Commentary on long distance moving
Nice long distance comment by Shtara Williams.
Moving long distance can be a lot of fun IF YOU PLAN IN ADVANCE. I emphasize that, PLAN IN ADVANCE. That isn’t to say if something unexpected comes up you can’t move immediately, you can, but you should consult those who are out there to help you.
If you do know in advance that a move is coming up and to where the location of that move will be, half the chaos can be avoided and the actual fun of the planning can begin. Is your move going to be permanent? If so, you might get on the computer and do some checking on home values in the new area. Get to know what is on the market there, and don’t forget to do the same for your present local area, assuming you will sell your home here.
Do you plan to pack and move everything yourself, take advantage of one of the state to state truck rentals? If so you are in for a LOT of work, but it can be done. First, start thinking of what you absolutely must keep vs. things you would like to keep but isn’t necessary. The next step is to start separating these things, making a third section of the stuff you don’t want to keep, even if you could. If you would like to make a little extra money, think of a garage sale, otherwise Salvation Army or the Red Cross might be glad to haul off your castoffs; a lot of churches also might like to have things to give to the needy.
The ‘easy’ way is to call one of the coast to coast, or nation to nation movers. They will come in, pack your goods and even store them until the move. You will still have to separate the wanted from the needed and what you don’t want at all. This will leave you free to spend more time house hunting in the new area of the country and to talk to local realtors about your present home.
Kids hate to be pulled away from schools they are comfortable in as well as their friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. Today with our chat rooms and messenger services they NEVER have to be totally pulled away. The kids can chat everyday with their friends and exchange pictures as the school year advances. With the free long distance rates offered by most cell phone companies after 7pm, they can even call their friends in the evenings once the homework is finished,if your move is some states away.
The great thing about today’s world of moving is that old friends are as reachable as they were before the move, regardless of whether the move is across the nation or around the world. As long as you make sure the new home has easy internet access, you are never disconnected from ‘home’.
If you are driving your car to another state, check out the sights to see along the way. For instance, if you are making the move along I40 (Interstate 40) in the USA, and you pass through New Mexico and Arizona on the way to California, or heading east from California, you are going to see some neat things. There is the huge crater in Arizona that was made thousands of years ago when a meteor plunged onto our planet; not too far from the crater is the ORIGINAL London Bridge. It was taken up, brick by brick and reassembled here in the USA, in of all places, the desert. Then, continuing east you will encounter the Painted Desert. Here rocks of all colors reign supreme, a nature-made painting on the canvas of the desert, very close to the Painted Desert is the Petrified Forest. A forest stood in primeval glory until the meteor fell from the sky to make the crater mentioned earlier.
Make a vacation of the move, something that will be remembered as the years pass by. If you are not hauling your own belongings down the interstate, or up the interstate, your main worry right now will be getting to the next motel and what do you want for dinner tonight. If you have chosen to carry everything yourself, then make sure the cold box has enough ice in it, and you’ve got everything waiting for the next Rest Area.
In today’s world we can make a move of thousands of miles and enjoy it all the way. Gone are the months of wagon train torture, gone are the mid-twentieth century’s headaches. Kids crying because they ‘HATE’ this move or their very real fear they might not be liked at the new home. Whether you are moving from some small American town to another six states away, or to a villa north of Madrid, Spain, it can be one of the most memorable journey’s of your life. A joyous journey, one to save dozens of snapshots, thanks to the ‘new’ digital cameras.
Moving can be fun. Make the best of it and enjoy!
Floyd77 Said,
December 11, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
There are many details to be remembered when heading off to a new place. So many details can be overlooked in the midst of preparing for a new home. I believe in checklists and depend on my spontaneous thinking for the brainstorm of ideas that come across me. I moved to New York about six years ago and only stayed for fourteen months. After I had accepted the job I was left with one month to plan for the trip. I have to admit that most of the details came easily for me. The move was the first one I had ever made in my life. I had never moved away before and maybe it was my naive nature that kept me from freaking out. I remember looking at this decision to move across one-third of the country as the biggest adventure ever. I had nothing to lose. I was free to make mistakes as long as I got there on time. I secured a few last minute financial needs and was on my way. When I arrived there I discovered that I had not missed much as far as the planning was concerned. Opening a new banking account was not a problem. I suppose if you have the big picture in mind and don’t sweat the details you can have yourself a successful transition. Another big help for me was my family. They were there to fill in any gaps I might have overlooked. Once you begin to get things organized inside your head then you start to find relief on the other end of all this. I have never had to move a family or children. I am sure of this to be a whole different ball game. One of the biggest challenges was adjusting to the new climate. I had to adjust my wardrobe and buy some things I never thought I would buy. The biggest thing for me was calculating the unknown. I knew there would be last minute surprises and that is what keeps it interesting. I have only moved once so I lack in the expertise of doing so on a regular basis. Adjusting to a new place can be difficult and exciting, it all depends on the frame of mind with which you choose to work. You can plan everything in fear or pretend its the greatest adventure you could ever go on. The details always follow in the wake of your attitude.
John F. Kendall Said,
January 2, 2008 @ 10:13 pm
Cross Country Treks: Hopefully a “Final Frontier”
Distance is intrinsic to Canadian and U.S. travel. When you meet anyone from Britain or most of Europe, they speak of traveling in terms of kilometers or miles. In North America, we speak of travel in terms of minutes, hours, and days.
I have moved across the country twice. The first time was in the early eighties to obtain a position with a school board in Alberta. The second time was to move my family back to the Toronto Area from Oregon where my wife had obtained a position working in a university library. Of the two, the second trip was the most dramatic. I made it alone. I made it in December. I went over the Continental Divide in a U-Haul truck pulling our second hand van behind it.
Although my wife had lived the vast majority of her life in Ontario, she had been born in New York State. This meant that we, as a family, could get green cards to live and work in the U.S. For us, this was an attempt to hold our failing family together. We were looking for a new start.
My oldest boy, who was about 7 at the time, drove from Edmonton Alberta to Salem Oregon, with me. This was a big mistake for, although I loved him dearly, a 7 year old found the vast amount of time in the rental truck tedious. The rental vehicle lost a tire on the way down and we had to spend a day waiting for the repair: more tedium for the little boy.
We arrived in Salem on July 4th and luckily the folks at the university were on the look out for us. To try and find accommodation on July 4 would have been difficult otherwise. They put us up. I began to search and found a place to live. I met the plane with my wife daughter and youngest boy. We began our life in the U.S.
After about three weeks, I had a phone call from my wife at work. She and her boss weren’t working out. We were going to have to move. She came home and we had a long discussion. It was late July. I wanted to move immediately. “No” she said. She wanted to stay until December for the sake of her resume.
I decided to sell everything we could and to try and fly back. “No” said my wife. It would be too expensive to replace everything. The net result? - I would drive a U-Haul back with our belongings in it. I’d also drag the vehicle we had purchased behind it.
That December, courtesy of my mother, my wife and children flew to Toronto, Ontario and I started down the long highway home.
When I got to the top of the Rocky Mountains, you really couldn’t see what part of the way was road - or where it ended in cliff. I stopped for gas and had a small conversation with the man who filled up the truck.
“Heading back East, huh?” he said.
“Yup,” I replied, “My family’s there.”
“Yeah. I tried that once.”
“Oh? How’d it go?”
He looked at me ruefully. “This is as far as I got.”
I was to come to understand his feelings well.
As the hours became days, my nerves and concentration deteriorated. The truck handled poorly and the road seemed endless. I got to the point where I couldn’t sleep well on motel beds. The people in the towns where I stopped looked at me as though I had dropped in on a UFO. I was isolated, frightened, tired, and heartsick.
Somewhere outside of Chicago, on the last leg of the drive, it began to snow. The truck I was in began to fishtail on the icy roads. There were large 18 wheelers behind me. Suddenly the U-Haul and the van I was towing, went into a skid. We were straddling most of the lanes of the Interstate Highway. I thought I was dead.
Somehow, the drives stopped their rigs. They came out, helped me get off of the road and arranged for towing facilities. I had to stay in a Ramada Inn but a couple of days later, I was on my way. I’m still in awe of what those men managed to do for me and how gracious they were. [If any of you are reading this... thanks and God Bless You!]
Eventually, I went across the Peace Bridge and stopped in Welland to say “Hi” to my mother. She and my kids had been worried about me. When I told my friends the entire story in detail, they laughed and said I should make a movie out of it. A day or two later, I drove on up to Toronto.
What did I learn form all of this? What can I share with you, the incipient long distance mover? Here are my findings:
a) If possible, spend the money to go ahead and scout out the new location first. It’s far better to arrive at a destination with a place to stay and some idea of how things are laid out in a new place than to arrive cold.
b) If at all possible, don’t make the move yourself. It is advisable to either sell everything and work at re-establishing yourself in the new local or to hire a moving company. It is much, much easier to fly to your location or at least have someone else do the driving than to do it yourself and arrive bone weary at your new destination.
c) If you must use a rental truck or other equipment, try to arrange for another adult to go with you and share the driving - and the unloading.
d) Don’t trust the rental vehicle. After I got back to Ontario, a relative looked at the U-Haul’s tires and pointed out they were almost bald! The thought that a company my put my life at risk never came into my mind but, since local operators have considerable latitude, maintenance may be questionable.
e) Don’t undertake a large task like a major move to solve an emotional problem in your life. Being miserable where you can talk to people you know is infinitely better than trying to work through problems in the midst of strangers.
f) Remember that you are not just leaving a place behind - you are also leaving all of your social contacts and activities. Be prepared for weeks or months of doing far less than you did in the town where you came from.
g) Above everything else, prepare yourself for the stress of entering a new area and new community. Somethings that you hold very dear will be inconsequential to your new friends and somethings you think of as meaningless will be deadly serious to them.
h) Finally, if at all possible, have lots and lots of money. It won’t buy you happiness but it will smooth out the transition…
James Waldmann Said,
April 27, 2008 @ 4:41 am
We are planning a move from New York to Indiana. Without getting actual quotes from Moving Companies, how can I estimate how much it will cost per pound per miled?
achlablog Said,
April 28, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
James. try this one:
http://www.newyorkmovers.org/