If you’ve ever moved across the country first of all, congratulations for having survived the move and secondly if you’re like me, you’ve probably learned a thing or two about moving that you hope you never have to remember again.

Rather than allowing such unwanted but hard-earned knowledge go to waste, I’m going to dedicate this blog entry to how to move smarter, not harder. Because I did everything mostly the wrong way, I’m regrettably more of an expert now than I’d ever hoped to be. Hopefully these small lessons help someone!

1)  Consider where you will do your banking. This question can quite literally sneak up on you if you’re selling a home and having your home’s proceeds transferred to your new state. It’s one of those niggling matters that presents itself at the most inopportune times. Like when you’re packing and just trying to responsibly meet deadlines. For many years we banked with local credit unions and local banks. Though it would have been most expedient, I wasn’t willing to simply open up an account with a big national bank. Instead I did my research via Wallethub and found a bank with a good reputation in the community. I made a phone appointment with the branch manager who worked to simplify the process in light of our limitations. The day before we hit the road on our journey, I closed my local accounts, got cashier’s checks so that upon arrival I could place that money in my new local bank.  So find your bank in plenty of time before you move. https://wallethub.com/banks

2)     Purchase multi-colored packing tape. You can get it from Amazon, and it will make your move so much easier.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V8BC6MV?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details I taped up every box w/a color that corresponded to the room the movers were to bring the box. For example I chose red for the kitchen, blue for the primary bedroom, yellow for bathroom 1 etc. When the movers arrived I strung the tape across the entrances of each room and gave them instructions so they knew exactly where to place the boxes. Even after you’ve unpacked, you can still implement the same trick by re-packaging items in boxes with the tape color that let you know what room its contents might reasonably go. 

3)     Speaking of movers, I started interviewing big nationwide companies and found them to be really expensive.  So I called every local mover in my area to see if they did cross country moves. When I couldn’t find a one who did, I underwent the task of calling local movers in a neighboring city. Turns out one local mom and pop mover contracts with a nationwide mover. In this manner I was able to support a local business while they did all the communication w/the national mover. Using the local company, cost to me considerably less than the national mover and the amount quoted was final despite the increasing cost of fuel.  I’m not saying this option is available in every area but it’s well worth researching.

4)     We travelled approximately 6-8 hours a day and it’s hard to eat nutritiously in restaurants because you don’t know what you’re getting. We brought a cooler full of healthy pre-made sandwiches and Dave’s multi-grain bread and luncheon meats. fresh cut up fruit, sliced cheese, nuts, cut up veggies and crackers and canned soup. We’d replace the ice each morning at the hotel for the next day’s journey. Most hotels offer a complimentary continental breakfast and we personally were able to make better time grabbing breakfast at the hotel and only stopping for restroom/fuel and dinner. The goal in a cross country move isn’t to discover a great restaurant, it’s to make time. Anticipate a lack of healthful food options and plan accordingly. Hot fast food might taste better but real food will keep you nourished and feeling good.

5)     In an ideal world one could map out hotels in a given area and make future reservations accordingly. But when you’re driving multiple cars across the country and hauling a small trailer, a travel schedule is unnecessary. You will arrive when you get there. Between weather and road issues, it’s okay to not have a hotel itinerary set up in advance. Maybe you need to sleep in a bit to stay awake on another arduous journey, any number of unanticipated events can disrupt a tight schedule. The first time we made our road trip to explore the South, we got a flat tire shortly after we set out on our drive so that day was effectively cut short. Unless traveling a holiday weekend, securing a room generally isn’t difficult.

6)     One thing definitely worth researching are hotels that allow pets. Depending where you’re going it can be either really expensive or really hard to find. We tried to stay at La Quinta because pets usually stay free. I would not rely on the websites that market specifically to traveling with pets because they’re not always updated in a timely manner. It’s best to CALL the local hotel’s front desk (not the toll free number). At that time you can also request a room adjacent to trailer parking where you can keep watchful eye on your vehicle.  Look for off-highway travel type hotels. If you see an abundance of trucks, that can be a good sign. Keep this same rule of thumb in mind when stopping to dine at a restaurant. We got in the habit for seeking out large, well-lit parking lots and parking close to a window seat where you can keep an eye on your vehicles. In summary, make sure the “pet friendly” hotel on Google actually is and make sure to always keep an eye on your vehicles. One more word about pets is many rest-stops are actually quite nice. Most offer green grass for pets, plastic bags for picking up pet waste, and clean restrooms.

7)     Having travel rewards like AAA are great for a potential tow but are not always the best deal for hotel stays on a cross country move. The AAA rates are often the same as the hotel member rates but the AAA points don’t add up. Being a hotel rewards member allows you to accumulate enough points that can be applied towards either a significant discount or a free night’s stay. With these high fuel costs the hotel points can be meaningful.

8)     Pack as though you’re going camping for at least a week longer than your movers are scheduled to arrive. After we arrived at our home, a snowstorm delayed our movers. I packed a large suitcase full of a couple of weeks’ worth of clothes, all my make-up, hair utensils, computers, business folders, all my sentimental irreplaceable items, medicines, checkbooks and a coffee pot with coffee. I even brought my pillows, a portable cot, sleeping bags, and an electric blanket. I was so glad I had that electric blanket because our house was chilly and we were exhausted upon arrival. The cot I purchased was around $100 at Big 5, light and amazingly comfortable. It was a good thing we had them because our furniture didn’t arrive until almost 2 weeks after we got to our home.

If I could have done anything differently, it would have been to photograph the contents of my boxes, particularly my kitchen items. All those spools of red tape expended, yet the cookie cutter collection remains missing.

Do you have any useful ideas to add to the list? I’d love to hear them!