MOVERS CALGARY

 Moving your pet abroad requires a lot of planning. Firstly, your pet will need to make a visit to the vets and undergo a series of medical checks to obtain a pet health certificate. You’ll then need to buy a suitable travel crate and book your pet onto a flight to its destination country – either in the cabin or the hold. Once it’s arrived in its new country, your pet will have to pass through customs and (possibly) quarantine before it’s allowed to go home. For a full rundown on how to move your pet abroad and the costs involved, visit our guide to pet relocation costs.

 We hope this page has made you feel super confident about packing everything yourself, but we also understand that professional assistance during such a stressful time is invaluable. A moving company will come round to your house and do the relevant preparation, assessing all the items you’d like to bring and deciding what materials are required. After that, they’ll pack everything with great care and load it onto the container for you. It sounds wonderfully helpful, but then again some people relish a challenge. Especially if the challenge saves you a lot of money. Just do everything properly and you’ll avoid the horror of smashed mirrors, broken tables and wobbly chairs.

 A key way to make sure you end up with the best shipping deal, and trusty movers, is to shop around for the quote that most suits your needs. Rather than leaving you in the lurch to do this on your own, we’ve created an easy-to-use tool that can do this for you!

 Simply provide a few details about your move, and let us take the reins. We’ll pass on your details to a handful of our trusted suppliers, who’ll then be in touch with free quotes for you to check out – it’s never been easier to lug your stuff halfway across the world.

 Even well-made furniture is surprisingly fragile, and contingency plans take on a new meaning when you’re moving across the country. Moving anything long-distance can feel like a gamble, but with the right mindset, equipment, plan, and a little luck, the process can go just as smoothly as moving down the street. Here are our tips for how to move furniture across country — safely and with as little stress as possible.

 A man and woman are unloading a loveseat from the back of a moving truck. The man is outside of the truck, and the woman is still in the truck. There are boxes and chairs around them.

 As you can imagine, how you decide to move your furniture will impact how you prepare for the journey to your new home. Consider how much furniture you have to move, your budget, and how much time and effort you’re willing and able to spend.

 If you have many oversized furniture items (especially big-ticket items like a piano) that may be difficult to move on your own, you may elect to use a traditional moving company. This is effective, but it can be costly — and sometimes risky. In fact, thousands of customers file damage claims every year. That’s because items are often unloaded and reloaded several times during their journey, or even shipped co-mingled with other people’s belongings. If you do decide to go this route, make sure to get insurance. Your items may emerge unscathed, but it’s worth being covered just in case.

 A man with a moving company is getting a woman to sign a bill of lading in front of a moving truck that still has some furniture and boxes on it.

 You can also hire a freight shipping company to ship your furniture long-distance. You’ll have two shipping options to choose from: LTL (less-than-truck-load) and FTL (full-truck-load). Depending on your selection, your costs, shipping time, security, and other factors will vary, including the following:

 LTL shipments may be transferred from truck to truck multiple times during transport, but FTL shipments remain on the same truck the whole time, which can significantly lower the chance of damage or loss.

 If you have lots of furniture pieces that require delicate handling and you need to move long-distance fast, FTL is probably the best choice — but it will cost you more.

 On the other hand, if you’re only shipping a few items, and it doesn’t matter when it gets to its new destination, LTL should work just fine.

 Also, you’ll want to explore both ground freight and air freight. The better option for you will depend on what you’re shipping, how much it’s worth, and even whether you have any perishables. Note: We don’t recommend moving any perishables packed among your furniture! But if you have sensitive things you absolutely must get to your new home, here’s some guidance from the pros at FedEx.

 A family of four is carrying things out of their house to load into a PODS portable moving container in their driveway.

 Using a portable moving and storage container (also called a moving container or a storage container) is a great option for long-distance moves for many reasons. First, they provide one solution for both moving and storage. You can easily store your container if needed at a secure facility or keep it in your driveway, which means you can take your time loading and unloading your furniture.

 Portable containers also offer more control over how your items get loaded, because you can do the loading yourself, which — trust us — can mean the difference between your favorite side table and your favorite side table with a big chip in it. Compared to the full-service moving industry, PODS has 10 times fewer damage claims, according to the AMSA (American Moving & Storage Association). We don’t know about you, but that certainly makes us feel more at ease!

 Insider Tip: If you’re moving just a few pieces of furniture long-distance, the PODS 8-foot container* is an ideal size!

 *PODS is constantly upgrading its container fleet and container sizes may vary slightly from one model to another. Suggested container sizes are for guidance only. Larger items and how efficiently containers are loaded can significantly impact the size and quantity of containers you’ll need.

Movers Calgary

 Hybrid Moving — Portable Moving Containers With Hired Packing & Loading Help

 To add just a bit more on portable containers, you also have the freedom to hire professional packers and loaders to do the hard work for you — and the easy stuff, if you prefer! PODS can connect you with highly rated, moving-labor companies in your area who are experienced specialists when it comes to PODS containers (and they definitely know how to move furniture across country). They’re very friendly, too!

 Now that you’ve selected your moving method, here’s a quick common-sense pro tip before we get into the nitty-gritty of packing: Maybe this goes without saying, but before you haul a piece of furniture, say, all the way across the country, make sure it fits first! This is especially true when downsizing to a smaller living space. Measure that chaise lounge before loading it (Hint: your new 600-square-foot apartment may not have quite enough space).

 So you’ve decided to put those packing skills you’ve spent hours carefully cultivating over the years to good use (or is that just us?). If you’ve opted for the DIY version of moving your furniture long-distance, we have some pointers you’ll want to keep in mind.

 Visualize not just the piece of furniture but what space the piece will occupy in your moving truck, container, or otherwise — and get creative.

 Time to put those well-earned Tetris skills to use. Before you pack anything, picture all the pieces you have to move — the couches, tables, chairs, bookcases, etc. Then look at the negative space within each of these. The key to making furniture secure for travel is to make it as compact as possible. We mean filled. Dense. What can be packed within the bookcase to fill the negative space? Visualize not just the piece of furniture but what space the piece will occupy in your moving truck, container, or otherwise — and get creative.

 We also always recommend evenly distributing the weight when you pack a moving container. Oh, you’ll also want blankets and plastic wrap. Lots.

 Be sure you have a plastic mattress slipcover to keep both the mattress and box spring safe. Your mattress is also basically a big wall; use it strategically to box in other items you’re moving.

 Another one of the big items you’ll probably have to wrangle with, a bed frame can be as simple as one flat, smooth piece or as intricate as Victorian-style woodwork. Either way, a great place to put this is between your mattress and box spring. Keep it snug.

 Main Tables (as opposed to side tables)

 If it’s an option, take the legs off your tables and wrap each one individually. Wrap the accompanying chairs together, stacking them if possible, and use bungee cords to keep everything together and secured.

 Grab some masking tape and make a big “X” across the face of each mirror. Avoid duct tape here — your mirrors won’t like it. Actually, this is a great idea for any glass surfaces to help minimize the impact of constant vibrations in the moving process. Your mirrors and glass won’t break as easily. We also recommend packing mirrors and picture frames inside moving boxes specially designed for them.

 Remove the cushions and use them as packing material to secure other pieces. Remember the negative space? That exercise will come in handy here, especially when you plastic wrap the couch with softer items inside — like stuffed animals, linens, and clothes. Nothing too big or heavy — just enough to take advantage of the space. Stand it on its end if you can, picking a nice corner. Just make sure it’s blocked in and won’t topple over during the move.

 Dressers/Chest o’ Drawers

 Before even trying to move these out of your house and into a moving container, know that: 1) It’s a lot easier to get them to the container when the drawers are removed first, and 2) Corners can cause as much damage as they can receive. Pay special attention to the corners and finished areas, covering them completely with blankets (did we mention blankets are your best friend?).

 Pro Tip: Fill the drawers with not-too-heavy items once inside the container, and you’re all set.