When you’re moving to the next town, you don’t have much to worry about. You can rent a moving truck, cram your things in the back, hitch your car on a dolly, and then hit the road. On the other hand, a cross-country move requires careful preparation for your possessions. For example, you must consider car transport, especially if you have multiple vehicles. Driving your car from coast to coast is just too stressful and costly.
However, with careful planning, you can have a successful move that doesn’t leave you frazzled. Although there’s a lot of work to get you settled in, it’s all worth it in the end. Check out these long-distance moving tips to ensure you mitigate difficulties and make your big move as seamless as possible.
1. Make Plans As Soon As You Can
Start planning as soon as you find out you’re moving. Don’t wait until the last minute because you’ll feel overwhelmed. Moving a long distance is an enormous task that entails strategic decisions. It would help to use a spreadsheet or write everything down since you have many things to juggle, such as selling the house, parting with things you don’t need, packing possessions, hiring movers, and more.
It would help to create a moving checklist with to-dos in various phases, like a month before the move, two weeks before the move, seven days before the move, and the move-in day. Encode notes on the sides for specific instructions and actual dates. Having this visual list ensures you stay on track with your schedule and don’t forget anything.
2. Take Care of the Important Details
You could get caught up in the excitement and frenzy when you’re moving. You’d be amazed at how many people forget to tie up loose things in their lives. These may be small, but they’re important details. Don’t forget to take care of the following:
- Schedule a stop and transfer of existing utilities from water to the internet to your new address
- Make an appointment with the post office to transfer all your mails
- Cancel or transfer your memberships in the gyms
- Schedule and transfer your utilities
- Forward your mail
- Cancel or transfer gym memberships
- Arrange for any keys to be dropped off to a landlord or transferred to a new owner
- Take time to collate all personal records like medical information, school transcripts, or vet records
3. Hire a Long-distance Moving Specialist
Offload the stress to a professional moving specialist. Moving a vast distance is difficult to do solo. Hire a reputable moving company to ship your boxes and vehicles.
Do your due diligence and work with someone you can trust. Make sure they have the proper licenses, accreditation, and insurance. Having someone with the knowledge, tools, and equipment makes life much easier. You can focus on more important things and worry less.
4. Sort Stuff and Discard Non-essentials
When you’re moving far away, how much you ship in total could impact the amount you pay. If you have more things, expect to get a bigger invoice. Thus, it’s vital to take time to sort through your possessions. Use this as your chance to detox your life and discard clutter.
Sort and create piles of things you want to keep, donate, sell, or throw away. Eliminating stuff you don’t use will reduce your total shipment weight. At the same time, you will have less clutter to unpack and organize in your new abode.
5. Take Time to Pack Strategically
Don’t haphazardly throw your things in the moving boxes. A cross-country move needs additional packing effort since your belongings will travel more distance and require more handling. Take note of the following packing hacks:
- Pack fragile items with extra care, wrapping them in bubble wrap, old shirts, or linens
- Keep fragile items together so movers can pay extra attention to them
- Roll clothes to save on space and keep them wrinkle-free
- Maximize gaps between objects and fill them with smaller items like socks and tea towels
6. Make a Master Inventory List
It can be overwhelming to keep track of your belongings when moving long-distance. Take a comprehensive inventory of your stuff with a notebook or an app. You must also label boxes appropriately. This way, you can cross-check if everything is complete when everything arrives in your new home.
Moving across the country is both exciting and stressful. After all, it’s truly not easy to uproot your life. Most likely, you’re pressed for time and have work waiting for you at your destination. But with the right preparation and expert assistance, you can move seamlessly. Remember, keep your eyes on the prize and focus on the excitement. You’re moving to a new home and getting a fresh start.
