7 Helpful Tips For Moving Cross Country

Moving stress can sneak up on you even when you’re going to the end of the street. When experiencing a move across the country, you’re faced with not just a new city, but with the intimidating task of moving your life long distance. While the most common advice for all moves is to use your time wisely, this especially applies when moving cross country. Check out these tips to help you prepare for your move and to make the most of your precious time.

Start Preparing 6 Weeks In Advance

While not all time frames can be planned just so, it’s essential to try and give yourself six weeks of organizing before the moving date. This amount of time is just enough to plan, pack, and avoid stressful last-minute rushing that can make any move a total nightmare.

Find The Right Neighborhood

Making sure you’ve found the right neighborhood before diving into moving cross country plans will make things easier. Moving to a busy city or quiet suburban area will factor into how the moving logistics. The community you choose will influence your budget, which is always a significant factor for a move. Each region has different moving companies who offer different fees. Once you find the right neighborhood, you can make more detailed plans.

Set A Budget

The looming thought of going way over budget during a long-distance move is cause for extra stress. Once the final decision to move has been made, begin setting a budget for the entire process. Take some time to compare rates of movers and find out what size of truck you will be needing. Once you decide the cost of movers, you can factor in other fees, like cleaning supplies, and packing materials.

Organization Is Key

Before the packing process begins, harness your inner organizational powers. Go through all of your belongings and begin to sort them into categories. Think about what you will need at all times during the move (important documents, necessary clothing, toiletries) and things that can be packed away first, and unpacked last (sports equipment, out of season clothing). Keep a list going as your sort into your categories, which will determine how everything is packed into the moving trucks.

Locate The Important Stuff

Don’t leave it till the last minute to locate your most important documents like birth certificates, passports, and other hard-to-replace items. Organize and label these documents and make sure to keep them with you during the moving trip.

Tie Up The Loose Ends before Moving Cross Country

If applicable to your situation, you’ll need to get your hydro and electrical services shut off after you move. It’s a good idea to call these companies a month in advance to let them know the day you’ll be moving, and if someone else is moving in right away after you. If you’re moving cross country with children, make sure to transfer their records from the current school, and that everything is organized for them at the new one. Call your family doctor and have a copy of your families medical records to pick up, and also to be transferred to the new doctor’s office.

Know Your Neighborhood  

Once you’ve arrived in your new neighborhood, it can be intimidating to establish yourselves if unfamiliar with the area. Do some research before the move and find out what’s around your house. It will help to know where the closest grocery store, pharmacy, and local activities are. If your children will want to jump into sports and extracurricular programs right away, try to have that organized before arrival.