Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hi All, We are in negotiations with OH company over relocation to Brisbane. They will only pay 50% of flight and shipping costs. This move wasn't planned and with me at home for the last few years with two little ones our savings have somewhat dwindled. We are looking to make some savings and just wondered what others have done. For example our youngest is 1.5yrs and strictly speaking we don't have to buy him a seat on the plane (£500 saved) however would this just make a long flight horrendous? Do they take kids in the hold :twitcy: only joking! We could cut down the amount we are shipping, currently sole use of 20ft container (£3800 plus AQIS and insurance). Would this go down much or just cost us more when we get there having to replace stuff? Thoughts anyone pls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junellew Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Costs a fortune doesn't it! We are paying all costs as moving out on a partner visa but we have the added bonus of family help when we get there....anyway, have been trying to cut costs everywhere we can and regarding flight for little one i would personally not pay for a seat. I have 2 1/2 year and 1 1/2 year olds at time of flying and am only buying the seat for the eldest as you have to. I have requested bassinet seats so even though little on is too big for them they are great for extra space and somewhere to play. I have also booked us either side of a row of 4 hoping the seat in the middle may not get take and we get one for free! Just a few ideas, hope this helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 thanks for that. any ideas welcome. I think my youngest will be clingy in the strange surroundings and is likely to want plenty of cuddles on take off anyway. Is it true you don't get any meals for them if you don't book a seat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hiya When we came my daughter was 2 and spent more time sat on my knee or toddling around the plane. If money is an issue then maybe just book your seats. Our kids didnt like the food supplied on the plane so we let them eat at Singapore ,this also kept them awake until we re -boarded for the last leg. We didnt bring a full container, in a way im glad as alot of our UK stuff wouldnt have fitted or looked right in this house. I guess it depends on you personally but there are some great second hand bargains to be had out here. Also with the exchange rate being rubbish, its worth bringing just enough to get you buy for a while and seeing if the rate gets better before bringing the rest of your funds. When booking a hire car ,look at companys located just outside the sirport as they tend to be much cheaper then airport based companys. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junellew Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 we did get meals for ours last time without seats but i suppose it depends how generous the airline are as you aren't meant to. Yup - they do spend alot of time on knees or walking up and down the plane 20 times!! :wink: keeps you busy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice1uk Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I personally would get a seat for the little one. Having done a long haul with child on lap would never do it again. Usually they dont provide meals if you have not paid for a seat but i took alot of snacks as my children dont eat the food anyway. I suppose if you have bags loads of patience you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I'm still in two minds on the seat. Did anyone pack themselves? I'm told that customs take a greater interest in your shipment if it was a DIY job. Any experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest perrytld Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hi, We did the relocation on a tight budget, as the visa came through very quickly and we hadn't had time to save. I did have a job here though which made things easier. If you don't want to book for your baby then if you pick a quiet day then you might get lucky and have a spare seat. You can try and aim for it by say booking the window and aisle seats in a row of three cutting down occupants to sole travellers. If there is a spare row that would accommodate your family after you get on then the air stewards will probably let you move if you ask. In my experience the back of the plane tends to be emptier. Flying on an unpopular date saves money. My wife flew back on xmas day and it saved us a lot. Friday the 13th is cheap too. We didn't ship any big items. Instead we went to voovit.com and shipped about 10 large boxes of essential items. It is around $30 per box but the rate changes depending on the number of boxes. That price also includes the resonably good quality boxes. We sold all of our furniture and TVs on ebay and bought new ones on ebay here. We made a small profit doing this, but this was largely because we down sized (3 50" plasmas at home and just one smaller one here for example). shipping made no sense to us, if you take the money you make selling your furniture plus the 3.5k shipping cost then you can easily buy new stuff and not have to wait 12 weeks. For car hire rent@bomb is cheap. Carhire3000 and Abel are cheaper than Avis and the other big groups. You can also go to buy a new car (on finance for us) and ask as a condition that they lend you a car for a couple of days, or even until the new car comes through. With property I would make sure you negotiate the rent. If the property isn't moving you can get them down quite a lot particularly if you sign for 12 months or more. We got the tenants renting our UK house to pay 6 months up front, which gives you a cushion. Also when opening your bank account (we went with NAB) if you take your employment contract you can apply for a credit card there and then. We got a gold visa within a couple of weeks which helps cover any gaps before you get paid. There are lots of little costs that add up here. For example UK to Auz travel adaptors are about $25 here. They are cheaper in Britain. We onlt had one british one so ended up just buying aussie plugs ($5) and cutting the plugs off our stuff or a UK 4 way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebrol Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Yes agree very expensive! We did it on a tight budget as well. We didn't ship our furniture, just 12 boxes with photo's, kids toys, some bedding and books. We found it is a lot cheaper to buy when you get here as you can cut deals if you buy a lot in one place or get some great seconds deals. We sold all our furniture and it was probably about the same buying new again but our furniture in UK would not have looked right in our house here. Regarding flights I have a 3 year old and a 1 yr old and we didn't buy a seat - she woudn't have sat in it and the flight was much better than expected but will depend on the airline! Our 3 yr old walked around theplane and watched movies and our youngest was happy to do some crawling and lots of sleeping. I took lots of snacks but the airline provides lots as well! we booked bassinet seats and while my husband boarded first to sort some things out I took the children on later so they weren't sitting down for longer than necessary - This worked better for us rather than trying to board early as they often invite parents with young children to do this! We shipped three sets of boxes - some by sea and the rest by air - the air shipping was just as cheap as the sea in the end but DHL like to try and slap all sorts of quarantine charges on you even though they said they wouldn't if we itemized everything - which we did - but they said they didn't get the paperwork. However, UPS were excellent no problems at all! Hope all goes well! Hope all goes well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ari3139 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 Hi, just a quick one as I am in the same situation. Have a very big 7 month old and a 20 month old and I am dreading the flight but have decided not the get the youngest one a seat as on a really tight budget. Hopefully we can pass him around and swap seats if the bigger one is awake. With regards to the shipping costs we are just about to book freightworld.com (based in sheffield) for a 20 foot container for £2199. This is self loading and might save you a few £'s as just read what you are paying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 wow that is a good price, thanks for letting me know. I'm assuming that AQIS fees and insurance are extra? Did you get insurance ok packing yourself? Must say we are swaying to the side of not getting LO a seat and trying to get a quiet flight but we may well clash with the Easter hols so could be tricky. The flight could be horrendous but it's only one day, it doesn't last forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junellew Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Exactly! Last time we flew with a 3 month old and a 15 month old I told myself it was going to be the worst 24 hours of my life so then anything better than that was a bonus! and surprisingly it wasn't half as bad as i thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj&db Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 We are also coming over on a super tight budget! We don't have any children but are bringing are two dogs that have cost us a flippin fortune with nearly half our savings being spent on getting them out! If I had the choice of putting them on my lap I would! I know it's a pain and may make the flight a bit uncomfortable but you only have to potentially do it once then it's done! As per everyone elses comments we are not really shipping anything out (other than two boxes of my other halfs tools which is going to cost us about £300 in total). I am storing anything that has any sentimental value at my Mums and will ship them out in time. All other furniture has been bought by our current landlord. We plan to buy secondhand when we get there. There is time to invest later on when we are settled and actually have the money. Good luck! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 We brought just about everything but the kitchen sink in our container - I would never have been able to pack everything into it myself - the guys were brilliant - plus the provided all the boxes, packing materials etc, they wrapped every single glass in this thick paper, and made a special box for my daughters dolls house. For us personally bringing most of our stuff meant that we didn't have any major furniture expense when we arrived, we could take our time shopping around and buying what we wanted rather and what we needed quickly (and then regretting our choices). There would have been no way that I would have been able to furnish my house (with what I truly wanted) for the cost of the container. For me it would have been false economy to buy stuff to get buy then change them a little while later. No right and wrong way - people all have differeing experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ari3139 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 wow that is a good price, thanks for letting me know. I'm assuming that AQIS fees and insurance are extra? Did you get insurance ok packing yourself? . These are additional and just checking out the insurane now - will let you know what I find. Decided also to brave the little one on the knee. Just hoping I do not drop him if I dose off!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I did notice that £2199 was door to port and not door to door. Also not seen any reviews for them good or bad. Sleep on the flight with LO's....you should be so lucky!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi, With regards the flight, I was flying with a 23 month old, and had to buy a seat as she turned 2 before our return flight and am so glad I did! It allowed me to eat, sleep and get up to go to the toilet, whilst she slept, reclined in her car seat, in her own seat. I've flown before on a 12 hour flight with a toddler on my knee, not a good experience, just extremely tiring, so didnt fancy a 24hr flight with toddler on my knee. I still chose to put her on my knee at certain times, i.e no food about, for some take-offs/landings, but was also good to be able to sit her in her own seat when need be. I understand doing it if you need to save money, but depends how much you're saving. If its a few hundred pounds for a child seat, one way, I'd rather pay it and save on something else. We are taking enough for a 20ft container and got quotes of around £4100, all fully packed, door to door, and unpacked again. They've offered us a shared 40ft container, will guarantee it goes when we book them regardless of if its full or not, and offered it for £3200 as long as we book it now to give them the opportunity to try and fill it in time. With taking furniture, I felt we'd get peanuts selling it in the UK, and compared to having to replace it in Australia with not as much choice and higher prices, I am taking the majority of things. I dont want to sell my nice furniture for peanuts and buy second hand over there. I want to take my time and add to what I have with quality furniture and no pressure to grab what I can as its needed urgently. I will buy some things before the container arrives, but planning on sending the container a month before we leave so we dont have too long to wait. Shaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Thanks for the advice. Can I ask who you went with for shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Yes, It is Crown Relocations, just waiting to find out about the offer on our house, then going to book them. I've read lots of good reports about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest perrytld Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I really would urge you to think strongly about shipping. The house is unlikely to be similar and suit the same furniture. TVs, etc are cheap here. If your furniture is good quality you'll get a good price second hand and if it is not so desirable it may not be worth paying to ship it. The sale value of your furniture, plus the shipping cost gives you a lot to play with. Plus you can buy stuff that fits and not have to wait 12 weeks or worry about customs fees. We changed from a lot of expensive solid, dark wood furniture to a light and airy painted look. The rooms wouldn't have fitted our corner sofa for example or 12 seater table and the washing machine space in the laundry fits large top loaders better than the UK front loaders we had. There's no need to sacrifice on quality. Plus if you are on a budget then it gives you a chance to spread costs. Anyway just a though and I know all cases are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IlkleyMoorBahtat Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I think we need to go through the room by room what would it cost to replace it exercise. There is also the element of something familar to help little ones settle in. My son is very attached to his big boy bed and I know that with so much change it would give him some feeling of security to get into his own bed at night. Ditto for my toddlet and his cot, it's worth nothing really but it's his and he knows it! We're still in discussions with my DH's company as we think 50% relocation expenses is a bit tight, so we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 Couple of thoughts. how big are your other kid(s)? I've seen people before throw the armrests up after take-off and sit two toddlers between the parents on the middle seat of a row of three, yes it's squashed, but at least they're not on your knee the whole time, and saves you paying that extra seat. The pillow is the most important part of the bed in terms of familiarity, you could always ditch the beds but keep the pillows and sheets if you're worried about the kids settling... The cot might not be worth shipping if your toddler was going to upgrade to a big boy bed in the near future, I'm pretty sure I was shifted into a normal bed when we moved to France when I was 20 months old. Again, pillows, blankets, soft toys can provide the familiarity. edit to add: I just realised that the familiarity argument kind of falls flat on it's face, the kids are going to be without their beds for up to three months if you ship them anyway, by which time they'd have got used to the new ones. It might even be worth considering taking the kid's pillows on the plane with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CandS Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 We're in a similar position (two girls are 1 1/2 and 3), moving to Brisbane this year. We plan to move the little one up to a big big when we get there and ditch the cot here. I agree with the point above - the kids will be without their beds for ages while our stuff floats its way south, so they might as well both have new beds when they arrive. I don't really fancy having two kids (youngest not a good sleeper at the best of times) sleeping on air beds for months. We'll also ship over the older girl's bed (full size single with an extra pull out) to be a guest bed for the inevitable extended grandparental vists. We're not planning on bringing wardrobes, which brings down the shipping cost, as most place seem to have built in wardrobes anyway from what I can tell. Is that true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CandS Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 IlkleyMoorBahtat - for what its worth, my company is offering 100% of relocation costs. Definitely worth pushing them for more than 50% if they really want to get you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tricia w Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Hi my daughter was 14 month the first time she went and we got one of those basenette things for her which was good as it ment we had extra leg room. She liked sitting in it with her toys so she could see over our heads and look at everyone on the plane. She was a bit big to get to sleep in it but as we had extra leg room we made her a bed on the floor and she loved it, slept for a long time. The only problem with having no seats for kids is when the seatbelt sign comes on you end up waking them to put them on your knee to get strapped in. You could hear people moan when we got on the plane with a little one but she was better behaved than most of the adults who'd made the most of the free drink. We did get food for her and a puppet and a story book and they came with a instant picture camera and took photos of her with us and the crew to mark how good she'd been on the flight. They warmed her milk up for me and let me store food in the frige for her, they gave her lots of water and fruit. Very good service. Good luck with the move, tell your hubbys company to get their hands in their pockets. Expensive lark this moving isn't it. We're gonna do the container thing as my hubby has a recording studio and guitars and all sorts here. Don't think he'd b happy to leave it all. Also I'd like my things around me, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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