When it comes to getting ready for a big move like this, planning and paperwork is important. There are about a billion things you need but you would be surprised how many things you think you “might” need. We spent the last few days going through the important stuff; fine tuning our storage, gifting unwanted items to friends, and donating the rest. This also meant going through our files and documents.
When we owned our home, it was easy to keep every bill and letter that wasn’t junk. We had a three-drawer filing cabinet with everything from bills and tax documents to old receipts and estate papers we definitely did not need. When you have the space, everything seems important but moving to life of only luggage is a completely different story.
Paperwork
A major issue with important documents is weight and space. I spent half the day just shredding and simplifying what we had. I organized everything considered non-essential into a file box to be placed at the front of our storage unit; perfectly for any helpful friend or family member to get to once we’re gone. The next step was guessing what documents we might need and uploading copies in case something happens. This included:
- Passport, social security cards, and driver’s license; plus, copies.
- Iggy’s vet and vaccination records (everything since birth!)
- College transcripts and degrees
- Bank Statements
- Medical records
- Business plan and information
These seemed like the most important items to have to start but we may need to add a few things before we leave. I put everything into a lightweight expandable folder to be placed in our carry-on. Some of these documents are originals so I spent the rest of the day scanning and converting files into .zip and PDF files. It took literally an entire day but now we have everything important easily accessible for us and our friends in the states.
While I was uploading endless boring documents, I began to go through the other file boxes. I found my high school journals and stories I used to write with friends. Honestly, I don’t have time to read everything but I decided it would be cool to spend some time writing about those things in Amsterdam. I took pictures of each page and uploaded into a pdf. Surprisingly, it only took an hour to digitize the most mortifying moments of my life! I’ll spend time going through it more in the future, maybe you guys will be lucky enough to get a snippet or two as well! 😉
If anyone has any questions about planning for an overseas move or has any suggestions for packing light, comment below or hit us up one social media! We love talking about travel, sharing experiences, and connecting with others!!
