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We have officially been in Utah for a month now, and if you know me... this isn't our first move. It's actually our 5th move in 4 years, and today I'm going to share some of the tips I've picked up along the way on how to prepare for a cross country move. Are you ready? Probably not... because nobody is every truly ready to move across the country, but let's make a go at simplifying the process!
8 Tips to Plan a Cross Country Move with Upack
Start preparing as soon as possible
The sooner you start preparing for a move, the more money you save. When making a big move planning is KEY, and there's just no way around it if you are trying to make this a stress free event. Start thinking about where you will be moving to and if there are in "out of the ordinary" things that need to be done.
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 any trash or things you've been meaning 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 thing things you want to take with you.
- Make lists of all bills and prepare cut off times and dates including (utilities, car insurance, and any 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 full free downloadable checklist that was extremely helpful during our moving process! You can get that [here]
Pick a Moving Company
The moving company you choose might just be the most important step in the moving process. We've done it all ourselves, we've rented moving trucks, but we have HANDS DOWN 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 5 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. I will say this: By the time we would've shipped our 2nd vehicle, stayed in hotels, and all the extra money on gas, we actually saved money by choosing UPack. Obviously that all depends on your circumstances, but getting that quote will definitely help when it comes time to make a decision.
Begin packing
Once you have some of these details taken care if, it's time to start packing. Packing can be tedious and time consuming. UPack has a great resource for not only the supplies you'll need, but tips on how to properly pack your belongings and avoid any unnecessary damage! Get the list [here].
Know your "Must-Haves" for the trip
When you are packing, it's important to gather up those important documents and anything else you know you will need upon arrival. Here's a few things I like to make sure I have:
- Important Documents
- Prescriptions/Medications
- Clothes you might need before your moving truck arrives
- Valuables
Plan your 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. There are certain parts of the country that don't have gas for many miles, you don't want to end up with an empty tank in the middle of nowhere, I promise!
Load Up
You've got everything packed and prepared, now it's time to load up your belongings. With UPack we were able to schedule a drop off time in advance, so we knew exactly when the trailer was coming. Once it was delivered they walked us through how to use the ramp and what all we needed to do in order to secure our belongings. Then we got to work loading up.
Say goodbye
All the hard work is officially over. Once everything is packed up, you have all your belongings with your route 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 made it to our new hometown they gave us a call and we set up a time for them to drop our belongings off. They left it there for us until we were done unloading, then they 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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Once you are all moved in and ready to start turning your new house into a home, be sure and check out these tips on How to Make Your Home Look Expensive On a Budget
Have a Beautiful Day!
Ashley Bliss
Author at The Crafty Blog Stalker
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!
Diane Parrett
I used a U-Pack ReloCube last June when I moved from Wichita, Ks. to Sebastian, Fl (1453 miles). I was very impressed!! I had a big moving sale and sold 95% of everything from my 3 bedroom, basement, 2 car garage home. I rented a 7ft cube and loaded everything left into it and my med. size SUV. They sent a huge flatbed to drop off my cube right on time as promised. The local office knew I had to have it picked up first thing on a Monday morning after new owners took possession of my home. They put me first on the list and arrived right on time to get it. I left to drive to Sebastian on June 1st, and so did my "cube"....my cube arrived right on time in Orlando and then as soon as I notified them I was there and ready for it... they left to bring it to me in Sebastian. The drivers were great and dropped it off at my storage unit facility so I could unload it, then came back promptly to pick it up. Would recommend them highly! 🙂
I was very impressed--good service, good price, and great service!!
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?
Steve Blizzard
Though all moves are stressful but none are full of more challenges than cross country moving. So, better to take the help of a cross country moving service in order to make the move easy and stress free. Following are the advantages of cross country moving service.
1)They provide better quality service than professional and local movers.
2)Smooth sailing, that means they know how to drive heavy vehicles over long distance.
3)They are also ready to help after the move. Etc.
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.
Roman
moving to eastern Europe https://044blog.com/relocation/
Smira Kar
Hey, it was a very nice blog and the photo which shows the container with properly set boxes is awesome. We are a small startup in India name cloud packers and movers providing packing, moving and relocation service from India to abroad. And please to read your content and find a lot of good ideas.
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.
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