How does one pack up your whole life and take the family off to a foreign country on another continent?
Well, it's not easy and has been years in the planning.
Plans started to solidify in February when we bought a sea worthy shipping container for $4300 and put it in our backyard. Since then we have been slowly dismantling the house starting with things we knew we could live without for 6 months. We had to do some research on the customs laws for Chile - what we could and could not bring. Chile allows a onetime duty free container shipped in per family once permanent residency has been established. This will give us some time to explore the country and make sure we want to stay before we have the container sent. You can't bring plants & seeds- toxic or flamable materials- gas powered engines - cars and vehicles and the like.
Purchasing the container rather than renting has given us the time to make this move slowly and easily. Time to think things out and make purchases of items we think we might need. Friends in Chile have advised us to purchase furniture - towels - sheets - computer equipment. Not that these things aren't available in Chile, it is just that they are comparably priced and selection may be better and easier to get in the States. Most anything is available in Santiago which is a very modern 1st world city. Prices are comparable to a southern city in the US though things imported may be a bit pricier.

Here is our container being dropped off on a cold rainy February day.