Most people who move overseas are not really ready for the event.  This is because they have no experience at it.  Think about it for a moment: how many people have moved overseas before?  Not many.  It is a rare, once in a lifetime occurrence, so very few people have experience with it.  As such, anyone who is moving overseas for the first time is likely to make some mistakes.  This is to be expected, and you should not beat yourself up over it.  However, by doing a little research beforehand and doing some careful planning, you can prepare yourself and avoid the major pitfalls that many people encounter.  The idea is obviously to have as smooth a transition as possible.

If an international move is in your near future: heed this warning. The top two mistakes commonly listed by websites dedicated to international relocation is a lack of organization on the home front and hiring the wrong moving company.

Let’s assume that the move is a decision made and the move date is circled in red on the calendar. Before the moving truck arrives and you say good-bye to your neighbors, consider these essentials at least three months out:

What will you bring and what will you leave behind? If you’re like most of us, you’ve got a ton of stuff stuck in closets, guest rooms, and garages. Begin by decluttering. Now’s the time to get it done. Research sites like yahoo groups to find out what daily life is like in your new country. What’s a normal household look like? This information will help you make packing decisions. You’ll also need to decide early whether to bring your car or sell it and find out if your family pet will be coming along and what’s needed for transport.

Ask around. What’s local living like in your destination country? Ask someone who’s been there or is now living there. You’ll find plenty of talkative neighbors on sites like expatexchange.com. What’s it like to grocery shop? What should your kids expect in school? How do people relax on weekends? What about banks and health care? Chat it up.

What paperwork needs to get in process now? Do you need visas or passports to live in your destination country? How about vaccinations or shots? Find out the requirements to live in your new country by researching "Country Profile Project" on About.com.

You get what you pay for—it’s usually true. When you’re making your decision on who will move you to your new home, consider more than just the cost.

Find at least three moving companies that relocate to your area of the world and consider how they do the following:

Take the shock out of the new culture. If they are an experienced international mover, then they know what is required by the new country in terms of paperwork and permissions. Let them handle this critical step for you.

Coordinate the legs of the journey. When your final box is loaded on the truck at your home, its transport may include more than three transfers to get to your final destination. It might go through several ports, freight companies, customs, and local movers. Pick an international mover with a system that will closely track your belongings.

Moving is stressful enough. Get yours off to a great start simply by avoiding these two critical mistakes.