DIY Move

Do It Yourself

In many countries, there is a strong do-it-yourself culture, and moving on your own is an integral part of collective skills.

In post-colonial class societies, such as those common in Latin America, the middle class outsources all aspects of life, including raising children, to service providers.

In the upper classes, practical skills, if they exist at all, are limited to academic professions.

However, in these societies, a thriving DIY niche has emerged in recent decades as a result of cultural globalization. Under the guise of "therapy," young men and women who consider themselves part of the upper class are venturing into brooms or previously unfamiliar tools and building materials, without worrying about disapproving looks or pity from their neighbours.

Under the terms "bricolagem" (Portuguese) or "bricolaje" (Spanish), the offspring of the upper middle class are venturing into various tinkering and repairs, activities that were once reserved for the underpaid lower class.

The term derives from the French verb "bricoler," meaning "to tinker" or "to make."

Thus, even in these late-feudal societies of Latin America, DIY culture has arrived, and moving house on your own is no longer something entirely absent from the collective consciousness.

We support you in your self-organized move.

If you have already helped organize several moves, as is common in Europe and North America, you have a good foundation and can accurately assess the effort involved.

With a few tricks and the right materials, coupled with meticulous organization and a little bureaucracy, a DIY overseas move can be accomplished.

An international move has various requirements that differ significantly from a domestic move. You need to learn how to pack goods, the materials required, the documentation, and the technical solutions that are essential for customs clearance and any necessary container inspections.

We know the tricks to optimize packing and reduce volume. Keep in mind that volume is the biggest cost factor.

With creative packing strategies, you can "revolutionize" the way you pack your belongings in boxes, ensuring a smooth and efficient move to your new home.

If a professional moving team handles it for you, the packing isn't necessarily better. However, it's always so intricate that you can't find anything.

Firstly, because the team doesn't know your belongings or your system. And secondly, because they blindly follow industry standards. What you consider "the decorations above the fireplace" will be shattered into five different boxes: books, vases, picture frames, metal items, and lamps. That's all the information on the boxes...

You can't even decorate a single piece of furniture without tearing open every single box. Unpacking becomes chaos. It doesn't have to be this way, even if the moving company insists that their guidelines require it.

Flying Suitcases

No one cares about your belongings more than you do. The mover might think, "I don't care, it's all insured anyway..."

Or they might do the exact opposite and pack an indestructible cast-iron vase as if it could be dropped from a plane.

If you understand the physics of your household items and the properties of the right moving boxes, safe and adequate packing is a breeze. And the contents are packed so securely that you could drop the box without worry.

Have you ever seen how suitcases are handled at the airport? We've seen it happen many times during moves. The boxes have to withstand that kind of treatment, even if Grandma's china is in one of those flying boxes.

Temporary storage can happen, and you never know who's moving which box and how. Or throwing it around...

To be fair, most movers are very conscientious and take great care of your belongings. Many people play it safe and pack everything extremely securely.

In a team of 10-12 people, you can be sure that not everyone can be that responsible. Many employees are temporary workers, hourly wage earners during peak season. They wear the company uniform but have absolutely no clue about moving or packing. As a result, fragile and valuable items are packed in such a way that the weight of the stacking process puts pressure on the most vulnerable point. Breakage is practically guaranteed.

At top moving companies, only specific, permanent employees are allowed to pack, and each of these employees must sign or mark the boxes they have filled with a personal code.

This isn't the case at every company. That's why it's so important to learn the basic principles, even if you're not packing yourself.

DIY vs. Full-Service

You'll often hear in the industry that international moves are only possible with a full-service solution, partly due to liability concerns.

Many argue that a DIY move isn't feasible because of customs regulations, inspections, de facto prohibitions, and more.

Regulations and port procedures in some countries can indeed restrict or completely prevent you from handling containers yourself.

In these cases, you can still manage your move independently; you simply need a moving company to handle the transport and customs clearance for you.

You need to find the right moving company to work with, one that only handles the parts you can't or don't want to do yourself.

In most cases, you'll find a suitable insurance company willing to cover total loss.

Our comprehensive care-free package prepares you for this challenge. You'll see, once you get the hang of it, planning, executing, and even packing can be enjoyable.

We'd be happy to accompany you on this journey.