5 Things to Do Before Your Cross-Country Move
Table of Contents
- 1. Start Planning Months Ahead
- 2. Get Rid of All Unnecessary Belongings
- 3. Get Your Affairs in Order
- 4. Book a Reputable Moving Company Early
- 5. Document the State of Your Belongings
Moving cross-country is a stressful journey. There’s always so much to do and so little time to take care of everything. Well, that is, unless you start organizing early, to make sure everything goes as effortlessly as possible. Even though it is a complicated matter, there are always certain steps you can take to make the process easier, less demanding, and less stressful. We’ve compiled a list of 5 must-do things to take care of before your cross-country move. Make sure to carefully read it and take notes because these things can make or break a successful cross-country move. Enjoy!
1. Start Planning Months Ahead
Since a cross-country move is a very long and complicated process, you must ensure that everything goes smoothly. That calls for early planning. A cross-country move is like a jigsaw puzzle – it consists of dozens of tiny little pieces that all have to fall into their correct place in order to successfully complete it. The same goes for moving: you have to book a moving company, you have to pick the dates, pack everything, clean your old place, set up your new home, etc. Unlike a regular, inner-city move, you get only one shot with a cross-country move. That is unless you want to go back and forth between cities and waste even more time, energy, and money.
2. Get Rid of All Unnecessary Belongings
During a cross-country move, you’re literally packing your whole life, which is a heavy load to carry. When you get to your new home, you want to have a fresh and clean start. That means that you shouldn’t fill your new place with old stuff that’s not even being used anymore. Plus, not to mention that extra weight calls for higher moving quotes and overall expenses. Before packing, or during packing – depending on your preference, you should take a step back, assess the situation, and approach it with a clear mind. Select items that are no longer of use – old clothes, shoes, furniture, and other miscellaneous things. Then, you can simply donate them or host a garage sale to get rid of it and earn an extra buck. You can’t have a fresh start with old baggage.
3. Get Your Affairs in Order
Since you’ll be moving cross-country, you should triple-check everything before your last day. That includes changing the address, bringing all the necessary documents for obtaining a new driver’s license, closing your old and opening a new bank account, making sure you paid all your bills, and that all the utilities at your new house have been set up. Luckily, you can take care of most of these things online. Since paperwork is very important, make sure you carefully organize everything and have it on hand in case you’ll need it – which you probably will.
4. Book a Reputable Moving Company Early
This one is a must, especially if you’re planning on moving during Summer when the demand it as its highest. You should do this at least 3-4 months ahead. All great, reputable companies often get fully-booked and then you’re left with dodgy, sketchy companies who won’t take as good care of your belongings as a serious company would. Since a cross-country move is a demanding ordeal in and of itself, you always want to avoid pilling on even more stress. Just book a good company way ahead of your cross-country move, and you’ll be good to go.
5. Document the State of Your Belongings
This one is just for your own piece of mind. Assuming you’ve already booked (or are considering booking) a reputable company, then your stuff is most likely going to be handled with care. However, accidents are still a possibility considering the number of drivers on the road. So what can you do to make sure they will compensate you in case something breaks or gets damaged? Well, just take pictures and videos of everything before the moving day, showing the condition it was in before the cross-country move. Since reputable companies are always insured, you probably won’t have any issues with compensation. However, there’s always a slight chance that something might go wrong and that’s exactly when visual documentation comes in handy.
