Moving from UK to Doha and have LOTS of questions! | ExpatWoman.com
 

Moving from UK to Doha and have LOTS of questions!

18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 16:50

Hi there
My husband has just accepted a jon in Doha and will be moving there at the beginning of September from the UK. Myself and my one year old son will be joining hubby at the end of September by which time he will hopefully have sorted us some accomodation. I have loads of questions to ask and hope you can help me please.
Firstly can anyone recommend a reliable shipping company, bearing in mind that initially we wont have a permanent address in Doha to ship things to.
Is it better to take things as excess baggage and if so does anyone know which airlines have the best baggage rates and allowances from the uk to doha? (economy class). Initially we will only need to take enough clothes to cover us until Christmas when we will return to the UK for a holiday but we do also need to take a lot of toys for our son (cant believe how many he has!), some books for him, and vital stuff for the house like bedding and towels. So Im thinking my husband will go first with four cases, one for each of us and one for the house and I can then fly at a later date with an extra two, one for me and one for our son. Shipping we could use for larger toys and items for the house as I know we will have to wait a couple of months for it to arrive.
Also can anyone recommend any particular compounds to live in, hubby will be working in Lusail and we would like a three bed villa preferably with communal facilities such as gym, pool and not too far from nurseries.
Thanks in advance (and apologies if Im going over old ground as Im new to this!)
A

18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2012 - 14:56
Thanks ladies, very useful info. I have now booked a flight from the Uk with BA - I had lots of airmiles left over to use and although it isnt direct their baggage allowance is VERY generous - 2 cases at 23kg for me, one at 23kg for bubs, plus a buggy and a car seat and they said if I put the seat part of the buggy in a separate carrier (Ive got one of those travel systems where you can slot the car seat onto the buggy wheels) then the carrier is free also! Will rely on a friendly taxi driver in UK to help me get the cases onto a trolley at Heathrow and either look into booking Al Maha for help Doha end or just wing it somehow.
263
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2012 - 14:06
The welcome service Marycatherine is talking about is called Al Maha and she is absolutely right, it is WELL worth the money. To arrange, your DH just has to pop into the Al Maha officeat the airport with your flight details and some cash. Good luck!
1759
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 28 July 2012 - 13:46
You can also arrange to be met at the airport (Marhaba service I think it's called). They meet you either at the foot of the steps from the airplane OR at the door to the terminal. They then escort you to a quiet lounge area (water, juice etc. comfy chairs) while THEY go and get your paperwork sorted, then you are taken to immigration and jump the queue (which is a God send if 6 international flights are trying to clear immigration), THEY get your bags and then escort you to who ever is picking you up or to a taxi. Well worth the money if you are tired and have children and a good amount of luggage.
84
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2012 - 13:18
Hi! Once you land in Doha, you will have no problems finding someone to help you with your bags- there are tons of baggage handlers just waiting around the baggage claim belts and they will handle all of your bags for you. The airport does not have buggies like they do at the Dubai airport, but keep in mind that it's an incredibly small airport. Once you land, you'll take a bus to the terminal, then immediately exit at the door for passport control (you'll walk about 100 meters). Once you pass through passport, you'll go through a scan of your hand baggage (again, only a very short walk) and then the baggage claim is another few steps after the scan. After you collect your bags, the handler can push your trolley out to a taxi for you- again not a far walk to exit and find the taxi queue... you can easily do all of this by carrying your son if needed. HTH!
75
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2012 - 15:17
I have done the BA flight (there is only a night flight) out of Doha through Bahrain, and the London to Doha through Bahrain in August, September & April. It's not like they have the plane waiting in the middle of the runway, with the doors open, and the heat pouring in. and I didn't notice any heat, as I believe the air con is still on. You're only on the ground for about an hour / an hour and a half tops. I think this is a small price to pay if you're looking to bring extra baggage instead of being charged a Lot PER KILO by other airlines. Sorry, as I don't have kids, therefore I don't know anything about buggies, nor do I know if they assist with baggage - you could always send an enquiry to BA off their website. Hope this helps
616
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 July 2012 - 11:12
Do not fly BA with a child when it is hot in Bahrain. It will still be pretty hot end of September. The problem is the plane heats up on the ground and it is uncomfortable. I wouldn't do it before late October with the kids (fine for me!)
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 22:56
Thanks you very much for your answers. VRDoha, we used to fly BA all the time when hubby was working in Russia and we were both flying frequently between the uk and Russia to see each other and I think they're great. I had read about the allowance and thought it very generous (especially as they allow a car seat AND a buggy and Qatari will count one towards the measly infant allowance of 10kg) but what I hadn't realised is that you don't even get off the plane at Bahrain, with a one year old that makes a BIG difference. Thank you for clarifying. Do you know if they assist you with checking in bags and getting them off the carousel (as I will be traveling on my own with my son)? Also do they provide buggies from the plane like emirates or is that just wishful thinking?!
676
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 22:04
Here is a recent thread on both shipping and RPs: http://www.expatwoman.com/qatar/forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=182273 Good luck with your move!
75
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 21:12
BRITISH AIRWAYS hands down the BEST for extra luggage! (And, I DON'T work for them!) http://www.britishairways.com http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb They have a kinda direct flight from Heathrow to Doha (it stops down in Bahrain, but you don't get off the plane) You are allowed the one suitcase free with a 23 kilo allowance (I know not as good as Emirates...However...) BUT.... Then.... 1st Extra SUITCASE worth of 23 kilos is ONLY charged at 34GBP (If booked on line as part of check-in) - 40GBP if paid at airport check-in Further extra bags (of 23 kilos each!!) are ONLY charged at 77GBP (if booked on line as part of check-in) - 90GBP if paid at airport check-in You can pay to check in up to 10 extra bags per person with the same weight restrictions as your free allowance! However, You cannot purchase extra bags for an infant, under 2 years of age. I do not know Any other airline that does Not charge a per kilo price for excess baggage! I feel that that is a compromise for having to drop down in Bahrain either way... However, this isn't just on this route. We learnt about it and used it when leaving Singapore to go back to Sydney too! Certainly faster than shipping.... Good luck <em>edited by VRDoha on 24/07/2012</em>
18
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 19:21
Thanks, I think for my first flight there with my son, I will probably go with the most convienent flight times and fly direct, even if it means a restricted allowance as I have never flown alone with my son before and am a bit nervous! My husbands company are booking his flight so will be restricted by which airline they use. But its good to know for future flights that if we go with emirates the allowances are generous. Ive also heard that if you fly Qatari and collet Qmiles, it only takes 2 return flights from the Uk to Doha to get up to burgundy level which brings with it an extra 10kg allowance. Thanks also for the recommendation on shipping, I will look into that. Oh yes residency permit for customs clearance, hadnt even thought of that one! How long do RPs usually take?
198
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2012 - 18:28
I used Crown to ship stuff out when we first moved here, they packed and shipped and by the time it arrived we had an address and DH had his RP for the customs clearance so it all worked out well. Emirates, I think, have the biggest luggage allowance in economy without frequent flier status - 30kg each. If you book excess online it's cheaper but still expensive per kg. I have just been trying to get quotes to ship some stuff we have in storage, so have been googling for ideas. Russell's Freight have given me a quote of around 500gbp for 8 boxes weighing 30kg each air freight which I thought was quite good. This requires you to pack and take to airport yourself and to collect from the airport this end, they have not, however, so far managed to answer my questions on clearing customs and the charges here (Crown did this for us first time round) so I may not end up going with them. It's hard to get quotes as it's a bit of a piece of string question as to how much volume and weight your stuff will be until you start actually putting it in cases or boxes!