Are you relocating to an international location? Moving far, far away from home can be quite intimidating, no matter how old you are. To make the process easier and the move easier to accept, there are a few things you can do to prepare in advance.

1. Establish a Timeline

Make sure you know how many months you have to pack everything up and decide what is going with you, what will be sold, what is going to be donated, and what is going into storage here in the states. If you establish a timeline with personal deadlines for everything you need to accomplish, you can feel less anxious and feel more prepared about this major transition in your life.

2. Establish a Budget and Financial Goals

Unless your employer is paying for your relocation to another country, your move is not going to be cheap. You may want to establish a budget for all of the weeks and months you have remaining until moving day. Establish some solid financial goals too; you will need to pay the international moving company, buy a plane ticket (or tickets if you have a spouse and children traveling with you), and create a slush fund for food and transportation while you travel and once you arrive in the new country. Since you will not earn a new paycheck until you have worked for a couple of weeks (at least) in the new job and new location, you will need money on which to survive.

3. Book Your International Flight and Your International Moving Company

Both your flight to the next country and your moving company should be booked months in advance so you can ensure your arrival on the expected date. Your moving company (especially since they will probably be using large shipping crates to move your stuff over the oceans) will need enough time to carry your possessions from your home in the U.S. to the coastline and then load the crate/trailer on an ocean-bound freighter. Talk to a company, like Men On The Move, for more information.

A couple of months is a good rule of thumb for an international flight, but six to eight weeks may be enough for your moving company. Then they can begin to apply for shipping permits and cargo room on a freighter and have it ready to receive the crate/trailer on the same day you fly out of the country.

4. Begin Packing, Sorting, Storing, and Donating

Now, as often as you are able, begin boxing up your things. Separate everything you no longer want or need from things you want to keep. Box everything up and call the thrift or charity stores that pick up items, and you can donate stuff without having to interrupt the flow of your moving activity. Stack the stuff you want to store along one wall, and place the rest as close to the front door as you can or in your garage so that the movers can start there while you continue to pack. Once everything but the bare essentials are boxed, sorted, sent to storage, or donated, you are ready for the movers to take everything else to the international shipping site.