International Van Lines (IVL): The Partner You Need if You’re Relocating to Asia
Wagons East!
A hundred years ago, relatively few Americans took advantage of the opportunity to leave their country and move overseas. People sometimes moved internationally for a year or two if they were in government service, a member of the military, or employees for a big international company.
But while many Americans often took vacations overseas—to Europe in particular—relatively few took the plunge and moved themselves and their families overseas permanently (or semi-permanently).
Today, things are different. With international trade and travel more integrated than ever before, moving to another country—whether for work, for pleasure, or a bit of both—is increasingly common. People work overseas, they study overseas, they retire overseas—and some of them just move overseas for the fun of it, seeking a permanent change of scenery.
Read Here: How to manage your finances when moving overseas.
And more and more, given current economic trends, “moving overseas” means moving to Asia—a region that, depending on how you choose to calculate things, comprises one-third of the world’s total land mass and more than 60 percent of its population. That’s a lot of space—and a lot of people!
Relocating to the Asia-Pacific Region:
Why Partnering with an Experienced International Moving Company is an Absolute Must
Whatever your reasons for relocating to the Asia-Pacific region—work, pleasure, or some combination of the two—the hard part isn’t really getting yourself there. That’s pretty straightforward. Thousands of international flights serve all parts of Asia on a daily basis.
The tricky part is getting your belongings there, with the right moving company. All your belongings. Not the contents of your wallet or the stuff in your backpack or your suitcase.
Neither the clothes in your closet or the desk and chair in your office—but the contents of your entire apartment or house. And in pristine condition.
Getting that part right—even today, with modern transport and infrastructure—is more complex than you’d imagine.
Doing it successfully means partnering with the right international moving company—one whose skill and experience handling relocations to the Asia-Pacific region is unmatched.
The simple fact is, that very few international movers offer comprehensive long-distance moving services that take into account the unique challenges that occur when relocating to Asia-Pacific region.
What Makes Relocating to Asia Such a Challenge?
Shanghai – The Bund
Distance
First, the distances involved, for any moving company, are enormous. The distance from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, for example, is just over 7500 miles—or just under one-third of the total circumference of the Earth!
Crossing the Pacific.
But even within Asia, the distances are vast. It’s almost 3000 miles from Beijing to Singapore, 3300 miles from Jakarta to Seoul, and almost 6000 miles from Auckland to Bangkok. The result? Moves tend to be logistically complex and time-consuming.
Cultural Issues and Infrastructure
At the same time, cultural differences can be significant—not only between countries like the United States and, say, China or Indonesia, but between the many countries of the region itself.
For any international mover, knowledge of local languages, cultural norms, customs requirements, taxes and fees, and socio-economic and political conditions is an absolute must, as is a comprehensive understanding of local geography and infrastructure, local service providers, and local rules and regulations—as well as even more basic stuff like local weather and traffic patterns.
How many international moving companies are fully up to speed in all of these areas? Not as many as you might think.
Bureaucracy
It’s crucial to remember, too, that all of the major container ports and cargo airports in the region have their own unique ways of doing business, and each differs from the others in terms of the amount of traffic it can handle, the amount of stuff it can accept and process (and what it can accept and process), the fees it charges, and the speed at which it works.
Clearing customs always poses its own unique challenges as well. No two countries in Asia do things the same way. Many, in fact, seem to take pride in how different they can be from their neighbors!
International Van Lines: The Only Partner You Need When You Are Relocating To Asia
International Van Lines is the only partner you’ll ever need if you’re relocating to Asia.
IVL is not only familiar with every potential issue or obstacle associated with the international moving process, it’s already dealt with them all—successfully—hundreds or even thousands of times before.
That’s what IVL’s skills, experience, resources, and connections make possible: a painless, drama-free, worry-free international move process that gives you the chance to sit back and relax!
IVL can move your things to almost any country in Asia. We have experience shipping to every major container port or cargo airport in the region. We know all the logistics, all the facilities, and all the little things that need to be done so that your stuff doesn’t get caught up in bureaucratic red tape.
How does IVL know what other moving companies don’t? Because we’ve been through it all thousands of times before. The knowledge we’ve developed over time, hard-earned, leaves us better equipped than any other international moving company to get your possessions exactly where they need to go.
IVL’s Door-to-Door International Moving Services: The IVL Advantage
Let’s take a closer look at what International Van Lines offers as part of its suite of door-to-door international relocation services. Each and every service, outlined below, is designed to simplify the international move process and allow you to actually enjoy your relocation to the Asia-Pacific. Here are a few of our core services:
- Comprehensive packing services, including assembly/disassembly, and—if needed—assistance with setup.
- Careful loading and unloading.
- Junk removal.
- Secure ocean and/or air freight services (see below).
- Help with Terminal Handling Charges (THCs), customs clearance, and all associated taxes and fees.
- Short-term and long-term storage.
- Vehicle transport.
- Liability protection.
- Customized services for especially challenging international moves (often involving extremely valuable and fragile items such as pianos, artwork, antiques, and electronics).
- Comprehensive international moving services for corporate, military, and government clients (see below).
- Live chat and customer service 24/7.
- Fully-transparent, uncomplicated pricing.
- A variety of additional moving services!
Contact us for a free international moving quote. Also, check out our online pricing calculator!
IVL’s team of international relocation specialists guarantees that your relocation to the Asia-Pacific region will remain seamless and worry-free from beginning to end—from the moment packing begins until the moment IVL delivers all your personal belongings to your new home!
Ocean Freight
Port of Singapore
Given the distances involved, most moves to Asia—and within Asia—are accomplished using ocean freight. It’s generally the best fit as most of the major population centers in the region are on or near the ocean and proximate to major container ports.
Many of the world’s busiest container ports are in Asia, including Shanghai and Shenzhen (China), Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Busan (South Korea), Port Klang (Malaysia), and Nagoya (Japan). IVL knows all of them, inside and out.
There’s no doubt at all that ocean freight is the most economical of all transport options. IVL offers the following:
Option 1: A full 20′ or 40′ container for your exclusive use. This is known as a Full Container Load (FCL) and is the more expensive of the two ocean freight options.
Option 2: Shared use of a 20′ or 40′ container. This is known as a Less-Than Container Load (LCL), and the space is shared between two or more IVL customers. Overall costs are far lower.
Regardless of the type of container you prefer, transit times are the same and can range from 25-32 days, depending on the start point and end point. Transit times between major ports are a bit quicker, while door-to-door service is a little slower.
Ocean freight is rarely the speediest option, but it is extremely cost-effective and also incredibly reliable.
Click here to learn more about IVL’s ocean freight services, including likely prices!
Air Freight
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)
When speed is what matters more than anything else, air freight is the way to go. Ocean freight is designed for those who aren’t pressed for time and may still be working to get things organized in their destination country.
Air freight, by contrast, is for those who are beginning to perspire at the thought of everything they have to do – without enough time to do it! Maybe they have to start a new job or prepare to host guests. Or get their kids into the local school. Or beat the start of the monsoons!
In cases like this – when things have to be available on the other side of the world by yesterday, air freight is the answer. Customers who go with air freight can move everything they own to almost any destination in East or Southeast Asia in less than a week. IVL makes use all the big cargo airports in the region, including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Narita (in Japan) – as well as many others.
Air freight fees to the region are based on both volume and weight, with costs typically ranging from $2-6 per kilogram. Use IVL’s online calculator to get a clearer idea of likely costs or contact IVL for an international moving quote.
Air freight is obviously the pricier option, but it’s generally four times as fast as ocean freight to Asia and can offer major advantages in specific circumstances.
Know More: Learn more about IVL’s air freight relocation services, including pricing.
What is the Average Cost of Relocating to Asia?
There’s no two ways about it: picking up and moving all your possessions to the Asia-Pacific region is never going to be cheap. But it doesn’t have to be overly costly either. So don’t fall victim to international movers who stretch the truth about their fees. IVL has been committed to easily comprehensible and transparent pricing from the very beginning. Click here for your customized international moving quote today!
Vehicle Transport
One of the great pleasures of a full international relocation is being able to drive your own vehicle after you arrive.
More and more people are choosing to ship their vehicles as part of their relocation to the Asia-Pacific region.
IVL excels in this area and has a stronger record of moving vehicles to Asia than any other international moving company.
The most affordable methods, by far, are our container shipping and Roll-On / Roll-Off options. The former is pretty self-explanatory: your vehicle is carefully secured inside a shipping container and it’s moved the way all of your other household items are moved. The latter method—also known as RORO—simply means your vehicle is driven onto a cargo ship and secured in the cargo hold—and then it’s driven off upon arrival.
IVL is skilled at handling cars, boats, motorcycles, and recreational vehicles. We can even transport small aircraft! We excel at handling high-end vehicles and do everything possible to ensure that they’re protected from the elements and specific contaminants.
Read more: All about IVL and various aspects of international vehicle transport.
Contact us for a free quote. Feel free to use our online calculator!
Office and Corporate Moves
Most of the time, relocating is about relocating you – and your stuff. But sometimes whole companies need to relocate. Whole departments. Tons of machines, electronic equipment, furniture, and vehicles.
In cases like this, it’s vital that the logistics are seamless and that everything gets to where it’s going in perfect condition and as quickly, painlessly, and affordably as possible.
IVL, more than any other international moving company, knows that office and corporate relocations require intensive planning and flawless execution to ensure that things get up and running again as quickly as possible.
After all, we’re in business too, so we know that time is money.
IVL handles everything – from packing and unpacking and moving your stuff to ensuring that delicate IT equipment remains protected and that all vital proprietary information remains secure for the duration of the international move.
Our goal is simple: to get your stuff to your new home in the Asia-Pacific region so that you can get back to doing what you do best.
Government and Military Moves
Government and military moves are uniquely challenging and strict standards have to be met and maintained at all times.
IVL knows this well because we’ve been helping the US government and military with relocation overseas – including to the Asia-Pacific region – for a quarter-century now. When it comes to moving IT equipment and physical documents, as well as the personal belongings of both military and government personnel, IVL not only adheres to strict requirements – we go above and beyond them. This is why IVL remains the most trusted mover in the business when it comes to helping our government, and our military, move their work – and their most important resource of all, their people.
Storage when relocating to Asia
Sometimes, despite the very best-laid plans, the date you’re set to move in overseas doesn’t match up perfectly with the date your possessions are set to arrive. It happens – for a wide range of reasons.
Fortunately, IVL can offer a number of short-, medium-, and long-term storage options, both here and overseas, that can help you when you’re stuck in limbo and need a bit of time to get things sorted out. IVL has longer-term, climate-controlled facilities at the ready if you need space for especially delicate, higher-end items.
Know More: Answers to questions about IVL’s international storage services.
IVL: Making Your Relocation to Asia Easy – and Reassuring
IVL’s knowledge, experience, resources, and connections are such that we can handle almost any move to anywhere in the Asia-Pacific region. Tokyo? Piece of cake. Guangzhou? Easy. Brunei? Yup, we can do that! Vietnam, sure. North Korea? You may have us there. We’ll get back to you on that one!
IVL Can Work With You to Develop a Customized International Moving Plan, Featuring Specific Services Tailored to Meet Your Specific Needs
IVL knows that no two international moves are ever the same. Similar? Sometimes – sure. But never the same. Each has its unique challenges, and every customer has specific needs. That’s why we’re more than happy to sit down with you and put together a customized international moving plan featuring the services that fit your prospective move best – and fit you best. Contact IVL directly for details.
For 25 years, IVL has been pushing the boundaries of what customers should expect from an international moving service. During those years we’ve been rewarded with glowing reviews by publications as diverse as Forbes, USA Today, and Consumer Affairs. But what we value even more are the reviews we get from our customers.
Contact us today and you’ll see exactly what they mean!
IVL is fully licensed by, and in good standing with, the DOT, FMC, and AMSA.
More Info on how International Van Lines can help you in relocating to Asia
