Are you planning to move far away this year? If so, you’ve got your work cut out for you! There are many things you can do to make your long-distance relocation a success. Getting started early and following our tips below can help.
1. Stay Organized
Long-distance relocations require a great deal of organization.
Keep Your Papers in a Binder
Put all of your essential papers in a binder. You should include your new lease or paperwork for your new home purchase, information about your new job in your new city, and other vital documents. Doing this will prevent your essential papers from becoming lost while you’re packing and also helps you find what you need quickly.
Make a Moving Timeline
When should you begin packing? By what date should you have found a new apartment? When do you need to switch your utility services? Knowing the deadline on all these important events will help you avoid mistakes resulting in delays and more stress. Make a moving timeline, then set your calendar with this information, so you’ll always know what your deadline is.
Purge Items in Your Home You Don’t Need
Clutter makes moving challenging — this is especially true when you’re moving long distances. Purge items that you don’t need by cleaning out your garage, selling things online, giving items to charity, and discarding things you don’t need anymore.
2. Get the Right Boxes
Use sturdy, solid boxes designed for moving to get your belongings to your new home. Cardboard moving cartons are flexible, durable, and lightweight yet strong— this makes them ideal for stacking and using for a relocation.
Plastic totes may seem like a great way to pack your belongings when moving long-distance; however, many plastic totes are not designed to stack or withstand varying climatic conditions. When stacked from floor to ceiling inside a moving truck and then transported long-distance, they can easily be damaged. In cold weather, totes freeze, crack, break and collapse. In hot weather, totes become soft, expand, break and collapse.
Check with your moving company as some offer customers gently used moving cartons for free.
3. Find the Right Moving Company
Perhaps most important of all is to identify the right moving company for your long-distance relocation. Your moving company is a partner in your relocation, but your relocation could become far more stressful and complicated with the wrong partnership. When you’re looking for a moving company, look for:
- Years of experience. The longer your moving company has been in business, the more they’ll know about long-distance relocations.
- Good customer service. You’re going to rely heavily on your moving company’s customer service to respond to your questions and concerns. Find a company that provides good overall customer service.
- Affordable rates. Long-distance relocations are expensive. Shop around to find a company that you can afford, but don’t hire the cheapest company to save money. Select a professional moving company with a good reputation and fair rates.
Long-Distance Moving Help
We can help provide you with moving tips, specialized packing materials, storage, and a whole lot more. Your move coordinator can help with the planning and can even arrange for those gently-used cartons. To learn more about making your long-distance move work, contact us to get a quote for your upcoming relocation.