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susantsao2
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I am leaving for another place for good in a year or so, has anyone had to pack up in this span of time for a trip before? What was your process, and where did you leave it all? What was the most random and un-explainable item you decided to keep? Do you have any tips or hints that helped this process for you? How long did it take you to pack up your life and leave it behind?
#1 Posted: 15/2/2010 - 11:09
ashL
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My biggest tip is to give as much as possible away. I gave 75% of my furniture and clothes and 'things' away - to my friends, my relatives, the Salvation Army - and wish I'd given away more. I came back for a visit, and it's pretty cool to be sitting drinking tea with my best friend and being surrounded by all my former stuff. I like that I'd get emails on the road, homesick az, and have a bud say things like "I used your favourite mug today... miss you" and such.
I just finished cleaning out my closet at my parents' house, and unless something was beyond sentimental, it's outs.
My advice is to be brutal. But it's a big job, and I know from experience that it can be really hard, especially when you've got nice stuff.
Best of luck!
#2 Posted: 19/2/2010 - 04:25
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momof4
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We are doing something even more complicated! We are going around the world for a year and then returning to a completely different city. It is really two completely separate processes - deciding what to pack for the trip and what to keep/pack for our new place. All I can say is it helps to start as early as possible and do it slowly so it it doesn't become a frantic race. We are leaving in 10 months and already have begun sorting out what we are keeping and putting into storage what we no longer need. It is a nice winnowing process since, no matter what, we are getting rid of years of clutter although obviously we are keeping far more than the previous poster since we will need to furnish our new house when we return.
#3 Posted: 10/12/2010 - 00:00
Tomo
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Im doing similar at the moment, Leaving my life in Auckland, NZ. Packing up my things, throwing/selling most of them, then backpacking through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India and Nepal, before heading over to the UK to find work on a 5 year visa..
I made my mind up 3 months ago and are leaving in 3 weeks.. Most of my things are already gone.. The few small things that im going to keep will go into storage at the parents place.
#4 Posted: 10/12/2010 - 02:39
busylizzy
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It depends on how attached you are to your stuff.
Being slightly older than most of you (probably!), I have had more years to accumulate stuff and wouldn't be prepared to sell it off. And certainly wouldn't want to outlay more money to repalce it all later. Prior to leaving on my last trip, and knowing that I would be relocating to another city on my return, I put it all into storage. I did get rid of a few things that I was happy to lose - eg spare bed, the lawnmower, etc.
I paid NZ$150/month or so for storage plus insurance, but I just built this into my budget. By getting a storage unit in a smaller town (where I was moving from), the cost was cheaper than if I had moved it to my new city before leaving. I was also fortunate that the cost was covered by rent I was receiving for my house.
One thing to think about when you store stuff (where it may be) is think about what you will need when you get back, and make sure it's accessible. In my case, it was clothes that I would need (keeping in mind the seasons and job interviews that I knew I would be going to), cleaning supplies (in case I needed to do some extra cleaning of my tenanted house before moving back in), and a box of 'important papers'.
When going for long term, also keep in mind that soft furnishings (mattresses, blankets, sofas, etc) may not store that well for a long period, especially if in a damp climate.
#5 Posted: 10/12/2010 - 07:45
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