For an international move, the best thing is to check your local phone directory for movers who include "international" in their ads and then get estimates from three or more of them for the cost of the move. You'll need to figure in insurance (and you want to consider having them pack your goods, since that will affect the insurance coverage).
Electrical appliances are always an issue. Yes, there are adapters and converters. For anything you want to hang onto, you'll need a good transformer rather than those cheap travel adapters (which are really only for small appliances like hair dryers). Transformers are heavy and they run hot, so placement is an issue. (Can't hide them under anything for fear they'll start a fire or something.)
Large appliances (dishwasher, washing machine, etc.) simply aren't worth bringing due not only to the electrical differences but also to the functional differences. Dishwashers and washing machines here only connect to the cold water tap and heat the water internally. You have to re-plumb the whole house to get a hot water tap for your appliances and even then, water heaters here are generally much smaller since they aren't expected to feed the washing appliances.
Furniture is another "maybe" - houses in the Netherlands (or anywhere in Europe) are much tinier than those in the US and in some cases US size furniture simply won't fit into the smaller rooms, stairwells or hallways in European homes. (If you're going to Amsterdam, be aware that furniture is often hoisted into the house using a pulley and swung in through a window, simply to avoid the narrow stairwells. If your bed doesn't fit in the window, you won't be able to get it into the house!)
It's really nice to have familiar pieces from home when you're far away like that, but pick and choose carefully what to bring and what to leave (or sell, or put in storage).
Cheers,
Bev
