The Best Long Distance Moving Tips for a Stressless Experience

Planning to move to a new city, especially in another part of the country, is one of the most stressful events in our lives. Americans consider it to be the third most stressful thing they experience. Nevertheless, US citizens tend to move a lot, and in fact, they move up to 12 times during their lifetime, so there’s a lot of excellent long-distance move tips being shared around. So, how do I make a long-distance move easier? With determination and some clever relocation hacks, a stressless move is guaranteed.

Get Off on the Right Foot by Preparing on Time

What happens when your dreams about living in another city, in a different part of the country, come true? You get a job in another state before moving there, tell your friends and family you’re leaving, and start making other preparations. However, once you make up your mind about relocating, you should start preparing right away. Although last-minute relocating is doable, you should avoid it, or you won’t be able to have a stress-free move.

Determine Your Budget and Have Peace of Mind

We may have at least a vague idea about how much the whole process will cost us. However, the best thing we could do that will save us from any unnecessary panicking is to sit down and determine our relocation budget. When determining the sum, keep in mind that you shouldn’t calculate just the price for professional long-distance moving services but also for any unexpected costs.

Binder and a To-Do List Will Lower Your Stress Levels to a Minimum

Simple things are often the best solutions, and creating a binder for your upcoming move can help you stay on track, no matter how complex your relocation is. You’ll use this binder to collect and keep all the papers related to the move, starting with a to-do list. You should also store all the contracts, receipts, and other documents here, so they can be found in a jiffy whenever you need them.

Your to-do list should list all the tasks you should take care of. It’s best if you write them in chronological order so that you can stay organized down to the last detail. It will also help you make sure there aren’t any things you forget to do when you move.

Call the Utility Companies Before You Leave

Thinking about utilities and other services in your new home is probably somewhere at the back of your mind, but it’s quite essential to take care of them on time if you want to move efficiently. The first step is to contact your current electricity, gas, and water supply companies, as well as other providers and set a disconnection date. The second step would be to determine the move-in date and agree to have everything connected in your new home. This way, you’ll avoid two things – you won’t leave a hefty bill for future residents if the heat was left on, and you’ll have your bare necessities just as you move in. Do the same with other important services, like cable, internet, and phone.

Update Your Address With Essential Services and Institutions

But, just how many miles is considered a long-distance move? Most cross-country movers consider a long-distance move to be more than 400 miles. In most cases, this means you’ll be relocating interstate, so there are a few other things to take care of.  Besides letting your friends and family know you’re planning to move, there’s an important list of who to notify of your change of address:

• You can start by changing your address with the Post Office, and you can do it through their online form. This is to avoid any unpleasant situations, like your bank statements not arriving or any other important mail still being sent to your old address.
• Also, don’t skip informing financial institutions, most notably the IRS. The IRS can be notified through an online form, just like the USPS, while you should check your state’s government website to see how to update your address with them.
• Change your driver’s license information on time, even if you’ve planned to ship your car with a professional car shipping company through their auto transport service because you will probably need to drive it right away.
• Your voter registration is also important, so make sure you take care of it. Although, you should check whether your voter’s information got updated with your driver’s license because it may be the case in some states.
• Banks, loan agents, and account advisors shouldn’t be skipped either.

Additionally, take care of your insurance providers and make sure you transfer policies like health, house, or car insurance to another city.

Contact the Best Long-Distance Movers and Auto Transport Company

To be honest, you can relocate all by yourself, but to do it properly, and have a stressless move, you should hire a long-distance moving company. Reliable movers have years of experience in the relocation industry, and they can take care of most of your relocation needs in a swift way. If you’re not sure how to choose a relocation company, read their online reviews and check whether they have a USDOT number with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Once you’ve picked the right movers, you should contact them and have them estimate the value of household goods, so you can get a more precise idea of how much the relocation will cost you. Also, determine whether you’ll need any other services, such as the storage service, and let them give you a quote.

How Should I Pack for a Long-Distance Move? Packing 101

You can begin to box everything up as early as six weeks ahead. Although it seems a bit too early, it doesn’t mean you should pack furniture right away or start to pack fragile items. Before the movers arrive and begin to pack a relocation truck, you can take care of your off-season clothes and shoes, as well as artwork and decorations.

Get Rid of Excessive Items Before Cross Country Moving

One of the essential items that should be written on your to-do list is purging your home of unnecessary items and downsizing for a move. But how to determine what should you not move long-distance? It’s pretty easy, and you can do it by dividing your belongings into several groups:

• The “what to get rid of” group is the easiest to recognize. These are all the objects you’ve kept somewhere hidden, either completely forgotten or saved by your sentimental attachment. Anything that has been worn out, ripped, broken, or damaged in any other way should find its way into your garbage bag.
• The “donate unwanted items” group will be beneficial to people in need. Separate all the stuff still functional and in good condition that you don’t need anymore, and donate it to a local charity.
• The third group is the “garage sale” group, and these can be all the trinkets, decorations, or even designer clothes that couldn’t be donated but you want to leave behind. Throw a yard sale or sell them online, and you can add all that money to your budget.
• The final group is the “what to keep” pile, and it’s all the belongings you want to transport to your new home.

The good idea is to contact your relocation professionals and ask them about the items movers won’t move. These are usually flammable and hazardous materials, such as paints and paint thinners, but ask for a thorough list so you can be clear about what to throw away.

You Won’t Be Able to Pack Your Belongings Without Proper Materials

When it comes to packing all of the belongings you plan on taking with you, one of the vital tips is to obtain the right packing materials on time. Keep in mind that various objects require different packing materials to be properly protected, so make sure you choose the best-sized boxes and get as many cushioning materials as you can. Stock up mostly on medium-sized boxes, but also sturdy tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, plastic wrap, and foam peanuts. You will need all these supplies to be able to protect your belongings so they will be safe in transport.

Label Your Boxes as an Ultimate Unpacking Hack

One of the best hacks for a swift unpacking after the move is to get a marker for labeling the boxes. You can label each box by the room in which it belongs to or color-code them. The ultimate tip is to color-code them with a washi tape, number them and then snap a quick photo of the contents. This will not only help you unpack but also easily find an item you require without rummaging through boxes.

The following video gives you a couple of ideas on how to create labels not only for your boxes, but also for better organizing around the house.

Prepare a Survival Box and Watch How Any Sign of Stress Is Literally Gone

No matter whether you’ve decided to pack everything by yourself or you’ve invested in packing services, you should find some free time in your schedule to fill a box with essential things. This box will be your survival kit after you enter your new home and an important step in preparing for a move. It should contain basic toiletries, some of the essential kitchen utensils, a change of clothes for each family member, chargers, bedding, and other things you deem necessary for the first few days.

With These Long-Distance Moving Tips, You’ll Feel Relieved and Ready for an Adventure

No matter what our reasons to move are, and no matter where this colossal step takes us, some great moving tips will be of enormous help during your preparations. It will not only keep you calmer and more focused but also help you prepare more quickly while keeping everything under control. But in the end, the ultimate tip that will make sure you stay sane is to let the professionals take care of your move while you stick to your daily routines and prepare mentally and emotionally for this leap of faith.