Tip: When in Rome...

Follow Kate's advice, especially if you speak enough of the local language and know enough about the buniness culture to forego any service that an international moving company might offer.

Talk to others who have moved and ask several reputable local companies with experience in overseas moving for quotations. Make sure you ask for overseas packaging and specific details on how they are going to ship your goods -crated, consolidated, or stand-by fill-in for a container are the usual options for a small shipment.

If you are on a budget, offer to pack the non-breakables yourself. Breakables should be packed by the movers, otherwise the insurance might not cover it. Even a local company can usually arrange the extra services that are part of the package provided by an international moving specialist, such as customs clearance of a car, special cleaning needs or assistance with shutting off the utilities. Just be sure to ask for a price breakdown in your quotation.

Most companies offer moving insurance at a small additional cost. Although it might seem unnecessary, for most overseas and international moves it's a good investment. Many people handle goods during the shipping process and most are outside the jurisdiction of the moving company itself. As the freight is transported to port, cleared by customs, and loaded onto the ship, it is inevitable that it will be jolted and jarred.

A former British moving sales manager recounts, "I have seen everything. One woman shipped eight gorgeous antique china collections from England to Monaco. Everything arrived without a scratch. Another client shipped a specially crated marble table from Brussels to Budapest. We had taken all the usual precautions - a special crate, and four-language signage. I even informed our transportation company that this shipment weighed almost two tons and arranged for a special forklift.

"The Budapest movers delivered what was left of the table 57 separate pieces. The Hungarian freight forwarder had dropped it. They hadn't understood what marble was and didn't take precautions unloading it."

my first two weeks in Antwerp, Belgium, speaking French a la American and wondering why everyone was treating me so coldly in the Flemish capital. On the other hand, I might have missed some of the more educational experiences of living my first year abroad in a bargain apartment 200 meters from the red light district.

Ms. Kate Nytes is an American artist/sales clerk who moved to Belgium almost 10 years ago, in similar fashion. As time passed and she became more settled, she yearned for some of her personal belongs that had remained Stateside.

"Several years ago, I really wanted to ship some furniture I had inherited from my grandmother, from Chicago," she said, "Unfortunately I found most international moving companies to be horribly expensive."

"I guess I found a bare bones solution. A local Chicago moving company came and wrapped up my grandmother's antique couch and bed, and I signed to have it shipped to Belgium as a fill-in consignment. After three months, my furniture finally arrived in Antwerp - in one piece. This solution was reasonable considering my situation and I would recommend it."

The global employee

Another group of movers is the young, single employee, often connected with the fast-paced high tech industry. With the shortage of technical experts on the global job market, these people are earning top dollars and willing to go where the work is.

The current trend for high-tech companies (EDS, Origin and Cambridge Technologies are examples) is to form tailored international teams according to the technical needs of a particular project, because it is usually the highly mobile and flexible company that gets the contract. This trend is a nemesis to moving companies and relocation companies, but a realistic solution, which high-tech companies are using to circumvent high relocation costs while improving client service and project time.

A young Frankfurt-based American woman working for EDS commented, "Relocation? What's that? I have been living out of hotel flats for the last 18 months. Most of my stuff is in the States; I think I have three or four suitcases of clothes and my CD player.

"The reason that I am over here is that my company said you're young and single. We're sending you to Germany in two weeks. Pack up. Now they are talking about sending me to Brussels to finish a project for another six months."

Another expatriate, working for Cambridge Technologies, expressed a similar opinion of the new version of global employment: ...If you are available as of Monday and can be in Zurich, you've got the contract' is what they told me. I am part of an international team programming this complicated Web site for a Swiss bank.

Tip: Prepare for the unexpected

If offered, take the international training course. This can alleviate difficulties and misunderstanding further down the line.

Make sure that you have a corporate credit card for hotel and dinner expenses - one Monsanto employee related an embarrassing account of not being able to pay her hotel bill because her personal credit card had hit its limit and the company hadn't provided her with a corporate card.

Check with your local bank before leaving to make sure you can access your account from abroad via an on-line banking system. If you find that your stay in Europe is longer than expected, check with your human resources department and see if you are eligible for an extra air freight shipment. It might be that your company will cover extra baggage or even a separate air shipment of personal belongings.

Expenses are paid for and I live in a very nice hotel in downtown Zurich. I'm supposed to be here until November but that might turn out to be June. The guy in charge of finding us apartments is way too busy trying to get this Web site on line, on time. Relocation? "We just don't have time to think about those things."

Although not highly concerned with the permanent amenities of its young and mobile international employees, these companies do invest in intercultural training for their teams. EDS is a perfect example of this. International team members are encouraged to follow a two-day course which focuses on the various cultural implications involved with working with different European mentalities and cultures.

The real McCoy

ALTHOUGH the flexibility and mobility of the younger generation is changing the look of the American population in Europe, the majority of expatriates are still young couples or families sent on overseas assignments, usually lasting and average of three to four years.

"The relocation business has really changed the last 10 years," stated Ms. Viv Hermans, a relocation expert who manages the Belgian Relocation Center. "I find that more young families are moving overseas and that companies, which have downsized, have less time to handle all the little details that go along with an international move."

The advice from the most reputable removal companies on the best way to pack your own items is, very simply, don't.

A Global Silverhawk London spokeswoman said that what you can do is be organized. Contact the company in plenty of time, no less than a month before you intend to depart. Think carefully about the questions you will want to ask the representative when they visit, and jot them down. List the lighter items you may want to send by air freight to arrive soonerand those heavier, less urgent goods that can be sent more cheaply by sea freight. Show the representative any heirlooms and items of sentimental value that may need special packaging.

Packing "looks like a no-brainer, " said Mr. Michael Ounce of the company's German office, "but it's not.' Neither, he added~ is loading, which is a distinctly different part of the process.

New materials for packing international shipments have been developed over the years, such as bubble wrapping with paper backing to prevent scratching and absorb moisture. Another item is a "couch bog,' a forge podded envelope into which a sofa or other furniture can be placed. Bunce noted the quality of these materials varies and should be carefully assessed. Each firm also comes up with its own packing ideas; Global uses a bright orange "keybox" for specified rooms or floors of a residence, into which loose, small items from that location are stored.

Good companies knock up purpose-built crates for valued possessions and cover them with fiverly podded paper blankets and extra cardboard if necessary. Prices coulc be expected to range from around $ 15 to about $150 for something like a 2rand piano.

Loading requires a different set of skills. Loaders need to know how to check the integrity of a container, and how to place objects according to their weight and dimensions so they don't shift or jar -especially since container trucks don't have the air suspension of a specialized moving truck. Loaders also have to be experienced in building "barrier walls" inside a container, to prevent movement of the contents.

This "general assistance" can sometimes go to extremes, such as grocery store tours and stocked refrigerators upon arrival. The relocation agent can also become a vital contact when something goes wrong.

A former expat explained: "When our house was broken into the first person I called was our relocation agent. I had no idea what to do or how to go about reporting a theft. Our agent helped us navigate through the mess of official paper work and insurance claims."

Be warned, however. Relocation expertise is expensive and a good relocation expert can be hard to find. Most of the time, the company makes the selection, but if you need to choose, talk to other expatriates and ask for a list of references.

"There are a lot of crooks out there. A lot of people moonlight as relocation experts and promise the world when it really isn't possible," Hermans warned. "The serious agents across Europe met in Paris in October to discuss the formation of a regulatory council, which should help expats and their companies make the right selection when choosing a relocation company."

The face of relocation is changing, and the clients of relocation firms expect customized services. Agencies have responded by tailoring their services from simply arranging housing, to providing entertainment and organizing travel schedules for a busy executive on a three-week assignment, to servicing the needs of families with children. A recent trend in the market is re-entry relocation, and some relocation companies are sending their expatriate clients to "transition training" to help them adjust to moving back to the US.

Tip: Double check company choices

If you have the opportunity, take advantage of a relocation service, especially if you have never lived overseas before, or you have children. Talk to other expats and see which moving companies offer a good price and quality service in your area. Ask who they would contract in the US to complete your move and confirm the reputation of this company. Most companies vary from city to city. This is less apparent with the largest moving companies such as Interclean, Allied and North American, although these companies are noticeably more expensive than most local moving companies.

Know well in advance what the company is paying for when moving back. Some companies will only cover sea freight, while others pay for air shipments of essentials. Othercompanies might only pay for as much volume as was originally sent. Others might require you to sell your car and not ship it. HR or Expatriate Services can help answer these questions for you.