The Price of Adventure

Listen. I know it's taboo to talk about money, but part of the reason I am writing this blog publicly is so anyone who attempts this after me can go in with no illusions. Part of that is understanding the cost of relocating and emigrating.

Leaving our old home.

I had no clue how much financial backing this move would require. Of course, our cost is compounded a bit because we're doing it with a family and pets, but at least if I sticker-shock you now and you still decide to move but with fewer people (or no pets), you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much less it cost! Maybe. I don't know.

I don't know if there is a better way to outline this stuff, but I'll start by listing the expenses with fixed costs (i.e. things I had to pay for regardless and couldn't have done anything to reduce the cost).

Kids' passports: $179.53 x 3 = $538.59

Kids' passport fees: $35 x 3 = $105.00

Zac's passport renewal: $190

Passport photos for Zac and the kids: $54.03

Embassy fee (the fee I had to pay in order to have them process my immigration application): $250.24

Biometrics fee (the fees I had to pay at the consulate in Houston where they took my biometrics for my immigration application): $84.50

Vaccine updates and Marabel's chip: $310.38 (although this would've have been included in the cost of moving if we had her chipped and vaccinated already)

USDA fees: $76.00

Don't worry. We avoided a few fees, too! My passport was already good to go so I didn't have to renew it or get new pictures. I made my own water funnel for Han's crate. ALK paid for some things, including my plane ticket to Houston and our family/pet transportation to Denmark. That saved us probably just shy of $10K.

Then, there are a bunch of costs that maybe could've been reduced depending on different circumstances or my choices and such.

Hotel and food in Houston: $284.48

Uber 1 in Houston: $58.95

Uber 2 in Houston: $46.71

If there had been appointments at the VSF in San Francisco or L.A., I probably wouldn't have needed a hotel to stay overnight. I likely would've had to Uber to and from the appointment regardless, but it's possible the cost would've been lower or that I could've used public transportation.

Han's kennel: $250

Marabel's travel carrier, travel litter box, harness, food bowls and Han's crate stickers, bolts, and food bowls: $94.06

If I had prior knowledge about the giant kennel we needed, or if I had known about the shortage of kennels that size, or if I had more time to shop around for the pet items we needed for travel, I could've probably saved a little money.

Han's rabies vaccine: $105.00

If you read my post about Our Roadside Rabies Vaccine, you'll recall that I had to use a non-traditional vet to ensure Han's rabies vax was compliant. It probably would've been cheaper if I had been able to see our normal vet.

Travel health appointment, Han's deworming, and heath certificate completion: $770.99

I think the high cost here is partially due to the "new patient" effect - the health visits were done at the sister clinic, so I feel like we were probably charged a new patient fee or something. Maybe this would've been less at our normal vet, too.

Home Again renewal for Han: $24.99

When we got Han, I didn't register his microchip to my name because I didn't have an extra $25, but I figured I should do that before we traveled with him. If I had done that previously, I wouldn't have had to pay it this time.

Shipping of USDA paperwork: $46.38

This may have been cheaper (or more expensive) if I lived closer or further from the nearest USDA office.

Miscellaneous things we needed to pack (vacuum pack bags so we could fit bedding in our suitcases, outlet adaptors, file folder box, etc.): $118.35

Again, maybe didn't need these things, but they sure helped a lot.

School registration: $865.02

This charge wouldn't exist if I had chosen to have the kids go to Danish public school.

Seattle hotel (and food): $1546.08

If we didn't have the animals, we wouldn't have had to select a hotel that allowed pets, and if we had known that Zac's passport needed to be renewed before we left the states sooner, we wouldn't have had to arrive early and stay for two nights.

Hotel in Denmark: $165.18

Taxi from the airport to the hotel: $118.83

If we were just taking over a move-in-ready rental, we wouldn't have had to stay in a hotel for a night. Although if we didn't have Vibe, this cost would've been a lot more!

Relocating personal items: $20,330.53

Remember in my previous post (Challenge: Accepted...But Why So Many?), I had discussed the estimated cost of relocating our personal items? As you can see, the final bill on that was pretty massive, which included the relocation, the insurance, and the money transfer fee from Wise (since it had to be paid in Danish kroner (DKK) by transferring money into a Danish business bank account). Once our things arrive and get unpacked in Birkerød, they'll let us know if the amount we paid corresponds to the actual amount owed, so I'll update this post if that changes.

This cost could've been non-existent (if we traveled with only what we could carry) or cheaper (if we only shipped a couple of boxes of lightweight items via FedEx or something). The cost is also pretty variable depending on how far you live from a port, how far your shipping destination is from a port, and the weight and volume of things you bring. Oh, and the declared replacement value you calculate impacts the cost of your insurance.

Daaaaang! That's all of it. $26,453.98 is the cost we incurred for moving door-to-door. Was it worth it? Give us a chance to get settled and I'll let you know. :D

Our new home.