The previous post covered the things to do when you permanently vacate a country. This post will cover the things to do before you land permanently in Australia. You can read the other parts of our migration experiences here.
Things to do before you permanently land in Australia:
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1) Prepare a 45 day Schedule, Print and Paste in the living room:
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Make a 30-45 day to day plan for your last days in the country. This should cover all the daily activities from big to small like migration related stuff, calls to make, things to pack, places to visit, bills to pay etc. Except your routine day to day chores like eating and sleeping, cover all the work you have to do. And never forget to tick it once you finish it. Stick to the plan. Never postpone the things which lies in your hand. But you may not be able to complete certain things which relies on others. So worst case, schedule that work for later.
Update the master copy in your laptop as well as the pasted sheet in the living room. Give enough space to each day so that you can update regularly.
2) One way Flight Tickets with maximum baggage:
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This was the second thing we did. Once the date is decided the next immediate priority is to book the flight tickets. Make a list of all the available airways to that destination and compare the transit destinations, transit time, total flying time, cost, baggage allowance, available dates etc. From Singapore to Canberra we had 4 options - Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Quantas and Scoot. Our priority was the baggage allowance. Scoot had the maximum baggage allowance of 40 kgs(check in) +20 kgs (hand carry) + 3 kgs (laptop) Per head. So we had around 126 kgs allowance for two of us. The total cost was 900 Sgd for 2 pax - one way from Singapore to Sydney. And we chose the murrays bus (3 hours from sydney to reach Canberra). Flying to Canberra with all this baggage is not a good option, as you have to repack your luggage from 32 kgs( Singapore- Sydney- International baggage rules ) to 23 kgs( Sydney to Cbr -Domestic baggage rules ).
Things to follow during this process:
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a) Avail the early check-in option in Singapore, where you can check in your bags 24 hours prior to departure. That way, you avoid the nervousness of the airlines people not accepting more luggage.
b) When you check in bulk early, where there is no queue, you will be an exception. So you can smile, be polite and check in few extra kgs. Worked like a charm for me :)
c) Naming it emotional stuff, we did carry few garbage and trash. Pack all those things separately and name it trash bag. This bag should only contain things which doesn't change your life, which you can throw away last minute at the airport and still you don't feel bad, cry. So worst case, when the airlines people don't accept few extra kgs, start throwing away one by one from this bag with a sad crying face. They will eventually accept the remaining trash.
d) When you see a handsome man in the counter, let the pretty wives do the check in and vice versa. Again worked like a charm for us.
e) Be it fragile or not, request a fragile tag and paste in all the check in luggage. They throw the luggage a lot and they don't have an option.
f) Remember to book a maxi cab if you are carrying more than 100 kgs. Singapore cabbies don't stop when they see you with heavy luggage. And they pass even if you book the cab prior.
g) Call the airlines minimum thrice - after you book, 15 days before your flight and 4 days before your flight and confirm all the options you have enabled. No harm in that.
3) Look for Temporary Accommodation:
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Third thing we did. Simply put, never trust anyone blindly. And never deposit any money until you trust them. Nothing helps like asking locals, reading reviews, posting in groups etc. Be it from gumtree or allhomes or any source, verify their genuineness. Ask your local friend to talk to them and if possible visit the place. Luckily for us, as Arvind was employed by ADFA, we found about Unigardens, still did all the checks we could do, booked a full furnished studio apartment for a month for 320 Aud per week.Never forget to ask for receipts. Nothing helps like black and white documents and remember they are the only proof. Beware, its a new country and new environment. Its okay to not trust people you have never met. The main things to consider when booking a temp accommodation are access to public transport, work place and cooking facilities. You will need temporary accommodation for not less than 15 days for two reasons.
a) You could not find a permanent accommodation unless you are physically present in Australia.
b) And half the list of documents (tfn, medicare, bank statements etc) you have to provide to get a permanent accommodation can be got only after you reach Australia.
4) Packing and Moving- The complete Guide:
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Ps: The below information is from my personal research and is what I was quoted on Mar-Apr 2015. The quotes and process may vary now.
You may have to think about this only when you think you will exceed your flight baggage allowance. We carried around 100 kgs(during first landing - airlines baggage) + 120 kgs (airlines baggage) + 30 kgs (DHL Shipping-) total of 250 kgs approx.
Shipping is majorly classified into two categories:
A. Air Freight - (Delivered in 3-5 Working days)
B. Shipping - (Delivered in 5-6 weeks)
a )Air Freight:
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Pack and Send Process (from Singapore):
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There are many companies who offers this service like DHL, Astro movers etc. All you have to do is give them a call, get a quote and finalise one. So that on the day you mention (normally 2-3 days before you leave the country), they come home with boxes, pack, weigh, give you an invoice, ask you to fill up the personal effects form,letter declaring the list of items and their value, receive the payment (which includes their charge + airport tax+insurance).
Delivery (at Australia):
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They deliver it to your address you mention in your destination country. As simple as that.
Note: You may have to pay the quarantine charges if your items go through the airport quarantine. So make sure you never pack any seeds, food items, wood materials, battery, liquids, electronics etc.
b)Shipping:
----------------
Third thing we did. Simply put, never trust anyone blindly. And never deposit any money until you trust them. Nothing helps like asking locals, reading reviews, posting in groups etc. Be it from gumtree or allhomes or any source, verify their genuineness. Ask your local friend to talk to them and if possible visit the place. Luckily for us, as Arvind was employed by ADFA, we found about Unigardens, still did all the checks we could do, booked a full furnished studio apartment for a month for 320 Aud per week.Never forget to ask for receipts. Nothing helps like black and white documents and remember they are the only proof. Beware, its a new country and new environment. Its okay to not trust people you have never met. The main things to consider when booking a temp accommodation are access to public transport, work place and cooking facilities. You will need temporary accommodation for not less than 15 days for two reasons.
a) You could not find a permanent accommodation unless you are physically present in Australia.
b) And half the list of documents (tfn, medicare, bank statements etc) you have to provide to get a permanent accommodation can be got only after you reach Australia.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ps: The below information is from my personal research and is what I was quoted on Mar-Apr 2015. The quotes and process may vary now.
You may have to think about this only when you think you will exceed your flight baggage allowance. We carried around 100 kgs(during first landing - airlines baggage) + 120 kgs (airlines baggage) + 30 kgs (DHL Shipping-) total of 250 kgs approx.
Shipping is majorly classified into two categories:
A. Air Freight - (Delivered in 3-5 Working days)
B. Shipping - (Delivered in 5-6 weeks)
a )Air Freight:
--------------------
Pack and Send Process (from Singapore):
---------------------------------------------------------
There are many companies who offers this service like DHL, Astro movers etc. All you have to do is give them a call, get a quote and finalise one. So that on the day you mention (normally 2-3 days before you leave the country), they come home with boxes, pack, weigh, give you an invoice, ask you to fill up the personal effects form,letter declaring the list of items and their value, receive the payment (which includes their charge + airport tax+insurance).
Delivery (at Australia):
--------------------------------
They deliver it to your address you mention in your destination country. As simple as that.
Note: You may have to pay the quarantine charges if your items go through the airport quarantine. So make sure you never pack any seeds, food items, wood materials, battery, liquids, electronics etc.
b)Shipping:
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Get quotation from all the shipping companies. Be clear about how many kgs you want. Make sure you read reviews about that particular company before zeroing it down.
And voila !!
We chose DHL. They delivered the boxes few days prior so that we filled the box with absolutely essential stuffs (joking! i filled the 30 kgs with 1 $ coffee mugs covered it with my underwear so they don't break, and total crappy trash. Hey! but it was sentimental crap) till it showed 29.90 in the weighing scale as we paid for 30 kgs. I fixed an appointment for them to collect the box at sharp 9 AM on April 14 as we were about to leave that evening. And rest was easy peasy! We shipped the box, left Singapore, landed in Aus, and our box landed 4 days after we came here, good part- all intact.
Nothing makes you more happy than seeing your old crappy mugs and underwear :P
5) Plan Packing:
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Oh! I can publish a book on this topic. But at the end of the day i did carry so may trash and crap.
I dedicated a whole diary writing, what to carry, what to leave, what to donate, what to sell and followed that now and then. It can be extremely overwhelming when you have to migrate your whole 6 years after living in a country, so we called Arvind s parents for help. Arvind and his parents job was to say a strict no when i take any piece of emotional crap and put it in the suitcase. But thanks to me, they miserably failed. I still have my scratched, broken, mould yet to come FIRST mobile phone my parents bought me in 2006. But Hey! its my first phone. And if i have my first phone Arvind should have his first phone too.
And as our whole relationship story was based in Singapore, dear god we had so many firsts, so do your math. Out of 250 kgs we carried, 248 kgs was crap and 2 kgs was our certificates.
6) Final steps:
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a)So confirm and reconfirm all your bookings including taxi, flight, baggage, accommodation. There is no enough number of times you can do this.
b)Bid farewell to all your friends, loved ones, neighbour's dog, kiasu aunties.
c)Schedule a post-landing table for the next 10 days.
d) Make friends and get an idea about the place where you plan to live. There is absolutely nothing wrong in being prepared. Make a list of questions and ask them your worst fear. I did ask if there are any lizards in Canberra. It might sound silly but lizards are my worst enemy. But buy an gift for them to give when you land. Apologise sincerely for all the silly questions and not judging you.
Ok Enough now. Leave the country already :)
See you in Australia- The land of opportunities
And voila !!
We chose DHL. They delivered the boxes few days prior so that we filled the box with absolutely essential stuffs (joking! i filled the 30 kgs with 1 $ coffee mugs covered it with my underwear so they don't break, and total crappy trash. Hey! but it was sentimental crap) till it showed 29.90 in the weighing scale as we paid for 30 kgs. I fixed an appointment for them to collect the box at sharp 9 AM on April 14 as we were about to leave that evening. And rest was easy peasy! We shipped the box, left Singapore, landed in Aus, and our box landed 4 days after we came here, good part- all intact.
Nothing makes you more happy than seeing your old crappy mugs and underwear :P
5) Plan Packing:
----------------------
Oh! I can publish a book on this topic. But at the end of the day i did carry so may trash and crap.
I dedicated a whole diary writing, what to carry, what to leave, what to donate, what to sell and followed that now and then. It can be extremely overwhelming when you have to migrate your whole 6 years after living in a country, so we called Arvind s parents for help. Arvind and his parents job was to say a strict no when i take any piece of emotional crap and put it in the suitcase. But thanks to me, they miserably failed. I still have my scratched, broken, mould yet to come FIRST mobile phone my parents bought me in 2006. But Hey! its my first phone. And if i have my first phone Arvind should have his first phone too.
And as our whole relationship story was based in Singapore, dear god we had so many firsts, so do your math. Out of 250 kgs we carried, 248 kgs was crap and 2 kgs was our certificates.
6) Final steps:
-------------------
a)So confirm and reconfirm all your bookings including taxi, flight, baggage, accommodation. There is no enough number of times you can do this.
b)Bid farewell to all your friends, loved ones, neighbour's dog, kiasu aunties.
c)Schedule a post-landing table for the next 10 days.
d) Make friends and get an idea about the place where you plan to live. There is absolutely nothing wrong in being prepared. Make a list of questions and ask them your worst fear. I did ask if there are any lizards in Canberra. It might sound silly but lizards are my worst enemy. But buy an gift for them to give when you land. Apologise sincerely for all the silly questions and not judging you.
Ok Enough now. Leave the country already :)
See you in Australia- The land of opportunities
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