Internship, apprenticeship or a new job in another city? Plan your move the smart way

Moving house involves a lot of excitement, but also a lot of work. In this article, we share some essential tips for a seamless move.

Tip #1: Start planning early

Are you generally a spontaneous person? Then make an exception when it comes to your move. It’s best to start a few weeks in advance with a prioritised to-do list. It’s really important that you don’t put off all the tasks until D-Day only to realise you’ve forgotten the clutter in the basement. Or that you can’t find moving boxes anywhere at the last minute.

Tip #2: Declutter

A move is a perfect opportunity to finally clear out all the stuff you no longer need. Apply the KonMari Method™: take only what makes your heart beat faster to your new home. Clothes you’ve only ever worn once and gifted decorations that you’ve never liked can really pile up quickly. If selling them is too much work, you can donate them to a good cause or give them to friends. You might not have any use of your clutter, but there’s always someone else who will enjoy it. Even disposing of a jumper bought in a shopping spree in this way can salve your conscience and reduce the weight you have to lug with you.

Tip #3 Consider a packing system

The furniture’s just arrived, boxes have been hauled – and your mobile phone is almost dead. But where’s the charger? You embark on a heroic quest to find it, rummaging through box after box before succumbing to the chaos. It doesn’t have to be like this! There are two things you can do to prevent this kind of nightmare: choose a packing system for your boxes and label them according to room and contents. For example, pack all tech items and cables in one box and label it “tech & cables”. Pack dishes carefully in another box labelled “kitchen”. Here’s a pro tip: use coloured stickers or pens to make everything even clearer. In this way, you can create little reminders that will save you an enormous amount of time when unpacking – and ensure you have enough charge left on your phone to order a pizza delivery.

Tip #4: Renting a van vs. hiring a moving company

Hiring a moving company is more expensive than renting a van and doing everything yourself with a few friends. But the actual final bill really depends on the role you intend to play in the move. Do you want to feed the helping hands, divide tasks among them, disassemble and reassemble furniture and drive back and forth several times? And are you okay with one or two broken items because of inexperience? A moving company can save you a lot of time and hassle but is more expensive. Weigh everything up and decide whether you’ve the energy to do it yourself or would rather call in the professionals.

Tip #5: Book your internet provider early

Another unpleasant but frequently forgotten thing is to apply for an internet connection ahead of time – we all know how lost we would be without our beloved WiFi. After all, streaming five seasons of a series with amazing production values via a sluggish mobile network is something you definitely want to avoid.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this cheat sheet and that your next move goes off without a hitch.