This week, we shipped our worldly goods back to the UK. They weighed 336 kilograms, made up mainly of an assortment of domestic items and clothing.

I had spent the previous few weeks gradually packing away things that were no longer needed into cardboard boxes. The flat is now almost empty, with only the bed, a couple of chairs, cooker and fridge. These will be going tomorrow.

We had quotes from several  local businesses, eventually selecting Emovers to ship our possessions back to the UK. They defied the usual standards of customer service in Qatar, by providing clear quotations, all the information we needed, replying to emails by return, and by arriving on the agreed day and at the agreed time.

They then worked efficiently and quickly to ensure the boxes were correctly sealed, weighed and the inventory of contents of each box recorded .

Within two hours everything was gone, heading off to the cargo centre at the airport.

It is important to provide the correct shipping documentation, which is a QID (not a copy), a passport copy, and an NOC from your employer which generously permits you to export your own belongings out of Qatar.

If you are leaving Qatar, I can recommend Emovers.