Moving with the cargo bike
1 day€ 50-200 Active
A small or medium-sized move done entirely by cargo bike. Fifteen to thirty trips, three days, no moving van.
Renting a moving van costs 200 to 400 euros, plus fuel, plus parking fees, plus the stress of returning it late. For a move within a few kilometres, there is another way: fifteen to thirty trips by cargo bike. It sounds absurd. Those who try it discover it is lean and satisfying.
What works: spread the move over three to five days. No sprint, no cram-everything-into-one-Saturday. Heavy items (books, tools, dishes) go first, in small crates. Furniture that does not fit gets left behind and goes to a second-hand marketplace friend. By the end of the move you will have fewer things than you started with, because the decluttering happens on its own. You are not going to cycle twenty times with something you never use anyway.
Checklist
0 of 6
Kratjes verzameld
Albert Heijn of Lidl
Verhuisplan over drie dagen verdeeld
Sleutels nieuw huis getest
Eerste rit gedaan
Boeken eerst, ze zijn zwaar
Meubels-plan gemaakt
Wel of niet huren
Laatste rit
Vaak gereedschap of stofzuiger
Collect 20 crates in the week before the move. Albert Heijn crates can almost always be borrowed — just ask a friendly store manager.
0Make a rough plan across three to five days. Day one: books and tools (heavy). Day two: textiles and light items. Day three: fragile things. Day four: furniture.
Test the keys to your new home before you start. A forgotten key on trip 7 means a stressful ride back.
First trip: take it easy. It is a new route, you have something heavy in the box, there is no need to rush.
Around trip 5 or 6 you will come across something you can no longer explain why you own. Put it on Marktplaats, do not move it with you. The decluttering happens in transit.
For furniture too large for the cargo bike: rent a van for half a day. Three heavy pieces in two hours, done.
80Last trip: usually the vacuum cleaner and the cleaning cloths to do a final walk-through of the old place. A strange but important last trip.
Moving by cargo bike is not a statement. It is a method that also happens to be enjoyable, cheaper, and less stressful than a hire van on the wrong date.
Related playbooks
A week of groceries without the car
Seven days of hauling all the groceries on a cargo bike. Not as a statement, just as an experiment. By the end, the car turns out to be unnecessary more often than not.
Maker Marathon
Eight hours of pure creation. No consumption, no scrolling, no input. Meals prepped in advance. Just you and the making.
Things to do in Berlin on the weekend
A weekend in Berlin with a Spree boat tour, a stroll through Mitte, street food in Kreuzberg and an evening at a bar or concert, compact and stress-free.
Berlin Hidden Gems
Skip the tourist circuit. These seven spots are the Berlin that locals keep to themselves. No order, no rush, no museum queues.
Skill Swap
Find someone who knows something you want to learn. Offer your skill in return. Learn from each other in one session.
Beginner's Mind Day
Spend a day doing something you've never done before. Pottery, skateboarding, calligraphy. Be terrible at it. That's the point.
Stamp Cycling Tour through Zuidplas: from Nieuwerkerk to Waddinxveen
Cycle past four villages and collect stamps along the way. A playful way to discover the Zuidplas region.
Stranger Connection
Start three real conversations with people you don't know today. Not networking. Not performing. Just human contact.
For anyone copying this
Do as we did
Suggestions
- Albert Heijn crates (stacked in fives) fit perfectly in a cargo bike box.
- Schedule the heaviest items for the coolest, freshest mornings of the week.
- A neighbour who keeps an eye on the cycling route saves you a round of search questions at the destination.
- One big trip per day is better than five small ones. Fatigue builds up.
Variations
- - Met bakfiets-vriend: twee bakfietsen samen halveren de tijd.
- - Voor kleine spullen-verhuizing (een kamer): in twee dagen.
- - Voor meubels: combineer bakfiets-ritten met een huur-busje voor een halve dag voor de drie zware meubels.
- - In de winter: te koud voor de meest spullen-zware ritten, plan eerder of later in het jaar.
by PlayTryBe team