Luggage allowance and airfreight for expats relocating

We are relocating from South Africa to Dubai in the next 2 months. When we came to South Africa, the company provided NO support for our move, other than hubbies work contract and visas.

This move involves a relocation firm and package which includes flights and air freight as well as shipping our household furniture.

When we moved to SA, I took the last dated document for all our paperwork in my hand luggage, we took clothes, toiletries, some basic food items so we could have a 'touch of home' for the kids, their sports gear. In the kids hand luggage they brought their laptops, chargers and xbox plus games. We had 9 suitcases between the 4 of us and some major hassle at Manchester Airport with Air France over the cost which you can read about here.

Luggage wise, we will be flying with Emirates and they have a generous 30kg allowance, however if we go over that, it is rather expensive as they charge per kilo. I'm hoping by the time we leave, hubby will have reinstated his Gold membership and we can take 2 cases each, plus hand luggage, but without his passport, which was stolen 2 months ago, his next flight is likely to be when we move to Dubai.

It will be the middle of summer when we leave SA and the middle of winter when we arrive in Dubai, but that doesn't matter, we won't be needing to pack winter clothes, maybe a cardi and a jumper but that's it.

Hand luggage will be full of electronic items as it's too risky to pack them in the cases, what with the thefts that occur at OR Tambo airport. As an expat, with the need to travel frequently, hand luggage is packed very differently than when you're a tourist and the allowance of 7kgs with most airlines really isn't sufficient, but the secret is to make it look like it is light weight and not heavy.

So I'm not sure what we should put in our air cargo that will arrive around a week later. We're not moving with the kids this time, so only our stuff needs to be packed.

I'll find out by Friday after the removal companies come round to quote, the size and weight allowance of the air cargo. I assume I should pack some extra clothes and shoes, paperwork, but what else?

The container takes 42 days to arrive, our temporary housing allowance is only for 30 days, so that leave 12 days, do we arrange to move into an empty house and hope the container arrives early? We did that on the move here and ended up having to buy basic kitchen equipment, beds, towels and bedding, plus 3 beds. The house had patio furniture we used to sit on and came with curtains in the bedrooms. Obviously we can't pack beds in the air cargo, so it looks like bedding, towels and basic kitchen equipment is a must, but do you have any other suggestions as to what we may need to take?

Error 404

I'm off to the UK again, I've only been back 5 weeks by the time I fly back out and so much has happened in that time.
The tenants are finally out, the quote for redecorating plus repairs and replacements, loss of rent, solicitors, cleaning etc, etc is currently around £8000...* sharp intake of breath*

My 14yo son left South Africa last week to attend Boarding school in the UK. I've throughly cleaned the house top to bottom, redecorated the boys bedrooms and the dining room. I've packed my bags and I'm ready to go.

So why Error 404.

Seriously, my life is complicated enough as it is.

Flights to the UK. I need to be there by the 6th of September at the very latest. The only flights available with Virgin Atlantic, BA, Emirates and Air France are this Sunday or September the 5th or my other alternatives are to book with Egypt Air with 2 stop overs and 2 carriers or Business or First class, neither or which I can afford.

So Sunday it is, August the 26th. Good job I got on with the cleaning and the decorating when I did.

But now I have to get from Heathrow Terminal 3 to Malvern. So I checked The Trainline. £50 single ticket change at Paddington. Click through the process to discover I have to collect my tickets prior to the start of the train journey.....mmmmmm can't collect tickets from Heathrow. So I booked a ticket from Paddington to malvern at the cost of £30. When I get to Heathrow I'll get the tube, bus, whatever, will figure that out when I get there at the cost of £8.40. A saving of £10.10 after the booking fee. And while we're at it, the trainline wasn't any cheaper than booking with National Rail direct.

Is your life as complicated? If not, please let me know the key to your success.

When your adult son goes missing

My son, aged 20, is coming today to visit us in South Africa for 2 weeks.

We left him in the UK aged 18, he'd not long left home for an apprentiship in Hotel Management in Reading. He visited us here in March last year, we visited the UK in August and December. He got himself a new job at Christmas and moved to Cheltenham, back nearer his dad and my family.

Yesterday afternoon there were messages on facebook from him and his dad to say he was at the airport and the last one read 'Mum, do you want any duty free?'

So all checked in, I relaxed and went off to bed.

This morning I check facebook, twitter and emails...as you do to see an urgent message sent from his Dad on facebook last night at midnight

'Ring me asap!!!'

'Jamis has just phoned and said his connecting flight isnt until tomorrow night?'

3 hrs later I get this
'phone only had 2% battery life when he phoned so i told him to switch it off for a bit while i sort out a hotel texted him the address but havnt heard from him the hotel wont answer there fucking phone so not sure if he went to the hotel'

So panic, I checked and double checked I had booked the right dates, checked on the website. Flight cancelled and he's booked in for tonights flight.

And not another word on the subject.

I messaged his dad back with 'it's the air lines responsibilty to look after him.

Why is his dad booking a hotel? where? did he get to it? who's paying for it? Does he have his luggage? etc, etc, etc

No response from his dad, no reply to my SMS to my son, called Air France in South Africa, they know nothing, the number they gave me for France is unobtainable, Hubby now calling the UK to find out what's going on.

Yes I know my son is 20, he's lived on his own for nearly two years, but still it would be nice to know what is going on and if his Dad went off to bed having made sure our son was ok.

*update one hour later

My hubby has called Uk and been told all passengers were given hotel room and meal vouchers and allowed to make one phone call. they will not tell hubbby which hotel for security reasons.

My ex has informed me Son did not check into hotel he booked for him last night and was told by Air France desk thatI had booked the wrong flight and he was on his own. Have given ex the number hubby rang on so he can ask for message to be delivered to son and for confirmation he was one of the passengers that has been helped, rather than just left to his own devices.

PS
Flight : AF0990 Resa : OK
Departure : 01May, 23:20 Latest check-in time limit : 22:20
I didn't book the wrong flight

UPDATE

AT 11.30AM SON PHONED HIS DAD IN THE UK TO SAY HE MANAGED TO TRANSFER MONEY FROM UK TO PAY FOR HIS OWN HOTEL AND IS BACK ON WAY TO AIRPORT WITH RECEIPTS TO CLAIM HIS HOTEL ROOM RATE BACK, HE IS WITHOUT LUGGAGE AND CANNOT CHARGE HIS PHONE AS CHARGER IS IN HIS CASE.
HE NOW HAS 12HOURS BEFORE HIS FLIGHT HERE AND IS NOT A HAPPY BUNNY THAT AIRFRANCE DIDN'T HELP HIM.

UPDATE ON THE UPDATE

At 12pm today after 150+ hits in half an hour on this blog, Air France contacted me.
At 4.40pm they sent email to say sorry about all of this, they had sent son an email back in March to inform him of cancelled flight, I doubt he's checked his emails for years, I had left my cell number for them to contact also. They are refunding his accomodation and his meals as long as he can provide original receipts.

I'm sure he will accept this, he has been in touch with me on facebook, having bought a new phone charger as his luggage is in holding, located a wifi spot to tell me he was fine, no worries, he had a spare set of clothes, he understood my panic that had been caused by his Dads messages that he hadn't got hold of him since midnight last night. However, I'm still slightly annoyed that no one at Air France in South Africa, Paris or the UK could give any different information other than what I could see on the website...flight cancelled, booked in for tonights flight.
5 hours passed before anyone got in touch with us, around the same time son rang his dad in the UK to say he was fine.

I know he's 20 and an adult, but surely there must be better ways of contacting Air France, rather than on their web page and clicking several links to get local numbers to press a series of buttons, being put on hold and then told 'there's nothing we can tell you'

There is no way now that I'm letting my children (17 & 13) fly unattended now with any airline unless it is a direct flight.

Lesson learnt from this experience?

Always pack your phone charger in your hand luggage.

Flying air france and the airbus 380

No smoking room at Heathrow Terminal 4...I have needs and they would've been met if I needed a prayer room or Muslim toilets.

Anyway we board, no overhead space for the hand luggage, one child with broken arm, very excited to be flying also very upset having said bye to his brother and dad.

Find overhead space for luggage, stroppy cow trying to push past to her seat, they're allocated FFS, back off...walk to seat 3 rows away, air steward or security and safety as written on her badge, calls me back and asks me to move luggage, er why? because these people in these seats need space, I challenge her to find me luggage space near me, bloke in front is muttering to no one in particular about me daring to answer back and says I should have my luggage under my feet.

ha my hand luggage won't fit under the seat in front of me and the air steward asks who's bag this is, the man in front identifies it, she puts it under his seat, orders me to place my luggage in the locker over head and he moans for the next hour about having no leg room.

Arrive in Paris, we are greeted by staff who gather us together and run to the terminal to get our flight...the man is still moaning to anyone that will listen to him about anything and everything..the flight is called, in no particular order, they are only loading passengers on the lower deck, so by now everyone has reached the front and told to stand to one side, the man is moaning now as it means he's lost his place in the queue, again the seats are allocated.

So everyone is seated downstairs and there's about 50 of us left hanging around, the man is still moaning, an announcement is made, there has been a problem with the cleaning cart and the lift door, so we're asked to take a seat while they sort the problem out.

I spend the next 2 hours in the smoking pods with the Harley Davison guys and the man moans for 2 hours. I pity the people already seated.

We board, I have a spare seat next to me, we're served a delicious tea of Thai Green Curry, salad, cakes and wine and I settle down for 6 solid hours sleep till some idiots alarm goes off on their watch.