visitors to your website to do a virtual 360 degree walk through of your business location.  They can tour the offices, have a look in the warehouse and move up the stairs. This is a very useful application-especially for movers.  Established moving companies are now at war with move brokers who operate out of their basement, quote bait and switch prices and take advantage of consumers. Unlike most retail purchases, the relocating customer does not have the opportunity to evaluate a company based on their premises. There is no store to visit, only a website and a voice on the phone. This makes it very difficult for customers to discern between an internet only move broker and a reputable bricks and mortar moving company. The virtual visit, recently introduced by Google can solve this problem for both consumers and moving companies. Have a look at the virtual tour of Starline Overseas in Calgary to see what you can do to differentiate yourself from rogue move marketers.

Virtual tour Starline Calgary

 How will you look compared to a move broker? Pretty favorable I would guess.    Google does not have this available in all centers yet but once they do, it’s a great way to introduce and prove the credibility of your moving company to the web surfing public. In Canada, the cost runs about $1000 to have the photos done by a Google-Certified photographer. Rogues and scallywags cannot do their own virtual tour so Google can ensure that movers thus presented are real live, honest to goodness movers. We at Starline have just installed the app and we will report our progress on our blog.

Time for an office clean up?

Moving during the holidays can be a challenge.  However, there are some things you can do to help alleviate some of those challenges.  Here are a few tips to help get you through the move.

Plan.  As soon as you know you are moving, sit down and have a family meeting and plan.  Recognize that your holiday season will be different.  Talk about downsizing the holiday season and identify those traditions that are really important to you.  Decide as a family which of those traditions must be kept and those that can wait until next year.  This is so important to keeping your sanity and making your house marketable.

Selling.  If you are selling your home, it is important to consider all of the marketing involved.  You need to balance your desire to celebrate the holidays with putting your best foot forward to attract buyers.  You can do this if you time your efforts right.  Have your photos and virtual tours done prior to putting up your holiday decorations.  This is very important for you.  You do not want to date your photos with holiday decorations.  This could work to your disadvantage in negotiating the sale of your home.  If folks immediately notice your holiday decorations in your photos online in February, they may have their own thoughts on how to approach you.  Make an effort to make your photos relevant no matter when folks see it.

Take a break.  If you are the holiday light guru for the neighborhood, see this as your time off.  You may really enjoy decorating the outside of your home and time your lights to music.  However, this is not the impression you want to give a buyer coming to look at your home.  It will be more of a distraction than an asset.  So, consider it time off.  If holiday decorations are important to you, put up a quarter of what you normally do.  This not only helps to prevent buyers from being distracted with your display but also it helps alleviate your workload.  You will have enough packing and organizing to do with your move.  Therefore, the less you take out, the less you will have to put away later.

Reduce stress.  The holidays can be a stressful time without a move.  Therefore, put things in perspective and prioritize what is important and leave the rest until next year.  By reducing your workload and expectations, you will be able to alleviate some stress.  Use this as an opportunity to take a break from all of those commitments.  For example, if you always host the holiday party, this is your chance to be a guest instead of the host.  Use these holiday parties as a way to visit with everyone and inform them of your impending move.  It will help you consolidate and see most of your friends and family before you move.

Stay positive.  This is key.  In any big event like a move, things will go according to plan and some things will go awry.  Therefore, staying positive will help you tremendously.  Focus on the end game and be flexible.  Remember this is a temporary situation and it will be over soon.

Best of luck and best wishes for the coming year and your new life in your new place!

Moving overseas is an adventure.  It will offer you an opportunity to experience a new way of life and culture.  These include holiday celebrations.  Therefore, if you are an expat in a country that does not necessarily celebrate your holidays, you can still celebrate them.  In fact, it can be a fun experience.  When we lived in the UK, our neighbors knew we were Americans and when Halloween came around, I did a reverse trick-or-treat and gave the kids in our neighborhood candy.  The next year, they all showed up at our house in ‘fancy dress’ for candy.  It was wonderful and memorable experience for both them and us.  The same year, we made a Thanksgiving meal with all of the fixings for our neighbors, so that they could experience a Thanksgiving meal.  This offered a chance for us to share our culture and traditions with our new friends and neighbors.

Moving abroad is a wonderful opportunity to get know and immerse yourself in a culture different from what you are accustom.  However, it also offers an opportunity to share your culture and traditions with your new friends.  It begins a symbiotic relationship, which is a wonderful thing.  Just keep in mind that in some countries, holidays are just that holidays.  Therefore, your town may shut down and you will not have the luxury of shopping for last minute items.  Ask your friends and colleagues so that you can be prepared.  

Enjoy all of what moving abroad has to offer, which includes celebrating the holidays overseas.  You will have memories that last a lifetime.