Packing Up

We finally got around to packing the items that are to be moved to the Philippines.

There is a service that transports packages to the Philippines by container ship. In this case, a cardboard box of the appropriate size is provided. To estimate whether it would be one or two boxes, we searched for a box with the right dimensions and I found one in a friend's basement.

Transporting it home on foot and using public transport was not as easy as it seemed. The box was a bit too bulky to simply tuck under my arm, and the enthusiasm of fellow passengers on the packed subway was limited. But now we have a nice large XXL Bauhaus moving box that approximately matches the size of the travel box.

After lunch, we packed the clothes in vacuum bags to transport everything as space-saving and mold-free as possible.

In the end, it wasn't as space-saving as hoped, as the amount of clothing turned out to be larger than expected. The box was three-quarters full with towels and fitted sheets.

Additionally, there were bulky items like climbing helmets and equipment, long fins, shoes, a grater, a Bialetti coffee maker, a rolling pin, multiple sockets, cosmetics,....

The motorcycle helmet from Simon was also supposed to be included, but by then, many things already didn't fit.

So now we know that it will be two boxes.

The nicely packed items will now also have to be unpacked.

We have also delved deeper into the health insurance options and are now deciding between two providers. We even had an appointment with an insurance broker for this. Unfortunately, the experiences and information sources are not very comprehensive, as the concept is still relatively new, but it looks promising that we will get something suitable. Since the insurance can only be taken out three months before departure, we have some time for the decision.