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I'm moving over to Dubai in mid May and want to send a couple of boxes of stuff over from Perth, Australia (nothing major, just clothes, photos, books etc). I dont have my accomodation in dubai sorted yet as the company i am working for will put me up in a hotel for a week or so and give me time off to search for an apartment (!?!). Does anyone have any idea of:
a) a decent shipping/air freight company from australia to the UAE
b) can i get my stuff sent to a port/storage place in advance of my arrival so that i dont have to wait weeks for it to arrive
c) a rough idea of any costs

PS. Is the indoor snowboarding worth bringing my snowboard over for?

Thanks heaps.

Post in the Dubai expat help forum and youll prob get more replies. good luck

beefa wrote:I'm moving over to Dubai in mid May and want to send a couple of boxes of stuff over from Perth, Australia (nothing major, just clothes, photos, books etc). I dont have my accomodation in dubai sorted yet as the company i am working for will put me up in a hotel for a week or so and give me time off to search for an apartment (!?!). Does anyone have any idea of:
a) a decent shipping/air freight company from australia to the UAE
b) can i get my stuff sent to a port/storage place in advance of my arrival so that i dont have to wait weeks for it to arrive
c) a rough idea of any costs

PS. Is the indoor snowboarding worth bringing my snowboard over for?

Thanks heaps.

I have no idea about a, b or c but I think that unless you sort out your accomodation before you get here, 1 week at a hotel might not be enough unless you get lucky or bring heaps of cash. most rental places want 1 year's rent up front or at least 6 monts up front (2 checks), rarely 4 checks. Finding a place to live, particularly if you want to live on your own, close to work, in a particular area is stressful (especially having just arrived).

Forget the clothes and books. They got that stuff here.

Good luck.

Agree with my shaggy compadre on this one.

Don't fret about shifting stuff straight away. Box it up and leave it with a friend or family member, and have it shipped when you're settled. Focus your attention on finding accommodation as this can be quite a struggle and unlikely to be resolved in a week.

Best bet is to find some short term rental for 3 months max, and use this time to find something more permanent.

One week is certainly not enough to find something, most companies end up putting new recruits up for 30 days. Try Emirates Sky Cargo, you can just tell them to bring it whenever they have space.

Chocoholic wrote:One week is certainly not enough to find something, most companies end up putting new recruits up for 30 days. Try Emirates Sky Cargo, you can just tell them to bring it whenever they have space.

you can live at sky cargo now i cud afford to live in dubai maybe

beefa,
we moved over from Oz in Jan. Seriously you can get new clothes/books etc over here. We came over with 3 pieces of luggage and slowly we're getting there with furnishings etc.
We still have our snowboards back in Sydney, we wont send them over until we really need it. You don't need it at Ski Dubai, they have gear there (bring your own gloves & beanie though).
We are bringing over a few things - our wedding photos, paperwork, some paintings I really want + our pets (2 cats). I got a few quotes, by air freight with FedEx or DHL its about $3-4K, the majority of that is the cats. Note its air freight, so slightly more exxy than shipping, but its heaps quicker.

hope this helps

Thanks for your responses. Looks like i shouldnt care too much about sending my stuff and focus more on finding an apartment. Have searched a bit on the net but thought i would just try and wing it when i got there. Did mention it to the company that one week might not be enough but they assured me that they would give me time off during that week to look (!?!). Figure that the weather is great over and i am pretty laid back so hey why stress. So if you see an aussie girl sleeping in a park for a few weeks then you will know its me (oh and i have just rang the bank to see if i can up the amount of $$$ i want to redraw on my loan). Nothing like an adventure ey?

beefa
Your company should be able to provide the cheques for you, and they take out the rental amount from your pay every month. Ask if this is an option. That way, you don't have to part with all the money at one go.

I used CT Freight to send over 7 boxes of personal effects from Sydney. They were great. The cost is in the vicinity of AUS$5/kg.

PM me if you want the contact details. I'm not sure if they have a Perth branch though.

Your Cargo is held for free at Cargo Village for 5 days after which you pay a small amount per kg per day storage.

It took approx 10 days for my boxes to clear oz and arrive in Dubai.