It doesn't matter if your move is across the street or cross country; moving is hard to do! It takes planning, patience, and a lot of hard work to successfully manage and make any move, no matter the size or distance. However, there are ways you can make your move more comfortable, especially if you are planning on making a long-distance move. Check out our suggestions for making any long-distance move simpler and less stressful.
Set up a moving schedule: A long-distance move requires careful planning, and "winging-it" simply won't work. Try starting on a moving plan the moment you and your family decide to move. This includes setting to-do's up and making deadlines for items such as packing, changing addresses, notifying companies and local utilities of changes, calling moving help if needed, etc. There will be a lot of moving parts, and even the best-made plans can sometimes fall through. But by making a plan now, you can have a strong outline of what to do in the months and days leading up to your final moving date!
Scout your new home city: This is helpful in two different ways. By checking out your new home and city, you can first begin the acclimation process early on. You can identify schools you may want to enroll your children into or find the closest and best restaurant to your new neighborhood. Additionally, you can figure out the climate of the region you are moving to and plan accordingly for it. If you live in the northern United States and are moving to the Southwest, moving a bevy of winter coats might not be the best idea. You can potentially declutter and lessen the moving load by selling or donating items that won’t be needed once you move. Find out as much as you can about your new home and city now to avoid surprises once you arrive there!
Create a budget and stick to it: Craft a moving budget early and do everything you can to stay within it. While unexpected costs will likely pop up throughout the moving process, try to leave a little wiggle room for such events. Consider the travel costs, if you will need to stay in a hotel and for how many nights, food and dinners, movers if you need them, etc. Research now and craft a budget to avoid unnecessary expenditures later on.
Downsize and declutter: Moving is a terrific time to downsize and declutter, given you have enough time to do so! Try to carve out a few days or a week to go through your stuff and determine what you need or want to keep and what you could stand to donate, sell, or throw away. If your children are old enough to not need a crib anymore, consider selling or donating it! You could make a little extra cash to add to your moving budget or get a tax credit. When going through your stuff, ask yourself if this is something you will use once you get to your new home. If you struggle to find a reason to say yes, consider offloading it before you begin the packing process.
Keep valuables and sensitive papers on you: Be sure to keep any jewelry or other valuables on your person or in the primary vehicle you are driving in at all times. This also can include sensitive documents such as passports, identification, tax forms, etc. That way if anything were to go awry, you would have the items that mean the most and have personal information on them with you.
Try moving in the offseason: Moving during the late Spring and early Summer seasons might be convenient, but they can also cost more. This is across the board for moving companies as many people choose this time of year to make their move, and the laws of supply and demand take hold. Making your move in the Fall or Winter months might not be as convenient, but they can potentially cost less than making a move in the middle of the year.
Choose a good moving company: Try to find a moving company that makes things as simple as possible during a stressful time. One such moving partner is 1-800-PACK-RAT. All of our long-distance moving customers get 30-days to load and unload their belongings into one of our all-steel constructed and weatherproof containers at their leisure. Once you have everything ready to go, you can leave the driving to us! We will transport your container(s) to your new home, or you can have them stored in one of our secure nationwide facilities until you need them again. It is that easy!
Give 1-800-PACK-RAT a call today or go online for more information and a free quote to see how we make moving and storage simple for any customer.