Your Leaving Home Checklist

If you, or someone you know is about to leave their parents' house in order to move into their first home, or is going travelling and will be away for some time, here are a few tips and tricks that will help make this transition much easier.

Moving out of your parents' house and into a place of your own can be an exciting time, and it can be just as thrilling to leave home in order to go travelling around the world. But both these actions require a lot of planning and thought, and if you don't do things properly then you may have to pay for it later on. So, if you're looking to move away or move on without too much hassle, here are a few things that you have to do.

Planning things may take a while, but thinking ahead can be a real life-saver later on, so weeks, or better still, months before your move you need to start planning and researching what it is you need to do. This could range from the simple, such as sourcing cardboard boxes, and a removal fun, to the more important, such as informing your bank, the council and any other important company that you have regular dealings with, such as your employer, that you are moving house. This will ensure that your mail doesn't get delivered to the wrong address. If you are moving to another house, a lot of people find it beneficial to pack as much as possible a few weeks in advance so that their move goes as smoothly as possible. Also booking a removal team or hiring a van will ensure that you have your transportation arranged for your moving day. Another thing to remember is that you will need lots of help to move your belongings, so ask friends or family if they can help you move.

As well as boxes, devices such as bubble wrap and newspapers are good for protecting delicate and fragile belongings, such as ornaments, crockery and glasses, and many shops actually sell bubble wrap, so stock up in advance.

However, if you're going travelling, then advice like hiring a van may not apply, as you're not moving to another part of the country, but moving to another country entirely. But still, if you are moving so far away, you will need to think about what belongings you are going to take with you, and what you are going to leave behind. While you may need to take things like clothing and toiletries, non-essentials like CDs, DVDs and furniture will only way you down, so once you've selected what it is you're going to take with you, you need to arrange storage for your other belongings. This could be as simple as leaving it in your parents' house, but if that isn't an option, then you need to look into renting a storage unit, which will cost you, but your belongings will be protected and looked after in a secure environment. So do some searching online and see if there are any storage companies in your area.

Moving away can be difficult, but it doesn't have to complicated, however, even the most organised of people can overlook minor details and forget certain treasured belongings, so if this does happen, try not to stress to much, and find out if there's a solution to this problem. One such example is forgetting a really important piece of clothing, dome medication or any other essential that you'll need if you're going travelling, and if this happens, then see if someone from home can send you what you need. Find a reliable parcel delivery or courier service, that will deliver cheap parcels to Europe or any other destination you may be in and see what will happen.

Remember when moving home, preparation is key, so make sure you're well prepared for the task that you are about to undertake.