When it comes to moving our worldly possessions around the world, we are going to want to choose the best company for the job! The company you choose is very important as they will be the ones responsible for taking care of your things and ensuring they reach the Caribbean in the condition you left it.

Look online or in overseas magazines and you will find hundreds of companies and services. Where possible, personal recommendations from someone who has used a company are always best. International removals are not something that can be left until the last minute. Shipping is a cheaper way of moving but of course it takes much longer; although you can work it so that you arrive just a few days before your things, just a bit of clever planning required!

As with any service, get a few quotes from different companies as many will try to give you the best deal to secure the business. Never take the first quote you are given. Whilst the best company may be a bit pricier, never hire a company simply because they are cheap; this doesn’t always mean you will get the good service you require. The company needs to be reputable and it is down to you to check that the company is registered with the BAR (British Association of Removers). Don’t use a company which is not registered.

Most people moving to the Caribbean find that a lot of their things won’t be needed when they get there, so they sell, give away, or put into storage. Remember that many things can be sold, given away to friends or stored in the UK and it’s often cheaper to buy things once in the Caribbean, rather than shipping them all that way.

Many companies will prefer to send their own workers to pack your things rather than have you do it, so stand back and allow them as this means you don’t have to worry about whether or not you have packed things in accordance with regulations etc. Certain things can’t be packed together in the same boxes and can cause long delays and searches of the container by customs. Once the boxes are packed they will then be taken to the shipping dock to be packed into the container and sealed. Most good companies will allow you to be there to witness the container being sealed.

Make a list of everything you take with you, and the number of boxes which go onto the shipping container and check it off against the list when it reaches the Caribbean. Lastly, it is really important that you ask the company to provide you with a shipping date and the expected arrival date for your container, in writing. Insurance is also a must, as you never know what could happen; the cost of insuring your container for all eventualities is a small price to pay for protection against losing everything. Things can go wrong and things can go missing. Get comprehensive cover that will pay out for any outcome.

Start your hunt for a home in the Caribbean here…
If you’re searching for a Caribbean property, a good place to start is the Caribbean Buying Guide’s new property search facility. To start your search now visit
http://www.caribbeanbuyingguide.com/content/caribbean-properties