Moving to Chile in a few months, and I have a few Q's

[eeuunikkeiexpat]

El Puelche?

[mlightheart]

El Puelche?

Ok I''ll bite. 220v/50hz. Yes you can get electric plug adapters here at Sodimac or Easy (Homedepot like places) for around two bucks. Yes they have voltage transformers (220 to 110) here.

But really do yourself a favor and use the search to find out more info since these topic have been covered in detail before.

Why bring a TV or a couch? Bring your tools. Stock up on patience before you come. When you get here don't believe what the natives say at face value. You can trust what they say but then verify the facts.

[eeuunikkeiexpat]

Also, Amazon is a good source (better selection and price and availability than in Chile) for 220v appliances. Anything with a motor, you want to get in 220v and other stuff that can't be found here (like a slow cooker). Go rechargeable battery operated for other stuff but you want to make sure you have a transformer than can handle the capacity (like those power tool battery chargers). Those higher capacity transformers can be found in Chile but not at the local hypermarket.

[janway]

We were told that US transformers were more reliable than the mostly Chinese ones in Uruguay. We brought a 3000 W for my vacuum cleaner, iron, electric frypan etc. and a 500 W for my sewing machine, CD player, etc. I bought the LiteFuze brand and have used it daily for three years now with no problems.

I am quite convinced that we did not spend anymore bringing our stuff down here than it would have cost to replace what we needed here. We ended up buying a loveseat here and it was over $1000 US just for the one piece.

We were also advised to pay for door to door service as it prevents unknown extra charges this end. The only charge not included in the price we paid in Canada was a $300US port charge that we were expecting. It also meant that the company in Canada arranged everything with a reputable company down here. The company here did all the paperwork, all the translations and kept us informed of the progress. they came to our house with the container, unpacked everything, assembled everything, took away all the packaging and helped us get our customs deposit back once we got our permanent cedulas.

[gringo_en_pr]

I appreciate all of the advice everyone's given, and it was pretty close to what I expected. I am currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico and strongly considering a move to Chile. Unfortunately, due tot he fact I am an artist I can't simply give away, throw away, or sell my art. I might be able to do that with many of my things, but not those. I would really like to find a way to bring some of these things with me, if not immediately, eventually. But so far I haven't seen anyone endorse this idea or suggest a method. Surely there is some way...

[Vicki and Greg Lansen]

My wife and I have got 3 kids and we have bounced around quite a bit. We have always moved with what we could carry ourselves on the plane. When we went to China, for example, we went with two Jansport Carson external frame packs, two mid-sized duffle bags and a small carryon backpack for each of us. We traveled with way too much stuff. On our next journey, we did it with just the two external framepacks and a carryon each.

--Clothes you can buy anywhere. If you have size issues then you can have them custom made.

--Shoes are a little hard to come by if you've got big feet, but you can eventually find them.

--Electronics? Laptops, tablets and phones are easy to carry with you. Bigger stuff you probably don't need, even if they could work with the power differences.

--Photos? Scan them in and you can reprint them out when you arrive.

--Toys for kids are available everywhere in the world.

--Books? I love my Kindle.

If you put your stuff in storage, you can go back at any time and do a resupply trip. You can also use the trip to buy stuff that you can't get in Chile easily.

My family's mantra is that being a prisoner to your stuff is a horrible way to live.

Wise, wise, wise advice. There will be things you think you need, but if you do it correctly, you will learn that there is a difference between need and want.

[Vicki and Greg Lansen]

El Puelche?

I miss him. Very much.

[Vicki and Greg Lansen]

I appreciate all of the advice everyone's given, and it was pretty close to what I expected. I am currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico and strongly considering a move to Chile. Unfortunately, due tot he fact I am an artist I can't simply give away, throw away, or sell my art. I might be able to do that with many of my things, but not those. I would really like to find a way to bring some of these things with me, if not immediately, eventually. But so far I haven't seen anyone endorse this idea or suggest a method. Surely there is some way...

If it is not a one way, forever, never go back move, why not store some of your art and re-evaluate later? You seemingly already arrived at that solution ^.