Moving from Amsterdam to Berlin

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Read how expat John dealt with his moving and storage issues when he moved abroad. John is a 31-year-old Business Development Manager who recently moved from Amsterdam to Berlin.

Why Moving from Amsterdam to Berlin was a good idea

“After studying in Rotterdam I moved to Amsterdam about ten years ago to start working at a big advisory company. I love the city and lived happily together with my girlfriend for 7 years.

About 2 years ago we ended our relationship and I moved to a single apartment and felt I was missing out on something and didn’t know exactly what it was. I was 29 at the time and if I wanted to go on an adventure and maybe go abroad this was the time to do it. I now had the time to do it and so I applied for a job in Berlin and I immediately fell in love with the city.

After I got the green light from my new employer, I only had 1 month to move to Berlin and settle. One month is a short period of time to inform your family, find an apartment, cancel the lease of your apartment in Amsterdam, buy health insurance etc. Most of the issues I could manage online or maybe even solve later down the line.

There only was one major problem: the whole moving abroad thing, which had to be done on very short notice.

So, I looked on the Internet for some international moving companies and after a good comparison, I made a decision. After I moved to a smaller apartment, I started using a storage unit in Amsterdam to store some of my furniture and my kite gear and some other personal stuff.

Starting a new life in Berlin

Since I was determined to stay in Berlin for a long time, I wanted to take all my stuff with me and really start a new phase in my life.

However, I was still looking for an apartment in Berlin and didn’t know how big it was going to be, so I knew I would definitely need a flexible storage unit that would be able to meet the needs of someone moving abroad.

I thought this was going to be difficult and expensive since I didn’t know how much storage space I needed and for how long or if a company would be willing to help me with that.

A friend of mine who also moved to Berlin and who helped me find an apartment told me about BOXIE24 Storage. One of his friends had used it and definitely recommended it, so I went to the website.

I still called the company because I thought my case was not an average case, but they immediately understood what I was looking for and that I needed flexibility in terms of duration and size. It was not a problem at all. They even told me, as a service, that if I couldn’t find an apartment, I could store all my stuff in one of their self storages in Berlin and that they would bring it to my apartment when I got one.

I finally found an apartment and moved in

Fortunately, I found an apartment in Kreuzberg and the moving company moved all of my belongings. After I redecorated the place a couple of times, it was time to store my kite gear, some paintings, a couch that was just too big for the apartment, my golf clubs, motorcycle and some other small stuff.

I gave BOXIE24 Storage a call and they offered to pick it all up the next day. I have to admit I was quite impressed by their service.

Firstly, they were much cheaper than any other for instance and what I really liked is that I got the feeling that they really understood my needs.

Another positive aspect was the free pick-up, which meant I didn’t have to transport my belongings to a unit myself and pay the rental of a moving van.

I scheduled the appointment with the driver for the next day between 09:00 and 11:00 and at 9:45, I got a call from the driver informing me that he would be at my address in 20 minutes.

Two employees were present to carry all my stuff down to their truck and within an hour, they took off and I went to work. I received an email the next day indicating that everything was packed in a storage unit.

The storage unit they used was even smaller than I ordered at first hand, so I ended up paying less than expected!

After all, moving abroad was quite a lot of work and I still had enough things to do, but at least I had a place I could call home. Whenever I decide to go back to Amsterdam I might consider storing my winter gear in Berlin – so I can travel light and still have the right clothes available.

BOXIE24 storage was the perfect solution for my storage issues when moving abroad. They really understood the challenges an expat faces when moving abroad.”