Flying these days can truly be a pain in the behind with all of the rules and regulations nearly strangling the luxury right out of flying and travel overall. With the amount of terrorism that has flooded in the world these measures are thankfully made to protect our people nationwide and worldwide. As moving can be stressful enough and if you’re having to fly to your new home, the airport setting can make things much more strained and uncomfortable if you are not prepared and expecting what you have coming to you.

Bags Most airlines these days are going to charge you a fee for bags from anywhere from $15-$25 per bag. The second checked bag is also usually more expensive than the first. However if you are travelling on Southwest Airlines, you are granted 2 free bags to check–no hoops, no catches, just free. If you are looking to save or compare how much your favorite airline is charging per bag, check out http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/3801089/airline-baggage-fees-chart-updated/

Carry On This luggage is a lot of times the preference for many to travel with–exclusively. Not only does it guarantee that your luggage arrives with you (as it is with you) but it also saves you, in most cases, loads of cash. The average carry on measurements 22″ x 14″ x 9″ or an average of 45″ total. Don’t depend on luggage that guarantees that it is “airline restriction friendly”–bring your measuring tape.

Pets Certain airlines let you carry on your animals for a reasonable fee on board if it can fit underneath your seat. If not, you must check your animal in the cargo storage area with the rest of the luggage. Also, check the regulations for your destination and see if there is a quarantine period to keep your dog (usually about 30 days)

Security Make sure that you don’t get caught up here! Have your Passport/ID ready along with your boarding pass. Once at the scanner area, take off your shoes, coat, scarfs, any metal on your body and put it in the bins. If carrying a computer, take it out of the bag and put it directly into a bin. Also, any liquids that you carry must be under 3 ounces and in a clear container. If you don’t adhere to the rules they don’t care how much your $70 shampoo scalp treatment is, it’ll go in the trash! For more info, check out http://www.tsa.gov/

Checking In You can usually check in online, or even on your iPhone if your airline has an application to do so. If you would like to expedite the process, check out the skycap area (usually outside of the airport terminal that your airline belongs to) these lines go much faster and are shorter. Have your ID/Passport and reservation code ready to go.

So you’ve got all of your things packed. Your moving company is scheduled to come and move your things across the country. The lease at your new place is signed and you are all set. The only you haven’t decided one thing: what mode of transportation are you going to use to get to your new home?

There are a number of ways to travel to your new home from your old one. But some people are sensitive to things like planes, confined spaces for long periods of time, or just plane old want a non-conventional trip! Below are a number of ways to both make your trip comfortable for you and to spice it up a bit.

Plane

Travelling by plane is by far the fastest mode of transportation to your new home (most of the time). Although it may not be the cheapest, there are ways of saving. For instance, check out Orbitz website to get the best deal for your destination on the web. The best airline, however, is not included in any of the search engine database websites. Southwest Airlines is by far the most economical, with 2 free checked bags and friendly service, and the fastest airline out there currently.

Train

This mode of transportation can be the most fun. Whether you are travelling in a sleeper care or are taking the adventurous way there in coach, this way of transporting yourself is especially exciting with all of the scenery and interesting people surrounding you. You can grab a beer in the diner car or maybe just want to hang out in the observation car. Its all fun, check out Amtrak for the best deals.

Car

We all know the age old way of travelling—road trip! Grab your Cheetos (or raw mixed nuts) and your coke (or water) and enjoy some radical tunes all the way across the country. Grab your GPS and your pre-mixed playlists on your .mp3 player to truly take advantage of this experience.

Bus

Now, this would probably be a last resort. If you are looking to save some money this may be the mode for you. But essentially riding a Greyhound across the country would be like being seated on a plane with the distance of a regular car. Regardless, this is a reliable and affordable way of transporting oneself from point A to point B.

Being a moving company, we are on the roads every single day and night making sure your belongings is getting to their final destination safely. The quality of the roads, bridges, etc., is obviously something that makes our jobs either really easy and smooth, or frustrating and challenging. We wanted to give our blog readers an overview of the TIGER grants being distributed to help fund road, rail and other infrastructure work.

The project has been dubbed the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, plan. “TIGER grants will tackle the kind of major transportation projects that have been difficult to build under other funding programs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This will help us meet the 21st century challenges of improving the environment, making our communities more livable and enhancing safety, all while creating jobs and growing the economy.”

The $1.5 billion fund should have a beneficial effect not just on worn-out bridges and highways, but on the job market, too. The economic recovery potential that this plan has is extremely exciting, but at Exodus, we are also thrilled to have hands on experience of the improvements across the country. Below is a chart of where the spending will occur:

For more information, check out the full TIGER press release

The Oxford Dictionary defines Culture Shock as “a disorientation experienced when suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture or way of life”. Anyone who has ever lived or traveled abroad has experienced a dose of culture shock. At the time, it may just feel like homesickness, however there are several signs and symptoms that can be spotted.

Here are a few:

• Feeling lonely or a sense of sadness

• Pains, intense headaches and/or allergies

• Feelings of anger, depression or vulnerability

• Feeling shy or insecure

• Insomnia or sleeping too much

• Idealizing your own culture

• Becoming overly concerned about your health

Moving abroad sounds like fun, huh? Well it is! The transition may be smoother if you understand the Culture Shock Model and the common reactions people experience when moving abroad.

Step 1: The Honeymoon Stage

This is when you start feeling euphoria. You feel energized, inspired and enriched.

Step 2: The Distress Stage

Everything you are experiencing no longer feels new. You start to feel like the people you use as a support system are out of reach and too far away. You may experience a sense of confusion, loneliness and feel the lust starting to fade away.

Step 3: The Re-Integration State

You may start feeling angry, resentful and frustrated with trying to accumulate to the new culture. You may start idealizing life back home and compare cultures. This may lead you to develop prejudices towards the new culture. As bad as it sounds, this is all extremely normal, in fact, it is proof that you are adjusting and is a common reaction among people.

Step 4: Autonomy Stage

This is the first stage of acceptance as you start to feel like yourself again. You start to understand and accept the differences which enable you to take a look around and appreciate where you are.

Step 5: Independence Stage

This is when you feel like you are yourself again. You are able to fully embrace the culture. You feel a sense of comfort and you become confident when it comes to making decisions. This is when you appreciate cultural differences and you start to feel at home

If you could move anywhere in the world where would you go? Seriously anywhere…  Think about it, from the deep sea reefs of Australia to the tallest snowcapped peak in Nepal all the way to the romantic setting of the Eiffel tower.  Well, it’s fun to think about but then, reality starts setting in and you might realize that the dream of moving to the sandy beaches of Fiji may not be possible for where you are at in life right now. But rest assured because if the day shall come where the option of moving to your dream destination becomes a possibility, we can and will help make it happen. Long story short, we will first get all your belongings to the coast, whether it be east or west, then from there your things will be loaded onto a ship bound for your destination. We will even go one step further and arrange for services at your destination to bring your items to your door. What a great welcome to your new home gift!

We have experience with moving people and things from all over the world! Just because it is a big world does not mean moving across it needs to become a big problem. We are experienced international movers, relocating people to places all over the world- Australia, Israel, France, Libya (that was a tricky one), Japan, Turkey, ect, ect, ect (and the world goes on).

We can move anyone literally anywhere in the WORLD, we are your international moving company. So when and if you ever need to move abroad, lets us be the ones to make it happen!