Moving (back) to Canada, need help with logistics

Post date: 2020-02-26 12:17:45

After thinking about it for years, my family (myself, my spouse and our two kids) is moving to Canada this summer. It looks like moving our stuff is going to be a big hassle. Looking for advice on logistics, moving companies, etc.

First off, this question is not about the immigration details: the two kids and I are citizens, and we've already applied for permanent residency for my spouse. Assume that end of things is covered. This is strictly about moving our belongings.

We're moving from southern California to southwestern Ontario, most likely in early August. We have a three-bedroom apartment. We're not hoarders by any stretch of the imagination, but we have a fair amount of stuff accumulated over a decade together. We're going to ditch our couches, living room furniture, and bookshelves, but want to bring our beds (I am aware that they need to be cleaned/fumigated before bringing them to Canada).

I started looking into moving companies, requested quotes from a few different places, and got overwhelmed. The estimates varied pretty widely (between $3k and $8k) and it wasn't clear what services were included. I also found some "moving concierge" services who coordinate everything for you, but I assume that's pretty expensive.

I do not want to rent a large truck and drive it across the country myself, so I guess that means using some kind of shipping/moving service. We do have a place to move into when we get there (my parents' house) so finding housing is not an issue.

What I'm looking for:

Recommendations for how to move our belongings (specific companies would be great, but general advice also would be helpful).

Is it possible to build in some time between shipping the stuff and picking it up? We'd like to make a trip of it, stopping to camp, visit friends along the way, etc.

Anything else I should be considering that I'm not thinking of.

Sorry this is not very focused. I'm thrilled to be moving back to Canada, but I'm feeling overwhelmed by the logistics (and the expense!) of moving, so any advice to get me started would be much appreciated.

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