What to Expect with Long Distance Moving

What to Expect with Long Distance Moving

This past year, my family did something we’ve never done before…

We uprooted ourselves and moved across the entire state.

For your average person, a move really isn’t too difficult when it’s local; these are the times when you can call up a friend (with the truck), get things packed, and take your time. When you’re set on long distance moving, you really need to have everything in place and the right services lined up before you pull that trigger (something we realized only after the fact).

We certainly learned our lesson on this last move and so I thought it would be worth divulging some of that experience for people who happen to be on the brink of making a big move (which includes making the jump overseas).

Here are a few things to expect and to keep in mind with long distance moving:

• Packing is intensive

When you’re going down the block you can generally go willy-nilly with the packing because you can take your time and you know the area. With long distance moving, you need to keep in mind that the terrain is going to be far different from what you’re used to so it’s important to watch how you pack so it can handle the hours upon hours of bumps in the road.

My tip: Get plenty of extra boxes and try not to over-stuff them so that way your items can jiggle around a bit and not put too much pressure on another; this helps them from being damaged during the transit.

• Be sure to itemize

Although it’s intensive, I would recommend that you take the time to write out what is going in each box so that once you get there you have an inventory to work from. Having this inventory allows to see not only where things need to go but also helps with getting rid of the things that probably didn’t need to make the journey. By the time you’re done unpacking, when using the list, your new place will have the essentials and none of the extra junk.

• Consider storage

Let’s say you’re moving a home that’s full of item or a business. In this move you are likely to have very large items that may not go all at the same time (such as desks, couches, etc). When this happens it is worth your while to place these items into storage and do a secondary trip. If I had to do it all over again I would have taken the main items (like the bed, computers, and TV) and gotten setup, then worked on those other large items, rather than trying to cram it all in a truck in one go. This method requires additional time but it does make the move easier.

• Know your providers

Time and time again I have moved by relying on that one friend with a truck and time and time again they have bailed on me. No one wants to help with moving because it’s a real pain in the butt. The most recent move we did was through a moving service which was well worth the money because they were able to show up on time, carry all the stuff down (three flights of stairs), and get it to the new location without having to get behind a big truck (which I wasn’t comfortable with). When you’re going long distance you should certainly consider one of these services not only to relieve the hassle of it all but also because they’re insured so anything that gets broken can be accounted for. When moving long distances and transporting vehicles, it’s worth considering professional Auto Transporters to ensure your car arrives safely and on time without adding extra stress to your move.

What are your tips for long distance moving?

 Guest post written by R. W.