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Preparing to Move Long-Distance
All My Sons Moving & Storage has been helping customers cross the nation with long-distance moving for over 30 years. We’ve seen all the stress, anxiety, and lunacy that a big move can induce, and we’ve learned a few things that can help you save your sanity as you prepare to move across state lines.
At All My Sons, we believe that things matter. Everything you choose to take with on your move helps you preserve who you are. That’s why all our professional movers are trained to treat your belongings with the same care you would expect from a family friend.
For the young professionals setting out for the big city with a lucrative job offer in hand, a cross-country move means new beginnings. For the empty-nesters looking to the coast for retirement, the move means the close of important life chapters. For all the individuals and families on the move that feel something between excitement and apprehension, All My Sons is here to provide whatever level of support you need.
Here are five steps to moving long-distance that will help you save sanity as you head toward your next home.
Step 1: Research Moving Options
As soon as you see your move on the horizon, you should start preparing for it. One of the first things you should decide is how you’re going to make the move. What you choose will depend on your budget, what you want to bring with you, and how much work you’re willing to put in personally.
There is no one correct way to move across the country, so write out the pros and cons of every option you’re considering and discuss the logistics with any family you have.
Moving Option 1: Just You and What Fits in the Car
This is the least expensive option, but it involves letting the most go. For this move, you sell, donate, or dispose of most of the items you own and then pack what you treasure most into your personal vehicle to make the move. Once you reach your new home, you will purchase new furniture, appliances, and décor as needed.
This might not be the best fit for your situation if you have big items you definitely want to take with you or if you don’t want to replace your entire home inventory when you reach your destination.
If you’re truly looking for a fresh start, a clean slate move is the way to go.
Moving Option 2: The DIY Move With Truck Rental
The do-it-yourself move with a truck or trailer rental is one of the most economical ways to get all your stuff from point A to point B. With this option, you choose a household moving truck or trailer rental, load the vehicle yourself or hire additional movers, and drive the rental to your destination.
The majority of rental trucks designed for household moving will only require a regular driver’s license to rent and drive. Remember to include the cost of fuel in your moving budget, and understand that rental trucks typically only get about 6 to 12 miles to the gallon. Most of the smaller truck rentals can take regular unleaded gas, but always check your rental contract before filling up.
This may not be the best fit for your family if you feel unsafe driving a large truck, are not able to load the truck yourself because of mobility issues or age, or if you have items in your household that will require expert care like antique furniture, pool tables, or pianos. However, this option does allow you to take significantly more items with you across the country.
All My Sons Moving & Storage partners with Penske to offer truck rentals to our customers looking to make a DIY move. Enjoy 10% off your rental of a new, reliable truck with unlimited miles for one-way rentals when you reserve through All My Sons.
Moving Option 3: Moving Containers
A company drops off a shipping container in your driveway, you load the container with what you want to take with you, and then the company picks up the shipping container and stores it at a secure warehouse until you ask for a delivery at your new address.
This is a great option if you don’t have your next home lined up quite yet, as you can store with the company while you’re in transition. Since your belongings are delivered by the company, you are not required to drive a large vehicle.
You do have to load and unload the storage container yourself, or find additional moving laborers to help you. Plus, once the moving container is loaded and at the company’s secure warehouse, you may have to make an appointment or schedule a redelivery to fetch anything from storage. These companies also typically charge delivery fees in addition to the storage costs and shipping costs.
Moving Option 4: Long-Distance Movers
Full-service movers can significantly simplify a move. If you don’t want to lift a finger, you can have your entire home packed by professionals and loaded into a moving truck driven by an expert.
Long-distance movers may be the ideal option if you’ll have trouble managing packing or loading by yourself, you have delicate items of sentimental value that you want handled by trained movers, or you just want a more relaxed moving experience.
If you are moving across state lines, your professional moving company must have a USDOT number with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). If they do not, they are not authorized to transport household goods across the country. This is a moving scam red flag you should watch out for when researching professional movers.
Step 2: Decide What Must Come and What Must Go
The fastest way to save time, money, and energy on your move is to move less. Sometimes an item costs more to move than it does to simply replace at your destination, especially when you move long-distance.
At All My Sons, we recommend that you declutter your home inventory before you start packing. Make sure everything you’re taking with you fits into your new life and your new home.
Move to the New Home: Sentimental items, heirlooms, and other items that would be difficult or impossible to replace.
Sell Before the Move: Items you hold no strong feelings about that are easy to replace, or items that are difficult to move cross-country like live plants. You can use any money you make selling your items to fund purchasing replacements at your new home.
Donate Before the Move: Items in good condition that still serve their function well like ill-fitting clothes, old books, toys, or media collections that you have decided not to take.
Dispose Before the Move: Items in poor condition that you do not wish to keep or have repaired. If you have bulky items to dispose of before a move you can call a junk removal service to cart them away.
Send to Storage: Items you do not have the immediate space for but would like to keep on hand like holiday decorations or specialized hobby gear. Storage is also a good solution when you need extra time to decide what to do with items during an emotional move like a divorce or the death of a family member.
SANITY-SAVING TIP: Identify the items you absolutely must take with you first. Anything that falls in the ‘maybe’ category should be set aside until you have made room for all the ‘must-gos.’ All the ‘maybe’ items left over when you run out of space in your car or moving truck should be offloaded or sent to storage.
Step 3: Plan Your Packing Schedule
Once you’ve decided on a method for your move and decluttered your home to what absolutely must make the move, then it’s time to start preparing for the move in earnest.
You should create a long-distance move packing checklist that allows you to box everything up with adequate time. Go room by room and write out deadlines for when you want certain items or collections packed.
SANITY-SAVING TIP: Try creating a moving inventory as you pack so you know exactly which items went into which boxes. This will save you headaches later when you’re looking for items as you unpack.
Non-Essentials to Pack First
The very first items you should pack for your long-distance move should be items that you won’t miss if they’re in a box for several days to several weeks. Start in the back closets with items already out of sight and mind, then work your way to the decorations you put on your walls.
Essentials to Pack Last
You should separate these items into essentials boxes, which you will pack last and unload at your destination first. These items help make daily, functional living possible and your new place will start to feel more like home immediately when you have them at the ready.
Essentials to Keep On Your Person
These items are too important to pack into a moving truck or pod. They belong on your person during the move so that you have access to them at all times. Put these items in a bag you carry with you.
Important Documents
Medications
Toiletries
Clothes
Step 4: Make an Organized Move
Once the truck, trailer, or car is loaded, it’s time for the long-distance road trip. Whether you’re skipping across one state border or driving from coast to coast, your drive to your next home could be an exciting adventure or a nerve-wracking ride.
Plan Your Route in Advance: If you’ll be on the road over the course of several days, find your rest stops or hotels for each night well in advance of the move.
Take Breaks: If you are moving with a pet or moving with kids, you’ll need to take periodic breaks to let them stretch and burn off energy. Even if you are moving by yourself, you should give yourself a rest for every 2-3 hours of drive time.
Have an Emergency Plan: Before you move, discuss an emergency plan in the event of an accident, injury, or other disaster while out on the road with your family. Check if your insurance offers roadside assistance and find the phone number to reach them. Keep a first aid kit in the car. Talk to your professional movers and find out what their procedure is if there is an accident on the road.
SANITY SAVING TIP: Be present on the journey, and take this time to appreciate or see attractions you might not normally stop by. Carry road-trip emergency essentials like plastic bags, cleaning supplies, and car chargers.
Step 5: Unpack and Explore
When you reach your destination, there’s one final frontier for your move left: Unpacking.
Place Essential Furniture: Some of the first items that should be placed include the beds for every member of your household, the dining table and chairs, the living room couch, and possibly your work desk if you work remotely. Other items like bookshelves, end tables, and dressers might be able to wait.
Sort Boxes by Room: As your movers unload the truck, have them deliver boxes to their respective rooms. This is easier if you have labeled your boxes by room or used special colored tape to differentiate your boxes. When boxes are in their rooms, it will be easier to navigate around the home and find items you’re looking for.
Unpack Essentials Boxes First: The first items that come out should be the items that make functional living possible. All My Sons recommends you start with the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. Stock the bathroom with toilet paper, ready the dishes for your first meal in the new home, and make all the beds for a good night’s sleep after your move.
Find Local Stores and Services: Unpacking might take some time, and All My Sons encourages you to take periodic breaks to explore what your new neighborhood has to offer. Look for the nearest grocery store to make your first post-move shopping trip. Figure out where the closest police stations, fire stations, and hospitals are. Take a trip to the local library and see what events are happening in the city.
Unpack Non-Essentials Last: When all the essentials have been unpacked, you can move on to the items that make your house a home. Put up the bookshelves and fill them with books and other media. Hang your decorations on the walls. Stock the dresser drawers and back closets with all your treasured clothes.
SANITY SAVING TIP: Crush unpacking boredom by making unpacking a game, listening to music or audiobooks while you unload boxes, or watching a favorite show or movie. Remember to take periodic breaks, and reward yourself with something that helps you settle into your new home like taking a walk around your neighborhood, checking out a local hangout, or finding a nearby park.
Trusted Long-Distance Movers at All My Sons
Whether you traveled on the road for 5 or 50 hours, moving to a new city far away is no small feat. Settle into your new neighborhood with ease when you choose All My Sons as your professional movers. Our company is trusted by sports teams across the nation, including the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins, and we have roughly 100 locations all over the United States to help you get settled no matter the distance.
Let All My Sons do all the heavy lifting, professional packing, or even help with storage services. Get a quote to start your next move.
