How to save money when moving and not overpay for transport

Where money leaks away when moving

How to save money when moving is decided a few days in advance, not on loading day. Most unnecessary costs come from poor estimates: of the number of trips, of a date nobody planned, and of things that are moved completely unnecessarily. Go through the following points calmly at home. They'll save you more than an hour spent hunting for the lowest rate.

Reduce the number of trips

Every extra trip costs time and money. Two trips in a small van almost always work out worse than one trip in a bigger one. Add in loading, unloading, driving across town and looking for somewhere to stop. Before you book, estimate the volume of your furniture and boxes and compare it with the cargo area dimensions in our fleet.

Choose a date that doesn't work against you

Friday afternoon and the last weekend of the month are the worst combination. Crawling along in a queue extends the rental and the fuel consumption, and you won't be able to park outside the building. A weekday morning or a Sunday means emptier streets and calmer loading. You can pick up the vehicle around the clock, so you don't have to stick to a branch's opening hours.

Don't move what you'll throw away anyway

Sorting before packing is the cheapest saving of all. Every box you don't pack is volume you don't have to transport. Get rid of broken appliances, faulty electronics and things you haven't used for years before you start counting how much you have. Decide quickly: what you haven't needed for a year, you won't need in the new flat either.

Get your materials in advance

You can get boxes from shops for free if you ask a few days ahead. At the last minute you'll buy expensive sets that you'll use once. Blankets, towels and bed linen can serve as padding instead of bubble wrap, and they take up volume you'd be transporting anyway.

Work out what you can manage yourself

The most expensive option tends to be having everything done for you. Almost anyone can pack boxes and take a bed apart. You then handle the transport yourself and keep paid help only for what you really can't lift.

Measure the doors and stairs, not just the furniture

The most expensive mistake is a wardrobe that won't get out of the flat. Measure the width of the front door, the stair landing and the internal dimensions of the lift car, including the height. If an item won't fit in the lift, allow time for carrying it down the stairs, or take it apart before your helpers arrive. Finding out on the spot costs an hour that you're paying for in rental time.

How to save money on moving day

Get people before you get the van

Two extra pairs of hands cut loading time in half. Agree a specific time with your helpers, not "some time in the morning". The rental runs from pick-up, so waiting for a friend who overslept costs more than a litre of diesel. Divide up the roles in advance: who passes things, who stacks them in the van, who watches the door.

Get things ready before the van arrives

Take the furniture apart and carry the boxes down to the entrance the day before. You should be loading from a pile, not from the flat. When everything is waiting by the door, you'll load the van in tens of minutes rather than hours.

Diesel and kilometres

You pick up the vehicle with a full tank and return it full. Fill up just before the return and keep the receipt. Mileage within the Czech Republic is unlimited, so two trips right across town won't surprise you with a per-kilometre surcharge. Trips abroad aren't possible; the vehicles are driven exclusively within the Czech Republic.

Remember what you don't pay for

You don't pay a deposit with us and nothing is blocked on your card. That removes an amount you otherwise couldn't use for several weeks. A valid Czech motorway vignette is also included in the price, so you don't have to buy anything extra for the motorway.

Sort out parking in advance

Parking in blue zones is not part of the service. So find out where you're allowed to stop at both addresses and, if necessary, arrange a space with the neighbours. You can leave your own car at our location free of charge for the duration of the rental, which saves you worrying about where to put it.

Load the van in one go

Think about the order of things before you open the rear doors. Wardrobes and appliances along the wall first, then boxes in columns, and finally small items in the gaps. When you load without a plan, the van fills up two-thirds of the way and the rest stays on the pavement. Keep a clear strip by the doors so you can walk through with a package in your hands.

What's not worth skimping on

Securing the load. A broken wardrobe costs more than straps and ten minutes' extra work.

A time buffer. If you take the van for just an hour, "just enough", you'll be rushing under pressure and forget something. A booking can be cancelled free of charge up to 72 hours before the start, so book your date in good time and at your leisure. You'll find more questions about how it all works in the FAQ section.