How do you pack up your life?

So, I'm sitting here trying to figure out how do I literally pack up my life and move 3,500 miles away from everything Ive known for the last 29 years. How did/do you do it? I have about 3 large suitcases, a duffel bag and two totes. Did you sell some things? Give it away?
I was so worried about being approved for the VISA. I never knew how hard it would be to pack my life and move. :-(

I had a really hard time with that too.  My husband has a house full of belongings and there was no reason to pack up mine only to bring them here to be stacked in a corner, but when it comes to possessions it's not always about practical matters and can get very emotional.  I tried to categorize things into A, B, & C groups.  A for things I had to have, B for the maybe's, and C for those things I knew I didn't want to take.  Much easier in theory than practice though. 

The things I decided to leave behind I either gave away to friends and family, or donated.  It probably would have been a smart idea to try to sell some of them, but I just didn't want to deal with more stress which I think selling them would have been.  If you have someone who can keep some of the things you're on the fence about then you can go back and get them sometime in the future, or after living without them for sometime decide to get rid of them later.

Good luck!

I came for work by myself, so a bit different, but it was scary and mentally challenging.

I felt like I was ending my life in the US.  I sold a lot of things on Craigslist and eBay.

The hardest part for me was that I was SUPER busy in the US.  When I moved here I was very bored until I built up my life here.  Give yourself a break, have a pity party, and allow yourself lots of time to adjust to the UK.

As we are preparing to leave in a couple weeks - the reality of it is sinking in.  Many mixed feelings.  I donated quite a lot if clothing of my kids, myself and my husband.  I also ask my sisters and mother if they wanted anything, particularly electronics, so gave away some to them.  A few things I listed and sold on ebay.

When I married the first time in 1990 at age 20, I moved 750 miles from home and took nothing but a few clothes. We divorced in 1993 and I moved to a small apartment in that city with my 1-year-old son. We had a few dishes, kitchenware, clothes, a toddler bed and that's it. I moved to England in December 1995 on a fiance visa. One suitcase had clothes, the other had my son's toys. In 2004, I returned to the US with a husband, three children and four suitcases. Once in the US, we moved to five cities in three states in four and a half years. We have been in one city now since 2008. My youngest child will finish school by 2019 and we will be returning to England. So, you know we will be doing that process again.

I guess since I started moving a great deal early in my adulthood, I've lived quite simply and only kept items that I know I want to have around. It is weird to buy the same stuff over and over like a dining table, living room furniture and beds. I definitely do not ever think about the cost of it all or I would never leave! There was a part of me that wanted me to buy stuff so I felt more "rooted" to one place but my sister told me that "life is not about stuff but of experiences". She told me this as we cleared our childhood home after the death of our last parent in 2011. We had to go through 50 years of stuff. We walked away with a box of photos for me and she kept a bookcase my father built.

I think of it this way: Life is not about your things, it's your experiences and the memories you've created. You're not leaving people or places behind but building your memories and moving forward is creating new ones.

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I think of it this way: Life is not about your things, it's your experiences and the memories you've created. You're not leaving people or places behind but building your memories and moving forward is creating new ones.

I agree with that.  But I had a sort of epiphany the other day.  Having left a lot of family heirlooms behind for now and returned to our UK home with our own family belongings, I thought about how painful it was to leave all my books, my mother's paintings, family albums, great grandfather's furniture and so on.  And then I thought that if I had to up stakes again and go back to the US I really have nothing here that I would feel bad about leaving.  I would miss the lifestyle and all that but not so much the physical impedimenta.

Hi there,

I did the exact same thing, same age even. I moved to the UK last year to join my now husband. I moved 4,000m and 7 time zones with only 2 checked bags, a carry on and one backpack as a personal item.

I didn't own much when I moved. I was living with my parents since my fiance and I had decided that I was going to come join him and all I really had was my bedroom stuff. I'd just rented with friends prior. So my old bed was left with my parents, they kept all my furniture (book cases, dresser, etc) and I donated a bunch of clothes and books I didn't want to keep, and gave away anything that anyone wanted. I too should have sold some things, but I didn't want to deal with it. There are still 8 boxes of things in a closet at my parents that I need to ship over. 5 of them are boxes of books (reading and vocal music) and important little items to me. And two of them are clothes I'm hoping to fit back into once I join a gym over here.

It's not easy to pare down to the bare minimum for such a big move. I hope it goes smoothly for you!

Thanks everyone for the advice, I will have to down size, and I think my biggest issue is having to let things go. I donate clothes all the time, but then I have a maybe pile lol. I know this is a great thing to be completely in love with someone and then on top of that move to another country for it.

I come from a very large family and although my hubby is not from a small family by any means, they aren't particularly close. So all those holidays and frequent Sunday dinners- there will be none of that. I guess we will make new traditions together. Have our own Sunday dinners. :-) For now I need to sort out what I'm going to sell, keep, or donate.

Here's to a smooth transition!

I'm right there with you Lovely!  Except I've lived in the same state for 48 years and never left it!  I have moved a few times but all within 15 miles of the home I grew up in, which incidentally my parents still live in.  My siblings (4) all live here.  My moving is not a popular topic.  I'm glad I found this site because I don't really have anyone to share these things with.  No one wants to hear it. They don't want me to go.

But back to your original topic...I hired a professional organizer yesterday and let me tell you I can't afford it but I have been like a deer in headlights for weeks now. I had to do something.  I have a 3 bedroom house to dismantle, choose what goes and what's gotten rid of and all my lifes memories are here in my home.  We have to have it gone before my husband heads over in August.  She came, did an assessment, gave me some homework and we're going to meet up again in two weeks.  I felt much better after just talking to her yesterday.  I am in Kentucky and I checked with several companies and $40 to $50 per hour seems to be the going rate.  It might be something you'd want to look into, just to get you started.

Best of luck!

UK Yankee's own guide might help?
http://www.uk-yankee.com/guide/expat-guide-uk/moving-uk