Imagine the time when you were packing up for college? Of course it was your first time but you had an entire family to help you with packing. Your mom knew about everything you would need and how to make it fit into small suitcases and keep the luggage to minimum. But what if you had to do it all alone? What if you had to relocate all by yourself?
As I recently went through that experience, I thought of sharing how it was like to relocate all by myself. I shifted from Mohali to Bathinda with a ton of luggage and on my request, my parents let me do it all by myself. Seriously! It turned out a really tough experience. And in this write-up, I am going to share the things I realized when I relocated. Hope you will enjoy reading this!
1. Half of your stuff is trash:
This is especially true for girls. From clothes to jewellery, from shoes to stationery, we have a habit of saving everything for the next time that never comes. And thus we end up with a LOT of stuff that we don’t need and that is hardly of any importance. So, when I began with the thought of ‘relocate all by yourself’, I had expected this. I knew there is stuff that I need to throw away but I ended up throwing half of my stuff for it was useless to me. Note that I accumulated all that in just four years 😛
For you, I would suggest start cleaning up your stuff one month before you would shift else you would be in for a great shock!
2. It takes days to pack... and then unpack:
I was serious when I said you should start cleaning up stuff one month before. I was totally free all day long (was having a small break from work) and thus was able to pack in days but if you have a job or if you study, you would definitely need a month. Of course, that depends upon how much you can work in a day but still, give it a month. And I swear it takes even longer to unpack, even when your parents would help you all day long.
3. Everything breakable is going to break:
That’s a funny line but there is a lot of seriousness involved in that. Stuff like crockery, glass vases etc need to be carried very carefully. Even though most of the packers and movers sorta service providers assure you that your stuff won’t break, it would. They just use a newspaper to wrap up the stuff (small stuff that would be put in bigger boxes) and it all depends upon your luck whether you would end up with an intact piece or several pieces of your precious stuff. From all the breakable stuff I had – wine glasses, glass containers, glass utensils, mugs etc, I was left with just this one.
And how I managed to save this one? I had wrapped this in a bubble wrap. Make sure you collect some or just buy it and wrap the stuff carefully.
4. Your luggage is going to be twice than you expected:
If you’re planning to relocate all by yourself, you must know this. You would have to specify how many boxes you need and make sure you ask for twice the ones you need. This doesn’t apply if you’ve already taken out all the products you need to be transferred. Because in that case, your guess would work but otherwise, ask for twice. That should be a rule!
5. Some lessons if you want to use a relocation service like packers and movers:
The relocation company is going to reload your stuff. In case, you are planning to spend hours on telling them which box should be put on which side of the carriage vehicle, it is a WASTE of time. High chances are they’re going to unload your stuff at their office and reload it in another vehicle. Happened with me!
While moving, you have plenty of stuff that cannot be carried as a whole. Small stuff like stationery, makeup etc would need to be put up in small boxes and polybags. Make sure you make a tight knot in case of polybag or tape the box to avoid embarrassing situations or to just prevent those people from peeping into your stuff. Don’t think! I didn’t go through that kind of situation. I am wise. LOL
This isn’t a lesson but I must tell you that Bathinda is a really hot place, like literally hot. It’s a sandy area and a human can hypothetically get boiled in such a hot temperature. I know that’s a wrong example but you got my point. Right? (Wrong example was deliberate.)
Anyways, these are the 5 things which you realize when you relocate all by yourself. Have you ever done that? How was the experience? Share!
I have to relocate my stuff from my hostel in Patiala every year during vacations and I agree with the points you’ve mentioned, since exactly same happens with me. 😀 And Just FYI, even I belong to Bathinda.:P
Hey Deeshani,
Yes, hostel life does give you a good experience with relocation. But in this case, I had an experience much bigger than the usual relocation from hostel thing. hahah
Great to hear that you’re from Bathinda. Are you studying or working now?
I’m an engineering student. Persuing B.tech from punjabi university, in my final year. 🙂