[JASON S.]

We have done it three ways. Keep it, take it, sell it.

With our first move to Asia we rented a couple large storage units and packed them floor to ceiling.

The next move was with a container shipment.

The next move was sell it all and travel with a suitcase.

Just one more opinion. Sell it all. We were much happier when we sold everything.

Hire a professional estate sales person. That sounds much bigger than it is. We were a regular middle class household, modest three bedroom home, nice but not fancy furniture, two quite used cars, etc. so the term “estate” was a stretch. I was already overseas and my wife didn’t want to tackle the job by herself so she hired a seller on a commission basis. They sold everything, cars, furniture, and household goods all the way down to partially used spices in the kitchen. We walked away with some cash and zero hassle.

She found the woman who, with her husband did the business, on Craigslist. Get references and talk to several people.

Fast forward ten years. We have lived as expats for ten years in Asia and are now 98% sure of relocating to Panama. When we leave Asia we will have two suitcases. Yes, in ten years we have accumulated stuff, two cars, a motorbike, TV, tons of musical equipment, closets of clothes and racks of spices. Everything that won’t fit in our regular suitcases will be sold or given away.

[JASON S.]

I am still in Asia so am speaking theoretically since I don’t have actual boots on the ground experience in Panama. That said . . . If you have a smart phone and regular service, there are GPS aps using Google maps readily available. I can attest that they are quite accurate – here in Thailand and in the States where I use them.

[JASON S.]

What about driving into the country?

We plan on touring the US, Mexico and on down to Panama to get there. The car is a 35 year old MGB roadster (convertible) valued at a modest $20,000.

We will want to keep the car as our personal vehicle on a pensionado visa.

Are there any documents we will need to be aware of to cross the border with the car?

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