How To Best Prepare For A Cross Country Move

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Moving down the road is no walk in the park, and so moving across the country can be incredibly stressful and challenging if there is no pre-planning involved. Once you’ve left your old address and moved far away, you can’t just pop back to pick up some vital mail you forgot to change the address for, or source out that box of family jewelry you kept in a safe space in the attic that you forgot about. This is why organizing in advance is essential to make sure nothing is missed when you move long-distance.

Change Your Address to Prepare for a Cross Country Move

As mentioned above, it’s much more difficult to head back to your old residence and pick up your post, and so, get this step covered asap to avoid missing important mail. You will want to contact the following to change your address:

Tax agencies
Utility bills provider
Internet and phone provider
Social Security Administration
Your workplace
Insurance providers
Loan providers
Clubs and organizations
Relatives and friends

This section can take a bit of time to do, so leave time ahead of moving to switch everything over.

Downsize Your Belongings

The more things you have to move, the more expensive the journey will be, and the more difficult it will be keeping track of everything you own. So this step covers getting rid of things you no longer use or need. It can be anything from old clothes to unused furniture, old toys, ornaments, books, kitchen appliances and so on. Because you shall be sorting through an entire house of stuff, start these steps months in advance of your moving date if possible. You can begin creating sacks of clothes for goodwill, take old duvets and junk to the recycling center or sell some of your things online. This will aid towards a stress-free long-distance move.

New Home Measurements

What you’ll want to know before moving your things is whether your new home can fit your belongings. For instance, will your super-king bed and 5-seater sofa fit through the doors of your new property, or is this something you might need to swap for a smaller piece of furniture? By assessing the large items in your home and the volume of stuff you have, you can gather whether or not, you might need to let a few of your things go.

Hire Moving Professionals

Above all, moving long-distance is a risky business and a lot for any one person or family to do on their own. This is why it’s always advised to seek expert help from long distance moving companies who have dealt with your situation a million times over. Contact a few moving companies to see if they offer long-distance moving and ask for a quote.

Be honest about the number of things you need to move. They will often provide you a quote based on whether you would like them to wrap all of your belongings for you, or whether you would simply like to move your things. If you can afford it, pay for the moving professionals to wrap your items too! It takes away the stress and hassle and means you have enough energy to enjoy your new home when you arrive after a long journey.