Successful Removal to Portugal

Expat-Blog: Successful Move to Portugal

What were your reasons for moving? What was the experience like?

Brexit forced me to leave the United Kingdom alongside the pandemic. I have a fully remote job, thus the opportunity was there for me to move back to Portugal. The whole move really couldn’t have gone any easier from the moment I was contacted by several companies with their moving quotes. Big thanks to Sirelo for ensuring that what could have been a stressful time, really wasn’t!

What made you choose this mover? Did you do any research?

I did plenty of research as moving abroad from one country to another while having to bring your belongings requires the support of a professional, international moving company.

Sirelo listed five companies. It quickly became clear that there were only a couple of contenders and I could whittle them down to the top two. These two had very competitive prices in my budget. The reviews were great for both companies, but in the end Total Moving Solutions (TMS) won out on price and slightly more positive reviews.

The employees of TMS were very affable and it didn’t seem like any of my questions were too daft or frustrating for the moving company to answer. I was provided with further quotes for storage and delivery in Portugal, as I had no address at the time to move in to. I felt confident that everything was going to be straightforward, and it turned out better than I was expecting.

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Take us through your moving day – did everything go as planned? What worked and what didn’t?

The moving day was a doddle. I was contacted a couple of days before the removalists were due, in order to confirm what time I could expect them and how long the move would roughly take. I still needed to do a final clean, thus the time information was very valuable for me.

The employees of the mover turned up pretty much bang on time, called to say they were in the area and just waiting to get parking directly in front of my place. Super friendly and easy going, even when I somehow forgot they needed to take the sofa. No problem, they went and wrapped and packed it and left in well under 2 hours.

Based on your experience, what are your top tips you’d like to share to help others for their own moves?

✅ Moving companies: Use Sirelo to find the best moving companies. Write down all of the companies you’re contacted by and start shortlisting the price, ratings and what’s included or not included. Remember to account for taxes and/or customs and insurance as they weren’t typically in the quotes.

✅ Inventory: Make a detailed inventory which contains your dimensions and volumes (if you know them). Usually, moving companies will go more on cubic meter, so weight shouldn’t be an issue.

✅Packing: I packed everything myself. I don’t know how much that will have saved me, but I’d say do as much as you can. Anything you cannot do will be taken care of anyway.

Were you surprised by the cost of your move? Why do you think that is?

I did plenty of research, so was expecting something around this price. In fairness, the international moving costs probably came in a couple of hundred cheaper, considering the conflict and rising prices of everything.

Disclaimer: The views shared on this blog belong only to the client. Sirelo is an independent platform and the expat testimonials provided are intended for informational purposes.

Conclusion by Sirelo

By trusting Sirelo, this expat found the right removal company and thereby ensured that this moving journey developed and ended as wished. Together with a good moving company, obstacles along the way can be easily avoided and delt with and thus create a crucial success factor.

We are delighted to hear about the success of this move abroad and are thankful for these valuable insights!

You are also planning to move abroad?