It’s that time of year again! Exams are almost over, university is finishing for another year, and students up and down the country are starting to leave their accommodation.  

Let’s face it, packing up your belongings and having to move out is never going to be up there in the Fun Stakes. So, to help make your move a little easier, we’ve put together a few helpful tips for packing and moving out.

Categorise …

You may have had your head buried, studying for you exams over the last few weeks, but taking an occasional break (to do something constructive, obviously!) is not only good for your mental health, but your eyeballs (and probably your brain!) will thank you for the break from books and screens! So take a few minutes each day to look at what you need to pack up.

It may be awfully tempting, but don’t just dump all of your belongings into bags and boxes: give yourself enough time to sort through your items properly. After all, there’s nothing worse than unpacking everything at home or at your new place, and finding things you don’t need, things belonging to other students (how did that get there?!), or things you wish you hadn’t packed at all.

So, as you pack, sort your items into 3 categories; Keep, Bin or Give Away. You may find you’re not sure which category to place some items in, and that’s okay. Come back to them in a few days time and try again. You can keep doing this to ensure all your items are correctly categorised; it will get easier to know what you want to take with you, and things you would like to sell or give to charity.

Boxes …

This might be a bit of an adult-ey thing to have to think about, but you need to think about how you’re going to transport all you stuff … and that usually involves boxes! It’s tempting to buy just a couple of really big boxes (and Box Depot do sell XL boxes!) but they’re a bit pointless if you can’t physically lift them, or can’t get more than one or two in the boot of the Micra! Another thing to consider, if you are moving abroad, is that pretty much all couriers have strict box size limits and often refuse to accept, or slap hefty oversize charges on boxes that are too big.

Also, don’t forget to wrap your valuables correctly; using clothing, newspaper, shredded cardboard or bubble wrap can be a great way to keep these items safe. An alternative to boxes is to transfer all of your clothes in vacuum storage bags.

Sell …

After categorising your belongings, take a look at your Give Away pile and see if there are any items you can sell. Anything that you sell and don’t take with you not only makes packing easier, but if you can earn some extra euros, it’s an added bonus.

There are lots of online pages where you can sell items such as text books, or you can advertise items for sale on your university noticeboards.

Clothing can be sold on online marketplaces, or you could donate them to your local charity shop.

And why not get a few Euro back for those old mobile phones or electrical items you have, by sending them off and recycling them.

Another alternative is to offer your old textbooks etc to students just starting their journey, or to your local charity shop. Be mindful, though, that anything you do donate should be in a decent condition … charity does not equate to getting rid of your broken, unusable, knackered tat!

Parking …

Before dragging everything out of your room and juggling with boxes in the street, check what parking is available at or near to your accommodation.

Some accommodation will have on-site parking available to use for a short period of time when you move out, but not at other times of the year. If not, speak with your reception team and they’ll be able to point you in the direction of the nearest short-stay parking. It’s going to be a tough day anyway, so the closer you can park to pack everything up, the easier it will be.

Time to Go …

You’ll no doubt feel a mixed bag of emotions as you say goodbye and leave your accommodation for the last time – it’s been your home for a good part of the past year after all. Hopefully it’s been a place you’ve had lots of happy and fun memories, and have made friends to last a lifetime.

As you lock the door to your empty (clean!) room, remember the good times and look to the future. Don’t forget to hand your keys back to a member of staff at reception and remember to say goodbye to them too on your way out!

 

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