As specialists in European Removals, Trek Removals has a lot of information to share! So as we often get asked the same questions by clients we thought it would be a great idea to create a moving to Spain blog, covering everything you need to know.
There are a number of expats that end up in Spain and we often get asked about removals to Spain for those who are upping sticks and want to move all their belongings to their home in the sun.
Questions differ from “how much does it cost” to “how long will it take?” as well as a lot of cultural questions so here goes…
Some useful information about your removal to Spain
It’s probably rather obvious but if you’re taking your electrical to Spain with you then you may want to ensure you’ve got plenty of Euro plugs! This is one thing that many people forget and it can often be a nightmare trying to find them easily – especially when you’ve just moved to your new home so stock pile a few to make things easy!
For some really useful advice on being an expat in Spain, there is a fantastic site here:
http://www.spainexpat.com/
Schools
As you can imagine, Spain is a popular destination and there are a number of schools that you’ll find both locals and expats in.
The school year in Spain runs from the beginning of September until the end of June – but you can find at times slight differences depending on the area you are moving to.
As you can imagine, there are holidays during Christmas and Easter and as in the UK a longer summer holiday.
Each school has its own hours generally but many will begin at 9am in the morning with a 4pm finish. There is also usually an hour’s lunch during the day.
However, it may be useful to know that many schools in Spain are beginning to ignore having a lunch break but will finish at around 2pm instead, meaning a much shorter day for the children.
Compared to some other countries in Europe, Spain has longer school holidays with fiestas and ferias replacing what we would deem something like a Bank Holiday.
A taste of home
When it comes to removals in Spain many people ask us what they can and can’t take. The good news is that as its an EU country you can take pretty much what you want but if you want to take your ‘home bar’ with you, there is a chance you might need to pay duty on what you’re taking so always check!
However, with Spain being such a popular place for the British you will be pleased to know you can buy a massive range of foods you’re used to seeing in the supermarket here.
Banks and your money in Spain
One of the biggest things you will need to organise is a bank account – even if you’re planning on keeping a UK account. Sometimes it just makes things easier.
There are lots of banks in Spain but cash is a favourite culturally so having a debit or credit card can involve charges so best check this before signing up to anything long-term.
Again, just like the UK it’s best to check the banks for the best rates to minimise costs but if you’re careful you should be okay.
Stay Healthy
This is something we all worry about and if you’re moving to Spain it’s very important to ensure you’ve got this covered.
Spain luckily has a health system that is very similar to the NHS here in the UK. However, when you go there you wouldn’t normally register with a Doctor or medical practice until you need one. You must ensure you have copies of your Health card which you can apply for a Spanish medical card with.
There is also an agreement between the UK and Spain which offers free treatment to non-Spanish people of pensionable age. For more information see the International Pension Centre for more information.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/UsefulContactsByCategory/Over50sContacts/DG_178684
We’ll be offering more information and tips on your removal to Spain so be sure to check back with us for updates. If in the meantime you want to see how we can help you do CONTACT US.
Trek Removals has spent the last few blogs taking a retrospective look back at our blogging activity over the past year. Through indexing the topics we have covered in that time we are creating a comprehensive archive of all the subjects and topics we have covered from the world of home removals.
If you are looking for answers to questions about domestic or office removals, international removals, storage services, or general information about the removal industry, you only need to use our Removal Guide to navigate your way through our extensive collection of blogs. You’ll find your answers in here.
To flick through our index from the beginning you can read PART 1 here, PART 2 here and PART 3 here. To continue from where we left off last time:
18. Removal services in London – Horror Stories: Moving-up
This blog was another page in the book of home removal horror stories. The focus was on an inter-building move that caused much trouble for the mover.
19. Storage Solutions: Moving away or travelling the world, Trek Removals gives advice
A blog that discusses the options of storage services with Trek and a breakdown of the specialist areas of self-storage.
20. Trek Removals: International removals, shipping & storage
An extension of a previous blog which goes into more detail about the international shipping and storage side of the UK removal process, from moving home to moving business and how goods are transported to their new destinations overseas.
21. Importing into Switzerland: Advice from Trek Removals London
The procedure of moving and importing into Switzerland is a tad complicated. Trek Removals explains the process and the details to take into account on an international move to Switzerland.
22. Exporting your possessions from Switzerland to the UK
This was a follow-up blog that covered the reverse process of an international move to Switzerland. What happens on the way back? What are the factors that need to be taken into account? What form are involved?
23. Removals to Germany: Trek talks Germany
An exploration into part-load and full-load removal services to Germany. International home removals are made easier to digest with Trek’s European Removals blog series.
24. Careful and professional removals
Some world-weary advice from the Trek Removals team – what to be aware and beware of when it comes to home removals. It’s ultimately an ode to the professionals.
25. Home removals in London – Trek Removals vs. Doing it yourself
What’s the difference between using a professional removals company and just doing everything yourself? Trek Removals weighs up the pros and cons of both from packing to transport.
And so the Trek Blog Recap Part 4 comes to a close… but it’s not over yet. We’ve just touched the surface of our blog archives and coming up in the next blog recap is more moving advice, stories, tips and tricks.
For a free moving quote please follow the link. If you would like more information or advice on a removal please Contact Us.
Welcome to the 3rd part of the Trek Removals Blog Recap where we intend to catch you up on all the information you have missed along the way. The goal is to create an index with links so that any advice, tips or answers you may be searching for when it comes to removals, storage and shipping can easily be found and accessed here on our blog. If you have questions, chances are, they have already been answered somewhere on our blog.
Browse our comprehensive removals guide to find whatever information you may need to dig up on home removals, storage services, office moves, international removals plus much, much more. You can read Blog Recap Part 1 HERE and Blog Recap Part 2 HERE. Get yourselves up to date with where we are in our list of Trek Removals blogs.
Let’s continue the recap from Part 2.
12. London Removals – Horror Stories: Doing-it-yourself
The next blog in the moving horror stories series focused on the consequences of taking on a substantial home removal without any professional advice, assistance or co-ordination. As relayed in this blog, the outcome can be disastrous.
13. Office Removals and Relocation with Trek
As a majority of our blogs had concentrated on the home removals side of our business we wanted to explore the other areas that we cover. Office removals and office relocations are a huge part of the removals game – and the objective of this blog was to explain how the process works. It’s a great, succinct guide for those looking to understand the essentials of moving their business.
14. London Removals – Horror Stories: Moving Van-dalised
The removal horror stories series delivered another tale of terror for all would-be home movers. What happens when you hire your own transport/van for moving home? That question was all too clearly answered as the cautionary tales from the world of home removals continued…
15. Home move – a little bit of advice from Trek Removals, London
Returning to a more a general overview of the removals spectrum this blog offered top tips and advice on what to take, who to call and general organisation must-do’s.
16. London Removals – Horror Stories: Wrong Move
This was a true story of a family who got their wires crossed with the independent removal men and wound up in an unexpected predicament that led to unforeseeable costs. The horror stories series intention was to keep people aware of the pitfalls of moving without professional support.
17. European Removals and Storage – International home moves
Trek Removals felt it was time to explore the European removals process and what an international move entailed. This blog was not just about A to B removals but also the need for storage, part-load/full-load options and an overview of the factors involved. If you’re planning an overseas move, you MUST read our European removals blogs.
This brings us to the end of our Blog Recap Part 3.
We’ll return soon with another Blog Reap to continue our retrospective journey through our blog archives. For any information or advice please Contact Us, or if you need a free moving quote please click on the link.
As set out in the previous blog, which can be viewed HERE, Trek Removals began the route of recapping our blog archives to act as an index for all the information we have imparted to our readers thus far.
Since the beginning of this year we have engaged with topics that have covered the broad spectrum of the removals process from international removals to Europe to office removals to storage services to domestic packing and home removals plus many, many others.
Today’s Trek Removals blog continues to recap our archive to provide you with a comprehensive removals guide to any every question you might have about our industry. This Blog Recap will help to address the fundamental facts about our business and the people we cater our services to. If you need to know about moving from A to B, you’ve come to the right place.
6. London Removals: Packing-up the Lounge
Trek Removals began an exploration of home removals and what the process entailed. We wanted to take people through it step-by-step… or rather blog-by-blog. The 1st blog in this series focused on arguably the most major room in the home – the lounge/den/living room. The emphasis was on what to pack, how and what materials.
7. London Removals: Packing-up the Kitchen
This was the 2nd in a packing-up blog that focused on a different room of the home and this particular blog concentrated on the Kitchen. The view was to give a detailed checklist of what to pack and how to do it effectively from utensils to large appliances.
8. London Removals: Packing-up the Bedroom
Continuing our journey through the home to list and detail the requirements of a home removal; this blog was inclusive of packing list and materials you would need to successfully secure your items from the bedroom.
9. London Removals: Packing-up the Garage and Shed
The home removals blog series on how to pack up the individual rooms of a house came to a conclusion here. While not every home will have both a garage or a garden shed, this was a general blog that could cover any storage area such as attics and basements. The guide was comprehensive enough to include these other areas.
10. London Removals – Horror Stories: The Removal Men
The 1st blog of a new series that’s aim was to provide true cautionary tales about how home removals can go wrong when professional removal services are not utilised. This particular horror story told the tale of cowboy removal men and the consequences to a couple of bringing in these bargain basement amateurs against their better judgement.
11. Trek Removals Commercial Storage Services
An introductory blog on commercial storage services for businesses looking to store equipment, furniture or sensitive materials for safe keeping. This gave a detailed inventory of storage services available.
That brings us to the end of Part 2 of the Blog Recap. But the list does not end there! These first 11 blogs were designed to give readers and customers a basic overview of what Trek Removals was all about, what services we offered and how our experience dealing with a variety of clients and industries, for different purposes, gave us the upper hand over our competitors.
Stay in step with our Blog Recap series as we continue to explore the information and advice imparted from our blogging this year that might have passed you by.
For further information on any of our services or for a free moving quote please Contact Us.
Trek Removals started blogging back at the start of 2011 in a bid to raise awareness of our services and the home removals process from doing it yourself to using a professional home removals company. We wanted to impart useful information on things like moving home, moving office, international moves and storage for a wealth of various sectors, movers and shakers.
Several months later… and we’re taking a look back at where we started and what we have covered in that time. So for any late comers searching for expert moving advice you’ve come to the right blog. This is the 1st part in an ongoing series that will index and cover all the topics we have explored in the time that this blog has been going.
The objective was clear from the start for us; offer useful, practical and enlightening information and facts about the removals process, as well as providing cautionary tales, case studies, detailed step-by-step guides and key factors for home movers and businesses who are interested in quality, expert services for economical value.
So let’s start at the beginning in this new series to recap and index where we have taken you and what we have imparted along the way.
1. Handy tips on how to pack with London removals
We wanted to start off simple and give practical information to our readers. This introductory blog did exactly what it says on the label. It provided a brief list of useful moving tips for putting together a home move.
2. Benefits of London Storage
The emphasis here was on introducing readers to the idea of storage facilities. Storage units have 101 uses for domestic or business purposes. This explained how Trek storage worked.
3. How to find a good London removals company
How indeed! Trek Removals recommended people to go out and ask for word of mouth recommendations in order to get a non-biased perspective when it came to home removals. It also addressed ways to test a removal company’s reliability through their years on the job, their levels of experience and their professionalism.
4. London Removals: Have you made your checklist? 2-4 weeks before removal day
Trek Removals have a comprehensive checklist for people to use when it comes to moving home and the removals process. This blog was the first in a series that detailed the importance of being thorough with your planning and packing. We suggested the steps that a person would need to take in order to prep their home removal 2 weeks to a month before moving day.
5. London Removals: Have you made your checklist? The last week before removal day
This was the second part in the “checklist” series that addressed the preparations required for home removals. This blog focused on the last week before removal day and the crucial points one should cover in order to make a hassle-free transition to a new property from dealing with furniture and appliances to making the final arrangements.
This concludes the first part of Trek Removals look back at its blog archives. If you need further information that you can’t find in our blog, please Contact Us. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free moving quote we can certainly help you; just click on the link.
Stay tuned with Trek for the next part in our blog recap series where all your potential questions will find their answers.
Incredibly, approximately 15% of homes in Paris are actually owned by British people, making it by far the most popular destination for UK residents heading abroad to France.
In light of this love affair between us Brits and the French capital city, we’ve decided to dedicate a blog article especially to Trek Removals’ European removals services to France. If you’re thinking of joining the 20,000 plus Brits already living in Paris, this informative guide will tell you everything you need to know about the International removals process to make sure your move to France goes without a hitch.
Whether you’re moving to Paris in search of love, pursuing a new career in the city’s bustling global business centre or just looking to take in the sophisticated culture of Paris’ array of galleries and museums, make sure to read through our advice on removals to France before you go.
The first thing to bear in mind with a major move to France or any other country in Europe is whether you’re going to do-it-yourself or bring in an experienced overseas removals company like Trek Removals. Without professional help, moving abroad to cities like Paris can often turn out to be a much more complicated and stressful process than you might imagine, especially if it’s something you’ve never done before.
For those of you brave enough to try the do-it-yourself route, you might want to have a read of some of the previous articles on our blog on what to consider when moving to Europe and how to prevent your move from turning into a home removals horror story.
If you do decide to let Trek Removals take the strain for you on your move to Paris, however, here’s what you can expect.
First of all you we’ll offer you the choice between a part-load and full-load removals service. With a full-load service, you’ll receive your own dedicated vehicle for your big relocation to France, so you can choose exactly when to have your precious belongings picked up and delivered.
The part-load service, on the other hand, is the option to choose if you’re saving those precious pennies, as your items will be transported along with other Trek Removals loads at a reduced cost. This option does require a little more flexibility on dates, but we will give you an exact collection time and estimated delivery time, not to mention the fact we’ll allow you to store your belongings in our high security storage facilities for one month prior to shipment, completely free of charge.
Trek Removals in action!
Whichever route you go down, there are a number of extra services we can offer to make your move to Europe even smoother. From site surveys and packing services to furniture dismantling and reassembly, Trek Removals are prepared to handle every detail for you on your relocation to France.
In fact the only thing left for you to do is contact us for extra information or to enquire about how our European Removals services could help you fulfil your dream of a new life in Paris. Happy Trekking!
