These are the things our loaders do without thinking about them. None of it is complicated, and if you are packing your own house, doing even half of it will save you a broken glass shelf and an afternoon of looking for the kettle.
Heavy things go in small boxes
Books, tools and crockery go in the smallest carton you have; bedding and clothes go in the biggest. People do the opposite by instinct and then wonder why a carton burst on the stairs. A box nobody can lift is not packed, it is stuck.
Label the side, not the top
Write the room and the contents on the side of the carton. Once boxes are stacked three high, nobody can read the top of anything. Number them too, and keep a rough list on your phone — it takes five minutes and it tells you instantly if something has not arrived.
Glass stands up, it does not lie down
Mirrors, glass table tops and LED panels travel upright with padding on both faces. Laid flat and stacked under weight is how they crack, and the crack is usually invisible until somebody lifts it at the other end.
Photograph the back of the TV
Before you unplug anything, photograph the back of the television, the router and the sound system. Reconnecting from a photo takes two minutes. Reconnecting from memory takes an evening.
Pack one box you open first
Kettle, tea, sugar, a few cups, phone chargers, toilet roll, soap, a towel, a screwdriver and any medicine. Mark it clearly and load it last so it comes off first. Everybody who has moved a house wishes they had done this.
The short version
- Small cartons for heavy items, large ones for light
- Label the side of the box, not the top
- Glass and screens travel upright
- Photograph cable connections before unplugging
- Keep documents, jewellery and medicines with you
- Pack one clearly marked box to open first
Where we do this
We load in Islamabad and drive. Packing Tips is available in Rawalpindi and across the twin cities, and on every intercity route we run — Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Abbottabad and the rest. Each city page carries its own distance from Islamabad and what that journey actually involves.