If you are either considering an interstate move at this time or have already booked in for your relocation with us, you may find the following tips handy to get you through the stress of moving house around Christmas.

Top tips for moving during the holidays

1. Book your move in early

The demand for shipping containers is sky-high during the holidays so to ensure you are guaranteed a moving container for your home contents, we recommend you book in with as much notice as you can give if you are planning a relocation during December and January. We can sometimes send out containers with short notice but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

2. Consider the weather

One of the reasons so many people move during the summer holidays is because, in most of Australia, you’re virtually guaranteed good weather for the loading and unloading of your home contents into a shipping container.  It is worth considering the possible downside of moving at this time of year though – and that is the heat. Remember that temperatures inside the container can get high during transit. You don’t want to be moving items like pressurised aerosols or perishable items in the container. Humidity in far north QLD, NT can also be an issue particularly if you are requiring your container to be stored. It’s worthwhile investing in some moisture-absorbing materials deal with excess condensation inside the container if you plan to store your container during summer at these locations.

3. Plan ahead for Christmas

If you are moving during Christmas try to get all of the Christmas admin out of the way before the move. Luckily buying gifts is a whole lot easier these days with online shopping. Make life easier for yourself by pre-ordering gifts and having them delivered to a hired locker at your local post office; when you’re in the process of changing your address, the last thing you want is for your post to get redirected to the wrong location!  Our Moving Interstate in Australia Checklist is a great place to tick off the more mundane admin tasks that need to be completed prior to moving. You’ll always feel a lot less stressed if you have a plan and clear written instructions for what you need to do.

4.  Manage Expectations

If you’re moving interstate at Christmas time then one of the best things you can learn to say is “No”. Prioritise how much you can realistically get done to avoid over-extending yourself. It is stressful enough for most people just dealing with Christmas or just moving house. If you’re doing both at the same time then it’s vital you don’t overload on stress or the entire process will be a nightmare.

Some of the things that can wait until after your move and Christmas are completed are:

• Having guests to stay – even if they are helpful family guests, any guests will in most cases end up being more work and obligation for you.
• Having a house-warming party – get Christmas out of the way and your house organised first.
• Catching up with friends/work colleagues – for some reason the fact that Christmas is approaching makes everyone decide it’s a mad rush to “catch up” before Christmas. Make it a New Years catch up!