As I am closing on a house next month and getting ready to move again, I felt it was fitting to reflect on my journey to Washington and share my tips for moving across the country. My move from Arkansas to Washington came at a fairly convenient time for me as I had already packed up my entire life just a couple months prior, intending to move to another country to obtain my masters degree. Fortunately for me, this made moving across the country significantly easier, more fun, and allowed for far more freedom than the move across the pond — and now I get to share my experience! Keep reading to learn about some of the things that made moving across the country possible.
Vehicle Check-Up
Unless you are flying to your new residence and buying a new car or mode of transportation upon your arrival, your current vehicle will be going with you and will need to survive the many miles you travel. Because of this, it’s really important that you get your vehicle in the shop for routine maintenance. This should involve getting the tires and brakes checked, getting an oil change if needed, and testing the battery and engine.
You may discover several unexpected issues with your vehicle when you have it serviced, so it’s better to do this before traveling rather than getting stranded on the side of the road. My partner’s truck battery actually died the day of departure, which meant leaving several hours later than planned when this could have been avoided. Additionally, we happened to move during a winter storm, which meant we were not always driving in the best conditions. Having reliable vehicles was incredibly important. I would also recommend getting a roadside emergency assistance kit that contains jumper cables, flash lights, gloves, windshield scrapers, and general medical supplies.
Important Records and Connections
When I initially moved to the UK, I anticipated a return to the States and, more specifically, to Arkansas within a year, so I only informed my doctors of a temporary absence. When I moved back and then moved states, however, I failed to inform them that there had been a change in plans. I would have saved myself some trouble when getting settled in Washington if I had communicated this and looked into new providers prior to arriving in the Greater Seattle Area. For this reason, I would recommend getting a copy of your medical, dental, and vision records, as well as any psychiatric care records, and inform your current providers of your move. If there are any other non-medical records you might want to obtain before moving, make it a priority to get copies of these and inform providers of your move.
Clean Out EVERYTHING
Let’s be honest: you don’t want to get to your new home and discover you have more stuff than you need or have the space for. Additionally, one of the best parts of moving is getting to experience a bit of a fresh start — and this is difficult to do when you have a lot of literal baggage. Whether you’re moving soon or staying put, cleaning out the house and getting rid of the things you no longer need (or maybe never needed) is incredibly cathartic and refreshing.
This step is especially necessary if you are moving, whether across town or across the country, because it will save you money on moving companies and save you time when packing and unpacking. I recommend starting this step at least a couple months prior to your move. It’s incredibly time consuming, but is truly one of the most important steps to include in your move and the most important tip I have. Doing this made it possible to pack everything into just two vehicles, and although this involved getting rid of most of the furniture, there wasn’t that much to begin with.
Budget
While maybe obvious, moving can come with some unexpected expenses, and even if you have more than enough to cover everything, it’s never a bad idea to know what your limits are. Some things you may want to budget for include breaking your current lease, paying your new rent/mortgage, vehicle maintenance, gas for the journey, hotel bookings if traveling several days (especially if bad weather is predicted), eating out while traveling, moving companies, and new furniture. If you are going to need to stop for the night several times, you should seriously consider joining a program like IHG Rewards. You will collect points for every stay and can earn enough to cover the cost of future stays.
Intentional Goodbyes
Again, this may seem obvious to some, but it can easily get neglected when you are wrapped up in the chaos of moving. I am guilty of this myself, mostly because I had already said several very intentional farewells to my friends and family just a couple months before moving to Washington, only to return a month later, so I really didn’t want to go through those emotions again. Additionally, thanks to technology, staying in touch is easier now than ever, which made moving a little less bitter for me and a little more sweet. Even with technology, however, it’s still important to get time in with the people you can’t take with you.
Change Your Address
If you’ve moved a lot or simply gone back and forth between your parents’ house to a dorm or apartment, you’ll understand a little bit of the frustration that comes with having your mail sent to different addresses. This can become very problematic if you are waiting on important documents and never receive them. In order to avoid this, I would recommend changing your address through usps.com about a week before your move. You may also want to go into your online accounts and update your permanent address, because some businesses and providers may slip through the cracks.
Packing Tips
While packing up your belongings, if you’re doing it yourself rather than through a moving company, try to keep everything organized to make unpacking easier. The simplest way to do this is by labeling boxes with the rooms your belongings will go in, such as “kitchen,” but you can go a step further and be more specific with items like “dishes,” “towels,” “spices,” “cleaning supplies,” and so on. Once your belongings are packed up and you are ready to secure them in your vehicle(s), you should be strategic about where you place the items you may need in an emergency. This might include an overnight bag with toiletries and a couple sets of clothes, medication and first aid supplies, your roadside assistance kit, paper products and eating utensils, towels, coats and gloves, important documents, and anything else you might want to unpack immediately upon your arrival.
Prepare for Bad Weather
Depending on when you move, you may have to take weather into consideration as well. I moved when a winter storm took over much of the country. Roads were closed and conditions were unsafe to drive in for many places, so the journey took a bit longer than expected. Hopefully this won’t be the case for you, but you may have to stop more than anticipated and even stay off the road for a couple days. If you have the option, I recommend taking it slow and attempting to enjoy this time, whether by yourself or with your family. The hours of driving can be incredibly draining, so it’s important to keep yourself entertained with music, audiobooks, podcasts, and anything else you can listen to while driving safely.
Enjoy the Ride
One of the best parts of moving a long distance is the journey there. For me, I got to drive through several states I’ve never been to or have no memory of being to. Although this involved many long stretches of road with almost nothing to look at, I also got to experience some beautiful scenery, including sunrises and sunsets. If you have several days to get to your destination, you may be able to consider some alternative routes so that you can stop to rest in cities you’ve been interested in visiting.