The findings show that of those who move away, the parents believe their children are enjoying ‘the good life’, with better schools, cheaper lifestyles and safer security.

Belgium ranked as the top place to have the best chance of a happy family, whereas Britain was ranked at the bottom of the table by foreign families living in this country.

It was argued Britain is ‘one of the most expensive’ places to raise a child and those surveyed think their offspring are ‘less safe’ than in their ‘home’ country.

These families also believe that their children live a ‘less active’ lifestyle, spending less time outdoors, playing fewer sport and spending more time watching television.

More than 4,100 people living in 100 countries participated in the poll, by HSBC bank.

They were asked questions all about their lifestyle, with subjects ranging from the cost of childcare, the amount of junk food children ate and whether they missed their ‘home’ friends.

Overall, parents living in Britain said that they did not think their children’s quality of life had improved.

So why not give your child a better start in childhood, pack up and move overseas with Robinsons International Removals.

The tenancy cheats are earning up to £20,000  a year by moving out of their council homes and renting it out to other people  at a higher rate.

Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, is launching  a new £19 million crackdown today to catch the some 200,000 tenants a year who break the rules.

It is feared the illegal scam is affecting the long council housing waiting list, of five million people.

Mr Shapps is warning everyone that anyone caught abusing the system will be barred from getting a council house in the future.

According to the latest figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions, 8 out of 10 people who illegally rent their home from a council tenant would not have qualified for social housing.

A part of the shutdown, dedicated teams of housing officers will investigate suspected tenancy cheats and audits will be held to check that the right people are living in a property.

For more news on housing and Removals visit Robinsons today, at www.robinsons-intl.com.

In our previous blog we talked about the wintry weather conditions causing havoc for removal companies, in particularly removal vans.

When socialite Paris Hilton bought her own Bentley she did no other than customise it in her favourite colour.

So it is no surprise that the 29-year-old American heiress used a removals van also in the colour pink when moving home.

She was filmed driving her luxury vehicle, trailed by the pink moving van, when filming her new reality series outside sister Nicky Hilton’s home in Beverly Hills.

Unlike the rest of us who wrap up warm and take extra clothes on moving day, Paris was dressed in ripped jeans, a sheer grey vest and an army green short-sleeved jacket.

We insist wearing sensible, flat shoes during Removals and therefore do not recommend wearing similar shoes as the blonde business woman; who wore a pair of leopard-print Christian Louboutin heels.

For a quality reputable Commercial Removals Company, visit www.robinsons-intl.com.

The snowfall across the UK over the past couple of weeks has wreaked havoc for removals firms.

Moving house is especially difficult and time-consuming at times but this has been made worse lately with the falling snow and icy roads.

Removals vans can find it hard to transport customer’s belongings to their new home when they become stuck in snow or slip in the dangerous driving environments.

This was evident from a case in Kent earlier this week, when a home-owner was caught up in a removals nightmare.

A man called Mark Sargeant who was moving into his house in St Johns Road, Sevenoaks, urgently appealed for help after his removal van got stuck just metres from his home.

He said: “All we had were the clothes on our back. Everything we own was in that van and now it is in some holding department in Maidstone.

“We have an eight-month-old baby, Ivy, and all her things are in the van so we have been trying desperately to get hold of someone with a 4×4 who could clear the road.”

With Robinsons you can be assured we will demonstrate our strong commitment to quality, reliability and flexibility during your removals; we have the highest professional and quality standards worldwide.

Simply visit www.robinsons-intl.com and see for yourself.

The number of Britons moving abroad is increasing, according to latest research.

Findings by Smart Currency Exchange shows there is a renewed interest amongst the over 50’s who are looking at buying holiday homes in France and Spain,

The number of enquiries is on the up with reasons for packing up and moving away including; for lifestyle reasons or as investments.

Popular places for the younger generation to relocate to are New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Charles Purdy, Director of Smart Currency Exchange, said despite the recession: “The over 50s are still very wealthy. There is a confidence level coming back that previously did not exist.”

Here at Robinsons International we are experts in overseas and international removals. We have a dedicated International division which focuses only on moving overseas, to any country worldwide with regular shipments to and from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, USA, Canada, South East Asia, South and Central America, Europe and many other locations.

And all international Removals are covered by the Robinsons Service Guarantee.

There are indications that the travel and tourism sector has become more stable with business visits recording short-term growth following a continual drop in the number of trips to and from the country.

The statistics show that between July and October, business related visits both to the UK and abroad by UK residents were six per cent higher than a year earlier, as well as holiday visits to the UK  increasing six per cent.

ABROAD

It seems less people are travelling out of the country though with holiday visits abroad falling by three per cent.

The number of British citizens who went to Europe dropped by eight per cent from 47.0  million to 43.0 million, while those who went to North America fell decreased nine per cent from 3.8 million to 3.4 million. Of those visiting other parts of the world it fell by two per cent, from 9.1 million to 8.9 million.

The month May in particular saw an increase in air travel as the industry recovered from the effects of the volcanic ash cloud in April.

FOREIGN VISITORS

So we have established less people left the country, but on average more people did in fact visit the UK.

During the year, the number of visits by overseas residents and foreign visitors to the UK remained on average the same when compared to 2009 and this includes the UK visits by people from Europe, which stayed at 22.0 million; while those from North America fell by five per cent, from 3.5 million to 3.3 million.

Visits from other parts of the world did increase by a small two per cent to 4.3 million.

Roger  Smith,  Head  of  the International Passenger Survey for ONS, said:  “It does appear that there are signs that the large falls we have seen  in  the recent past have begun to stabilise and show some signs of recovery. Business  visits  in both directions have picked up recently. October  saw  a  small  rise  in  holiday visits both to and from the UK compared with the same months a year earlier.”

When making the decision to pack up, sell your house and move abroad or relocate within the country, make the smart decision and use Robinsons International for quality, reputable removals.

We all know what it can be like when it comes to Christmas time; wanting to get the cards in the post at the right time to avoid the late doormat drops days after the 25^th December.

And similarly, many people have families and friends who live in different countries who want to show how much they care by sending a Christmas present.

It is estimated this year 24 million packages will be shipped per day to varying countries across the world.

There are deadlines for shipping companies though to ensure your parcel gets to the correct destination in time for the holiday season, so remember to plan ahead; be organised and ship early.

Packaging is vital though to make sure that Christmas toy for your nephew doesn’t get broken or that wrapped perfume for your mum doesn’t spill.

So here are some top tips to avoid any parcel disasters at the other end…

-          Padding

Cushion your item to ensure it doesn’t slosh around the box during transit.

-          New packaging

Using a clean, new sturdy box that is clear of previous addresses, logos or companies and by using packing tape, not Scotch or masking tapes, will increase the readability in shipping; so there are few reasons as to why the box might go to the wrong address or get lost.

-          Turn Everything Off

If you’re sending toys or electrical appliances, make sure you switch them off and take the batteries out so that nothing turns on during travel. This can cause security concerns with any beeping noises or ticking and lead to your package being destroyed.

-          Insurance

If you’re shipping anything valuable or expensive you might want to consider getting insurance. Take pictures of the items you send so you have proof if something is ruined.

-          Get the delivery address spot on

If you don’t know the post code don’t just guess. Even if you have the person’s name, street name, house number and town your package may still get lost. It would be best to double check beforehand and be safe than sorry.

-          Double up on labels

OK so it is a little bit over cautious but who cares when it comes down to getting your loved one’s Christmas present shipped out on time. Include an extra address label on the inside of the package, so the shipper will know where to deliver the items if the box falls apart, breaks or if the outside label falls off. Putting a return address on all labels also backs you up should any problems occur, and then at least it will come back to you.

“At Robinsons, we pride ourselves in providing expert packaging for each item we handle. Our in-house team of experts undergo regular training programmes to ensure the very latest materials and techniques are used to ensure an efficient, cost effective and safe delivery.”

All you need to do is book and pay for your consignment via 1StopShip.com and at a convenient date we will send our highly trained removal crew to safely pack up your belongings, before bringing them back to our secure storage facility in readiness for their journey overseas.

We supply the materials and we pack your goods for FREE!

Our fast efficient, cost effective international shipping and removals service ensures your belongings are securely packaged and loaded with extreme care and attention.

Did we mention the word free?!?

Simply visit Robinsons here and take advantage of this quality, reputable offer that is here for only a limited time only.

It can really get on top of you with selling the house, buying another one, packing and moving; as well ensuring the children’s school routines, after school clubs and homework are not interrupted.

So can you imagine what it would be like to be doing all of these things at Christmas time, with the added pressure that you want to be settled in your new abode before Christmas Day amidst shopping for the kids presents and Christmas Day dinner.

Robinsons International can ease the stress of moving, with their reputable expert packing team and quality removals service. And with prices at an affordable low, you can save some extra cash just in time for Christmas.

We have put together some top tips to moving house this Winter season…

SNOW

Although usually you would love to have a white Christmas to play in the snow with the family, make snowmen, go sledge tobogganing and have snowball fights; snow can be a negative when moving house.

It hinders your removal van to drive so to avoid getting stuck in the snow, salt your path way, drive way and outside pavement to ensure the removals team don’t slip when carrying your glass wear and belongings.

Make sure you and the children have extra warm clothes to hand on the moving day, to avoid you all getting ill and irritated.

PLAN

Most weather conditions for the week are accessible online beforehand, so plan the moving day around the weather to shun the snow and make it as easy as possible.

Also, staff numbers can be reduced over the holiday period so ensure to book with us in advance.

And plan some of your Christmas shopping to ease the work load.

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

Sometimes through all the moving chaos the little things might slip your memory. We have previously posted a moving guide check list, so you will know how important it is to contact your utilities provider.

This is especially important when moving at Winter, to dodge having zero heating, hot water, gas or electricity. You can imagine the problems when you are trying to put up fairy lights on the tree and cook the turkey in the oven over Christmas if your utility provider cuts you off for not notifying them.

DON’T FORGET TO TELL THE INLAWS

If you don’t tell you family and friends that your moving and give them your new address details, they will probably send your Christmas card to the wrong house. This goes for the same carol singers that you get year on year, forward your new details (well that is unless you want to get rid of them.)

GRUB

Over the holiday period some local shops close earlier than usual, especially with the nights getting darker earlier. So be conscious that when you arrive at your new home you won’t have any food in stock and your nearest store may not be open. In which case, scout the area beforehand and get the number for the best local takeaway.

DECORATE

It might be the last thing on your mind when you have moved but decoration is really important; for security, warmth and Christmas spirit.

Most people thing the first jobs are to unpack and get settled but it is actually necessary to hang up the curtains to keep prying eyes away for security and warm the house up. Start getting the tinsel out around the tree and up the stairs and make the new house feel homely for the children to adjust quicker.

CELEBRATE

Don’t forget what the season is all about; although the move can be challenging don’t miss out on the usual traditions your family do e.g. going to church or games night.

Although not enough to cut unemployment, it is still better than expected, benefitting from solid consumer spending and exports.

The Commerce Department’s latest results for third-quarter 2010 growth shows the economy expanded 2.5 percent from July-September, up from two per cent last month.

Economic growth would need to grow twice as fast to have any real impact. The economy would need to grow by five percent for a full year to push down the unemployment rate by a full percentage point.

If you are thinking about moving abroad and want to set up a new life over the pond in America, the land of the free, visit Robinsons today for International Removals and shipping enquiries.