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Cross-Country Moving Tips That Will Save Your Sanity
By Taylor DeJesus MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
If you’re making a big move to a different state or even across the country, there’s a lot to think about. Dealing with packing, transportation, finding one of the best long-distance movers and many other small tasks can create plenty of stress and transform the exciting new chapter of your life into a horror story.
We rounded up 10 cross-country moving tips to help reduce stress and expenses during your move.
10 cross-country moving tips to keep in your back pocket
If you’re getting ready to make a cross-country move, use the tips below to decrease your stress and spending.
1. Plan the entire move
As soon as you know you’re relocating, plan your move as much as possible. Make a moving checklist and timeline to help you prepare. Ensure your plan covers the following information to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Your moving budget
There are many decisions to make when moving that will affect your overall budget. Will you complete a DIY move or hire a moving company? Will you pack all your items in a truck or shipping container?
When creating a budget, make sure to include transportation (for both you and your belongings), packing supplies, extra insurance, hotel stays and food. You should also build some cushion into your budget for unexpected expenses. If you want to hire professional movers, compare quotes from multiple companies.
The packing process
Determine how far in advance you need to begin packing. Include additional time for sorting your items and getting rid of things you don’t want to bring with you. You can sell your items in a yard sale or online marketplace, donate items or hire a junk removal service.
You should also plan how you want to pack and create a system that works for you. Determine which items you can pack early and what essentials must wait until right before you leave. Plan and organize your packing process well ahead of time so you can pack at a more leisurely pace.
Moving your belongings
You need to plan how to transport your belongings to your new home. If you don’t have a lot of household items or large pieces of furniture, you might simply pack up your car and drive across the country. However, consider renting a moving truck or hiring professional movers to transport your belongings if you have furniture.
In the beginning stages of planning, you should research different options to see how much they cost. Start booking your selected moving services at least eight weeks before your move.
Traveling to your new state
In addition to arranging transportation for your belongings, you must make travel arrangements for yourself. You need to decide if you will drive or fly. If you want to drive and your trip will take multiple days, you’ll need to plan hotel stays along your route.
When you travel, you will need an essentials bag for the first few days after the move. This will help you feel less stressed if your belongings are behind schedule. Items you may want to include in your essentials bag include:
- Personal documents
- Moving documents
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Clothes for one to three days
- Some non-perishable food items
- Phone and laptop chargers
- Extra cash
- Medications
2. Give yourself plenty of time to pack
Instead of trying to pack everything you own a few days before your move, start packing as early as possible. This will help you stay organized and relaxed throughout the process. If you start six to eight weeks before your move, you will have plenty of time to pack and handle all the other moving tasks without becoming overwhelmed.
Focus on one room at a time and clearly understand how you want to organize your moving boxes. A few weeks before the move, you can go through each room and pack nonessentials. As you get closer to moving day, you can revisit rooms and pack the remaining items.
3. Hire professional movers
While professional movers cost extra money, they can help reduce stress by packing, loading, transporting and unloading for you. If you decide to go this route, book your movers as far in advance as possible so you’re not scrambling at the last minute to find a company. This is especially important if you’re moving during the peak moving season between April and September.
While many people choose to load up a truck and have their belongings transported the same day, others may use cross-country moving containers that can be rented and packed weeks or months before your move. The containers can also double as short-term storage if needed.
4. Contact long-distance moving companies by phone to get accurate quotes
If you are hiring movers, you should begin researching cross-country moving companies well in advance. Ask friends and family for recommendations or read online reviews. Many companies allow you to request quotes online and speak to a representative to get an accurate estimate. However, some may require an in-person assessment.
For those on a budget, you can save money by booking your cross-country moving services in advance or by moving outside of peak season. If you have a flexible schedule, you can also reduce your moving costs by scheduling your move on a weekday instead of a weekend.
5. Sell unwanted items and put the cash toward your moving expenses
Since moving is expensive, one way to reduce costs is to sell items you don’t want to take with you and put the profits toward your moving expenses. If you start going through your things a few months before moving across the country, you should have time to create listings on popular websites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Mercari and Craigslist. Yard sales are another tried-and-true method to unload goods quickly.
6. Use a color-coding system to organize your boxes
A color-coding system can help you stay organized while packing and unpacking. You can assign a color to each room of your house and then use colored labels or different shades of packing tape to color-code your boxes. This will help you quickly identify the contents of each box when you arrive at your new house.
Hang up a colored label or piece of colored tape outside each room and anyone unpacking the truck will know where each box belongs. If you have time and want to go the extra mile, add a small list to the side of each box that provides more detail about the contents.
7. Protect your belongings with moving insurance or extra protection
While insurance and extra protection can increase the cost of movers or truck rentals, they can protect you if your belongings are lost or damaged. Some insurance policies may also cover other incidents, such as car accidents or natural disasters.
If you decide to rent a truck and drive it yourself, truck rental insurance can provide liability coverage. Some protection plans also include coverage for your items, but you should review the details with the rental company.
8. Keep your personal records close at hand
Personal records are hard to replace if they get lost or damaged during long-distance travel. Gather all your essential paperwork in advance, including legal documents and medical and vet records. If you keep all your personal documents with you during the move, you won’t have to worry about any papers getting lost.
9. Have all packing supplies and moving equipment ready to go
Before you start packing, gather up all of your packing supplies and moving equipment. Supplies might include boxes, packing tape, permanent markers, bubble wrap and box cutters. To reduce costs, you may be able to get moving boxes for free from retail stores or friends and family.
Some moving companies will also let you rent equipment — like furniture dollies — to make it easier to move large items. Plan accordingly and have everything you need ahead of time.
10. Schedule your utility services to start before you arrive at your new place
Transfer utilities to your new home a few weeks before your moving day. You will likely need to make multiple phone calls to ensure your utilities are shut off at your current address and then turned on at your new address. You may want to take pictures of your utility meters before leaving your old home to ensure your last bill is calculated correctly.
Embark on your cross-country move with these helpful tips
Cross-country moving can be stressful and expensive. However, it should also be an exciting time representing a fun new chapter in your life. If you want extra help with your relocation, start by researching the best cross-country moving companies near you. On the other hand, if you’re on a budget, the cheapest way to move includes a lot of DIY steps to cut expenses. Use the tips above to help you stay organized, find affordable cross-country moving options and save your sanity.
Taylor DeJesus has been a freelance writer for over 5 years where she specializes in writing SEO blogs and other online content for small and medium-sized businesses. She has also written books, research papers, and more on a variety of topics, ranging from business and marketing to lifestyle. In her free time, Taylor likes to read, spend time with her daughter, and achieve personal development goals.