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In the beginning

Deciding to leave the UK wasn’t a problem for me. Events now unfolding had for years, long been predicted and here it was finally, actually, happening.  The writing was on the wall and the aware taking heed, it was time to go. A little more difficult though for my wife, as she has a close family and aging parents, but for the kids, a son almost 17 and daughter of 12, it was the start of a lifetimes adventure. Canada had always allured us. The thought of all that space, the huge land mass, the natural resources, the healthy living, lumberjacks, bear wrestling, canoes, maple syrup and pancakes ....all the things we had seen on TV and the movies. One could get lost there - what a wonderful thought.

Having a vacation home that could act as a base camp for exploring North America (or even south), would be fantastic. And now, with the Internet, and modern communications systems, we could also operate our business ventures from anywhere on the globe, funding our dreams as we go. Next step was to place the house up for sale. Timing is everything and we carefully monitored the property prices as they made the long recovery from the crash of the early nineties.  The Estate Agent set his valuation, and we fixed ours! Our bullish attitude earned us an extra 10% on the sale price, which in real terms after we had settled the mortgage, yielded a further, welcome, 20% in equity.

Canada - land a beauty and adventure .

Whilst waiting for a buyer, we surfed the Net gathering as much information about Canada and it’s provinces, as possible.  In the end we decided on the east coast and Nova Scotia, a place not dissimilar to the area we were living in and the shortest possible flight time (7hrs), just incase we had to head back to the UK for some family crisis.

Using this marvellous new media, the Web, we were not only able to arrange a place to rent but also organised phone, electric supply and cable supply, book flights, holiday insurance, overnight hotels and bank accounts.  The only problem was a hire car. On the North American continent you have to have a credit card to do this, and I didn’t have one. I had a debit card with a Visa on it, but no, none of the International Rental Companies would accommodate.
 

. The Internet was and is the most  valuable aid for big adventure .

Once we had a purchaser for the house, it was time to announce our intention to all and sundry.  Anyone who has stood up and done this, knows exactly what it’s like. The family, neighbours and most of your friends will cry dissent, tell you are mad or in the least, unwise. The very thought of you stepping outside the circle of normality fills them with fear, woe and sometimes jealousy. Make note, you will have a hard time and few allies, but go for it, for it will be the best thing you have ever done. Be brave, be bold!

Worldly possessions

Here’s a strange fact. Your family will go through all their possessions and sort them out in two piles, those to be packed, and those to be disposed of.  The former will be those precious little items that sentiment will not let you part with, and the remainder, all good stuff that you haven’t managed to flog and can’t justifiably drag to the other side of the great pond. And so the last day at your place will be like “Come on down, the price is right”. All those dissenters will turn up with roof racks and cart off your worldly assets, shaking their heads, and rubbing their hands, as they go. The oddity is that when the retained goods finally catch up with you, two months later, and you anxiously open the crates, it appears to be full of utter junk. What you freely gave away, you could really do with.  Never let your heart rule your head. My advice, start disposing of all your assets as early on as you can, enabling you attain the best possible price.  Every penny counts, so liquidate EVERYTHING. Package up the photos, teddies & other treasures you want to keep and stick them in a relative’s attic.  When returning for a visit, you will have the rational to downsize these considerably, saving all the hassle and expense of shipment.
 

If you do intend to bring goods in to Canada make sure that you have a full manifest.  This is a list of what you are bringing in, and what box or container it’s housed in.  If it’s a teapot, then give a full description, it’s current value and location (box no.). Your shipper will probably offer to arrange insurance and will need to know exactly what you want covered.  The best way to do this would be on a spread sheet using a PC, so that you can run two columns for the values, one for insured items, the other for the remainder for which you are willing to take a risk on. The lower the cover required, obviously the lower the premium payable. If, say, the teapot was given to you by great granny, then it has sentimental value, but to replace it wouldn’t justify the insurance cost.

. The day assets become liabilities  are when you have to pack to move .

You will also need this for Canadian Customs who will not only require to know the items, but the total value of the shipment. The goods will be for you vacation home, your Canadian base and so if you intend to bring over further items for the same purpose, declare them then and it will be added to your statement, thus avoiding import taxes.

Coming from the UK, our goods, all 220 parcels (on 3 pallets at a cost of £1,400 transportation costs), went to Montreal, then down to Toronto and finally up to Dartmouth. We had to rush up to the shippers, collect the release paperwork, shoot over the bridge to Halifax to Canadian Customs to get a clearance stamp, and then over to the Ministry of Agriculture for another stamp and then back across to the freighters. Goods arriving without a manifest can work out very costly, as Customs will insist they be taken to a secure place and for inspection, for which they charge. Don’t pack anything organic (that rots), bulbs, plants, food or perishables or anything dangerous or explosive. No firearms or weapons, so leave the bazookas at home.  Ensure any wooden crate or pallet are UK manufactured, and not a packing case from some third world country that harbours beetles, worms or other nasties. I suggest you contact Canadian Customs for a comprehensive list of do’s & don’ts. Your packages will have a rough ride - even the shrink wrapping on to a pallet can crush them, not withstanding the odd stab with a forklift truck arm.  Finally make sure your shipper has arranged to deliver your goods to your door, otherwise you might just end up having to either pay a surcharge or for the hire of a U-Haul to cart it home.

Leaving

We decided to leave the neighbourhood in style and so rented a brand new Mercedes. This would be no ordinary farewell, but a head turner.  Wrong! Apart from making a fool of myself out in the street  fighting with the onboard security system, just to get the thing to start, I discovered, surprise, surprise, although the car is huge, the boot is micro small - enough space only for four German executives lunch packs. So, it was back to the rental company for a Focus Estate and then a question of sneaking out under the cover of darkness.