This post is sponsored by UPack. All opinions expressed are my own.
Are you moving cross-country soon? These 8 tips will help you stay organized, save your sanity, and maybe even find the packing tape on the first try.
We’ve officially been in our new place for a month now—and if you know me, this isn’t our first rodeo. In fact, it’s our fifth move in just four years.
So today, I’m sharing some tips I’ve learned to help you prepare for a cross-country move.
Are you truly ever ready to move across the country? Probably not. But with some planning (and maybe a sense of humor), you can make it much easier.
Jump to:
1. Start Preparing
The sooner you prepare for a move, the more money you save.
Planning is key when making a big move, especially if you want to make this a stress-free event.
Start thinking about where you will be moving to and whether any "out-of-the-ordinary" things need to be done.
2. Get Organized
- Start donation piles. You can even call some companies out to pick it up for you.
- Get your house as clean as possible (throw away trash or things you've meant to deal with).
- Start selling the things you don't want to take with you (it's best to start the packing process with only the things you want to take with you.
- Make lists of all bills and prepare cut-off times and dates, including utilities, car insurance, and recurring payments.
- Prepare your mail forwarding. Do you already have an address in your new city? Do you know where you will be forwarding your mail?
- Any other clerical items that pertain to you?
Upack offers a complete, free downloadable checklist that was extremely helpful during our moving process!
3. Pick a Moving Company
The moving company you choose might just be the most crucial step in the moving process.
We've done it all ourselves and rented moving trucks, but we have found the best (and easiest) way to make a long-distance move without spending a fortune—drumroll, please—it's UPack!
Guys, we've moved five times, and this one was definitely the most stress-free. From the initial phone call to set it up to the drop-off at our new residence, the process was as smooth as butter!
You can even get a quote online before getting started to see if it fits into your budget.
After we had shipped our second vehicle, stayed in hotels, and spent all the extra money on gas, we saved money by choosing UPack.
Of course, that all depends on your circumstances, but getting that quote will help you decide.
4. Begin Packing
Once you have taken care of some of these details, it's time to start packing. Packing can be tedious and time-consuming.
UPack has an excellent resource for the supplies you'll need and tips on packing your belongings properly and avoiding unnecessary damage!
5. Know your "Must-Haves"
Gathering necessary documents and anything else you will need upon arrival is essential.
Here are a few things I like to make sure I have:
- Important documents
- Prescriptions/Medications
- Clothes you might need before your moving truck arrives
- Valuables
6. Plan Trip Details
Once you are packed up, you need to plan the details of your trip.
- Plan Your Route
- Make Hotel Reservations
- Plan for when you'll need gas. Certain parts of the country have no gas for many miles. I promise you don't want to end up with an empty tank in the middle of nowhere!
Are you traveling with kids and want to keep them entertained? Here are 9 Tips for a Cross-Country Road Trip with Kids.
7. Load Up
You've packed and prepared everything, now it's time to load your belongings.
With UPack, we could schedule a drop-off time in advance, so we knew exactly when the trailer was coming.
Once it was delivered, they walked us through the process, using the ramp to secure our belongings. Then, we got to work loading up.
8. Say Goodbye
All the hard work is officially over. Once everything is packed up, you have all your belongings, and your route is in hand, it's time to say goodbye and start a new chapter in your life!
As soon as we knew when we would be done loading, we called Upack up and scheduled a pick-up time. They stopped by and grabbed our trailer.
Then, we just had to drive ourselves to our new home!
As soon as our trailer arrived in our new hometown, they called us, and we set up a time for them to drop off our belongings.
They left it there for us until we were done unloading, then picked it up, and we were officially done.
I can't say enough about how easy this process was for us! We will definitely be using them again should we make another cross-country move!
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DIY Home Decor Ideas
Now that you have a new home, do you need help decorating it? Here are some ideas to get you started.
Hi, I'm Katie!
I'm so glad you're here. Want to make something fabulous? I'm here to help!
Jessica [Havok]
We're moving in the next couple of months and have just started this process (except we're moving a few counties over, not cross-country!). It's frustrating, because we moved last year (but certainly not as often as you have!) but the advantage to that is all the lists and things I used last time were easy to find! Woo!
I would add, though (or change, really) to that printable to start collecting boxes as soon as you can. Ordering boxes? No thanks. You can get boxes from grocery stores and the like (even better if you go to a store they see you in often, so they know you'll be around to pick them up!) for free. I used to work retail and we would often save boxes for people that asked (but only those that we knew shopped there - those that didn't never came and picked them up!). Or, in our situation now, my Mister works for a company that gets lots of point of sale equipment sent to it, which means free boxes. Woo!
Morgan
Great tips! Having a game plan and the right equipment (boxes, moving vans, etc.) is key to making your moving process as simple and time efficient as possible. This is a great, clear guide and an excellent resource for people who are moving! Thanks so much for sharing your ideas!
Melody ambler
Please subscribe me by email; thanks.
Faylinn
Next month, my family and I are moving across the country from Utah to South Carolina. This is going to be a huge trip, and so we already have our route planned. However, we don't have any of our hotel reservations planned out as we are not sure how long it will take us to get from point a to point b every day. Do you have any advice about how to plan out how much time it will take to travel from one spot to another?
Andrew Gabriel
That’s a really good tip to look for really good recommendations when looking for a cross country movers. I like the valuable information you provide for moving. One thing that really stood out to me is that you say to give yourself time to prepare for the move. it was really helpful. Keep Posting!
David Cohen
Great tips ! Definitely bookmarking these for the big move to TN some day! And I saw on Instagram that you guys hired a moving company and I already said to AJ “We’re doing that.”
Millie Hue
Thanks for helping me understand that the important documents must be secured before the move to ensure that you will not have issues on your arrival in the destination. I will share this information with a friend of mine since she will be moving in with her partner of five years. She said it will be three states away from our state.
Danny Moore
Even though it was written 4 years ago
This is still an excellent article! Thank you!
My tip that I can add from my side is "early planning" early planning will help you move right and stress free!
Kim Terry
Thank you so much for sharing this for free!
I’ve lived in Charlotte, DC, Philadelphia and several smaller towns. But nothing (in this country) compares to NYC. I retired here (no Florida or resort condo for me), and I wake up every morning feeling incredibly fortunate to live here. And, yes, I do realize this answer is Manhattan-centric. And there are four more exciting and dynamic boroughs (well, maybe Staten Island’s not exciting!). But, it's what I know.
Kinsley Allton
Excellent post. Thank you very much for sharing these tips. Switching coasts is one of the most thrilling life moves you can make and one of the most exhausting.
David Harris
Moving across the country is never a joke - it’s about knowing what and how to do it all. These 8 tips to plan a cross-country move really helpful for me.
United Bronx
The last time I ordered those movers and packers, they hit my best working desk in their car, so I will never do it other than myself. I need to buy a big camping van to see if I can.