These handy tips will help make your long distance move run smoother.
Whether this is your first long distance move or you’ve become a bit of a veteran when it comes to uprooting yourself, there’s certainly a lot of important points you have to consider. Our team at TransCanada Movers is here to ensure you have our expertise for the actual moving process as well as allow us to connect with you and provide valuable information that will help you with the points that come before and after your move.
Review our list of 10 important tips and feel free to reach out to us if you want a little more support or clarifications. We want to prove to you why we are the right team to make your moving process easier, more enjoyable, and more productive.
After all, with everything else that comes from this big change in your life you should be able to find peace of mind everywhere you can. With that said, let’s get right into our moving tips:
1) Make Lists to Work From
We don’t want to seem like we’re pointing out the obvious, but the first step towards a practical and effective move will always start with organization. This will allow you to organize your time as well as give yourself a great overview on everything you know needs to be done. We recommend start by cataloging your home and going through all your possessions carefully.
2) Develop a Schedule to Follow
Now that you’re starting to get some ideas rolling around in your head it’s time to get yourself a schedule to work with. It’s great if you already have a moving date in mind, but don’t worry if you don’t. What you’ll want to do is begin to set up hard dates for when you’ll need to have parts of your move organized. Don’t overburden yourself too much if you have a lot of time before you need to be ready, but even if you’re a few months away spending a couple of hours a week staying on top of everything will save you from grief in the long run. A good place to start is always the kitchen because you’ll be much more aware of what you use from that spot and it tends to be easier to clarify with yourself what you want to bring along. For instance, your next home will likely have a different layout and storage space. Apply the same concept as you move forward, and you’ll be in good form in no time!
3) How Are YOU Getting to Your New Home?
It’s one thing to know how your belongings are going to make it from your current location to your future one and another one entirely to determine how you want or need to travel. Will you take a scenic train ride? Plane? Will you be driving? Knowing this is the following step on the path to a productive move. Moreover, it will give you a better understanding of whether or not you need to rent a hotel, Airbnb, or some other lodging before you get to spend that formative new sleep at your new home. Even better – if your travel is going to require a plane ride you’ll be able to get a better deal the earlier you plan it.
4) Donate, Recycle, Sell, and Otherwise Spend Time Organising Your Possessions
We want you to have a rewarding experience when you move and the second step in that direction is one that many people mistakenly place too far towards the end. That old cup with a crack on the side that you’ve been promising to fix for years, your broken lampshade, those shoes that are taking on that pungent smell after months of arguing whether you’re going to wear them again – we all have items that we hold onto that we really don’t need any more. Moving is a great opportunity to get rid of items that have run their course. Take a deep breath and enlist close friends or family if you need to – remember, sometimes less is more. How to get that started? We know lots of people like to use the once-a-year rule, and who are we to disagree with it!
5) Pack the Essentials First – And Keep Notes Where You Put Them
We find that there are items that you can be confident in packing early – things like book that you’ve read already but want to keep, fancies food wares, off-season clothing, and other things that you feel are probably not going to be seeing much use between now and the time you’re going to be leaving. Collecting boxes is always a good idea, too. Just be sure to label everything because you don’t want to accidentally throw out something accidentally. Pack clever and pack related items as to avoid these pitfalls.
6) Work With Professionals
This is a bit of a blanketing statement that should be applied to almost everything in life, but when it comes to moving you’ll feel better knowing that you can trust the people carrying out Great Aunt Myrtle’s Urn instead of placing your hopes in eyes-in-the-skies movers that do this because they have to – not because they want to. We sincerely believe that one of the most important parts of long distance moving is knowing that you have the right team and resources to get your personal possessions from their start point over to their destination without complications along the way. Before you go too far ahead with planning see what level of support you can anticipate from your movers.
7) Determine What Official Information Needs to Be Changed
Are you moving across the country or to a new one? Do you need to change your phone number? Do you need to notify any government agencies to update your personal details? The answer to most of these questions will likely be yes. Start this process early as it can take varying degrees of time to get you results. Likely you’ll want to focus on your mailing address, driver’s license and insurance, health insurance, and similar points that will likely become clear as you start to create a list.
8) Consider What Services You Will Need to Contact and Have Installed
One of the most time-consuming aspects of moving happens after you’ve arrived in your new home – setting up your home the way you like it is definitely going to be top-priority, but what about the other things that go along with that? Have you looked into Cable Television Companies? Internet Providers? Parking? Utilities in general? Organizing with local companies where you’ll be living next and finding out if they can come earlier to help get you setup is going to be a lifesaver when you’ve sat down after a long move and have less to worry about. Many of these service providers can be convinced to set up the day you’re moving in – a great advantage if you need to check the internet for stores in the area that deliver, or where you can catch a movie later to relax.
9) Start Eating Smarter – We Didn’t Say Healthier – But…
As you get closer and closer to your move you’re going to want to leave as little to last-minute as you can, this should also include going through your pantry and your kitchen for food that you know you can do without and food that you want to finish up beforehand. Do you really need that old jam? Probably not. What about that huge bag of jasmine rice? Well. It wasn’t opened. So, that may be practical to take with you. In the end, however, you’ll want to review your food items and try, as much as you can, not to have liquids (in the case of breaking) and frozen or fresh foods (in case they spoil). Plan out some fun dinners with what you have left!
10) Stay Positive and Collected
A rookie mistake is to find yourself overwhelmed by the whole moving process. Is it a lot of work? It most certainly is. But can it be done well and with a goal of keeping your head above water? You bet it can! Allow our team at TransCanada Movers to keep you in a good mood while we assist you and get your belongings to their new home as smoothly as possible. We’re confident you’re going to appreciate the friendly professionalism that comes standard from our incredible team!