Inbound Executive Relocation: Orientation Days by Car

What a look-see visit has to achieve

Before an executive accepts an international move, they and their family usually spend two or three days seeing whether the place works for them. Those days have to cover neighbourhoods, schools, the commute and a general sense of daily life, and they are the basis of a decision that affects several years. Packing that into a compressed visit is only possible with a car, because the alternative is spending the available time on platforms rather than looking at anything.

Schools set the geography

For families with children, the school decision usually comes first and everything else follows from it. That means a day built around appointment times at two or three schools, often spread across different parts of the city or into the Home Counties, with the tour at each running longer than scheduled. Between visits, the drive itself is genuinely useful, because it shows the family what the journey to school would actually feel like on a wet Tuesday morning.

• Fix school appointment times first, then build the day around them
• Allow for tours overrunning, since they almost always do
• Include the realistic commute between home area and office
• Leave time for a walk around at least one neighbourhood

Property viewings in a single day

Rental viewings are arranged by agents who each want a slot, and a family can easily end up with six appointments across four postcodes in one day. Grouping them by area rather than by agent, and accepting that a promising property is seen later than the family would like, gets more viewings done. Between them, the car becomes the place where the honest conversation about each property happens, which is worth protecting.

The partner programme matters as much

Relocations fail more often because of the accompanying partner than because of the role. Where the partner has their own programme, seeing potential workplaces, a university, a community or simply a high street they could imagine using, that day deserves the same care as the executive's own. It frequently runs in parallel, which means two separate arrangements on the same day rather than one shared vehicle.

Working with a relocation agent

Many companies appoint a destination services provider who plans the visit and accompanies the family. When they do, the transport works to their schedule, and the useful arrangement is a vehicle held for the day with the consultant setting the running order. Where the consultant travels with the family, that changes the seating and sometimes the vehicle, so it is worth confirming who is travelling rather than counting only the family.

Practical notes for the day

Orientation days involve a lot of getting in and out, often with children, sometimes in poor weather, and always with more walking than anyone expects. Car seats for younger children need to be requested at booking rather than assumed. Keeping coats and bags in the vehicle rather than carrying them into every viewing makes the day considerably less tiring, which matters when a family is being asked to form an impression of a country.

Plan your chauffeur journey

London Chauffeurs provides itinerary-led private travel for airport transfers, executive travel, private aviation, events and long-distance UK journeys. Availability and pricing are confirmed for the requested itinerary.

Frequently asked questions