Movers and Moving

Back in 1995 when Kristie and I moved from Portland to San Diego, we were young, strong, and foolish. I hired a couple of guys in Portland to help me load a 24’ truck, and then we drove it for two days (over the Siskiyous in winter) while towing a car behind it on a trailer.

Fast forward 30 years, and I’m more than happy to pay someone else to deal with this kind of thing.

However, our experience with moving companies over the years has been… mixed. We have had some good experiences, but there have been some horrendous ones as well. We’ve had stuff broken, lost, and had movers demanding more money at the destination before they’d unload the truck despite having “firm” quotes on price.

Our last move, from Porto to Lisbon, was one of the best ones. The guys were on time, fast, careful, and actually wound up refunding me a little money when they were done. So, of course I called them to get a quote for the move to Spain.

But, in the name of due diligence, I also gathered quotes from several other companies. I checked reviews carefully, and found that some movers had much better overall ratings than the guys I had experience with.

The quoting process ranged from very casual ballpark estimates to the use of complicated technology. One company utilized an AI-assisted video call to calculate volume. It was quite the experience: I had to walk through every room, showing different angles, opening closets, drawers, and even pantry cupboards. Their system scanned and measured everything in real time, like a somewhat intrusive version of a Star Trek tricorder.

At the end of the day, the highest rated company came back with the lowest realistic price, so they’re the ones who got the job. They also seemed to be the most organized and professional, so I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.

Moving between countries is of course more complex and costly than moving between cities, even within the EU. Fuel charges and tolls can add up quickly, and there are some intra-country regulations to deal with, too.

Our stuff doesn’t just go on the truck here and get unloaded there, of course. It has to get transshipped at the warehouse here onto the truck that takes it to Spain, where it gets transshipped again onto the actual city delivery truck.

Luckily, we have an elevator on both ends, or there’d be additional charges for lugging stuff up the stairs – or even worse, having to come through the window on a crane. That’s a surprisingly common sight here in Lisbon, especially with the charming-but-antiquated older buildings. We’ve also had to factor in things like temporary parking permits for the moving truck. Urban living: always an adventure.

One nice perk – the quote for the move includes not only packing materials, but packing. When the crew comes out, they will box up what we haven’t already done. We’ll pack some stuff ourselves, of course – clothes, linens, books, office and craft supplies – but breakables we’ll leave for them, since that way they’re responsible for it arriving in one piece.

We’ve got a move date and a projected delivery date. When we arrive in Valencia, we’ll be camping out for a few days while waiting for the rest of our stuff to show up. The cat and birds can settle in at the apartment, but where Kristie and I sleep will depend on whether the new sofa bed arrives on time.

Since we already have access to the apartment, we’re also planning a preview trip soon. We’ll take a carload of the most delicate items and use the chance to scout the route, stock the apartment with a few basics, and set up internet in advance if at all possible. And, let’s be honest, it will be nicer to do it without Lexie yowling in protest from her carrier for nine straight hours. (No offense, cat.)

And here’s a spoiler alert for an upcoming article – I can’t wait to tell you about the new parking garage!