How to Move to a New City – Best Tips and Advice

When you considered all the benefits of the move and decided where you will relocate, you should start planning the whole process. Moving cross country will open many questions like “how much money should I save to move to a new city,” and if you have never moved before, it might seem overwhelming. Although it is tagged as one of the most stressful periods of your life, good planning and organization can make it a breeze. That’s why we prepared the best tips and advice that will guide you through the whole process and make it less stressful.

What Is the First Thing to Do When Moving to a New City – Research the Future Neighborhood

If you decided to live on your own and, consequently, relocate to another state alone, or whatever the reasons for the move may be, the first thing to do is get organized. The best way to do it is to create a checklist for all tasks you have to do before and after the relocation. And for even better organization, a relocation binder will be your good friend.

After you have a relocation to-do list that will keep you updated on your next tasks, the next step is to decide where you will live and explore the future neighborhood. Find out as much as you can about your future home.

The best way would be to visit the place in person and see by yourself what you like and dislike about it. However, we all know it can be quite difficult to accomplish that because of all the extra costs and time you have to put in.

But don’t despair – use the power of the internet and find everything about the cost of living, schools, and educational possibilities (if moving cross country with kids,) if there are enough green places if you’re moving across the country with pets, and exploring the business market.

How to Move to a New City – Best Tips for Light Packing and Becoming the Packer of the Year

Packing for most people is the most tedious task in the whole relocation process. If you’re one of them, we have some great tips that will help you pack faster, and it can even become your favorite task.

However, if you can get another pair of hands to help you, do it. Working together with your family and friends is an awesome way to spend some quality moments and check if they know some hacks for packing fragile items and valuable tips on how to pack shoes.

When it comes to putting your items into boxes, the most important thing is to have everything prepared in advance. Be sure you have enough packing supplies. You shouldn’t interrupt everything once you start with this process because you lack bubble wrap. Here are the supplies you should get:

• Boxes,
• Packing paper,
• Bubble wrap,
• Tape,
• Scissors,
• Marker.

After getting familiar with the supplies you’ll need, let’s see what tips you have to use if you opt for light packing.

Start With Decluttering Your Home

Organizing your whole relocation won’t be an easy task to do. However, there are many tricks and hacks you can learn that will help you get through the whole process without stress. One of the most effective methods to make the packing process easier is to declutter your house.

If you moved before, you are familiar with the most common question – what to keep when moving cross country. Decluttering will help you with that because you’ll get rid of all items you don’t need or use anymore.

So, start separating your belongings room by room and create two piles – one to keep and the second not to keep. The second pile you can sell or donate is on the website Goodwill.

Labeling Boxes is One of the Best Ways to Stay Organized

Most of us forget this crucial step – labeling boxes. After you learn some of the most useful packing tips for efficiently wrapping up your clothes and other items, you should remember to label each box.

Write with marker on the box’s sides what is in it – it’s better to pack room by room and write which room is packed in which box. That way, when it comes to unpacking, you won’t lose much time on finding some specific item for the kitchen, for example, because it will be in the “kitchen” box.

Pack Aside an Essential Bag for the Relocation Day

Prepare one bag with the essentials, like some snacks, toilet paper, toys for kids, and pet food. This is a very important thing to do because, when the relocation day comes, you won’t have any free moment to take care of things like this.

Clean Your Old and Future Apartment

Adjusting to your future home can be hard, and you should give yourself some time to get used to life in the unknown surroundings. However, you should do everything you can to make the whole process easier. Imagine what your first impression of the place would be if it is clean and tidy. And now imagine the opposite situation. So, if you’re new at this, learn how to clean the place before you move in and create a comfortable space for yourself.

On the other hand, you shouldn’t leave your old place with all the mess left in the wake of professional cross-country movers loading all the boxes and other items into the truck. So, get your old place cleaned, as well. You can watch the video below with some awesome hacks on how to clean your apartment faster.

Figure Out How Much Money You’ll Need for This Relocation

If wondering how do you move to a new city with no money or job, you better start saving some money right after you decide to move. The reality is you can’t move without any money, even if you choose to DIY. In fact, sometimes it is even more expensive to move on your own because you have to cover all that would otherwise be part of cross-country moving services, from finding a truck to buying or renting storage facilities for your belongings.

So, figuring out how much money you’ll need for the relocation process should be one of the first things to do. Put on paper every little thing essential for the move you can remember, and create a smart relocating budget. From finding out how much professional long-distance movers cost to deciding how to tip the long-distance movers, it can be quite a task to do, but once you have everything planned out, you won’t come to any unexpected expense.

Consider Living With a Roommate If Relocating on a Budget

If some services don’t meet your budget, you’re probably thinking in the line of “how do I move to a new city and save some money.” The answer is to find a roommate and split the costs of rent and utility bills. Maybe it’s not what you planned, but it is a good start if you realize you can’t pay the bills. This is not a bad idea if you’re relocating alone because you can connect with your future roommate and the people she or he knows.

Prepare Yourself for a Productive Interview and Start Looking for a Job

Although relocating without work is possible, it’s better to do some research of the business market before the move. So, if you’re wondering, “how do I get a job in a new city before I move,” we have some great tips you can learn and easily find a job in your future place. The fastest way is to check the most popular occupations in the place you’re relocating to and start applying for the offers you find on Linkedin. However, it might be hard to find the position you’re interested in initially, but don’t get discouraged. You can work some part-time jobs in the first few months, and eventually, the perfect position will come.

Take Care Of the Utilities and Change of Address Before the Relocation Day

Many of us postpone smaller tasks because we think they won’t be much of a problem. But when you don’t get your mail and bills, then the situation becomes troublesome. Tasks like these require just a few minutes of your attention because you can have it done in just one call or two clicks. Contact the utility providers and let them know you’re relocating, and ask them to transfer utilities at least one day before you move in. This task is an important one because you don’t want to enter your future apartment without water, electricity, or heating.

Then you can deal with utilities that can be dealt with online. Let’s see what else you should do before the relocation day:

• Change your address – use the online USPS form and change your address in one minute.
• Update car registration and driver’s license – if you plan on using a car shipping service, you should check if an update of car registration and your driver’s license is needed.
• Update voter registration – a task people often forget when relocating.

Throw a Party and Say Hello to Your Future Neighborhood

Even though it’s going to be a challenging period, you’ll have to upgrade your social life once you move in. You don’t have to start networking right away – use as much time as you want to adjust to the home and whole neighborhood. You’ll start making friends in the future place when you’re ready. When that happens, throw a party and invite your neighbors and coworkers to your place. It’s a great way to meet your future BFF.

Make Connections and Find Groups You’re Interested in

Unknown surroundings can be a problem when you don’t have anyone to talk to. Solve that on your own and join various clubs and groups that interest you. There is at least one sport or book club in every town you can join and meet someone with the same interests.

Don’t Forget to Hear From Your Family and Friends From the Old City

You moved away from your family and the crew you’ve been hanging out with, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay in touch. Luckily, nowadays, there are many apps with video calls that could be very useful if you’re wondering how to keep in touch with friends after the move. You can set in your calendar a reminder to contact them once a week or whenever you’re free.

How Do I Move to a New City? Contact a Reliable Cross-Country Moving Company to Help You With Your Move

Last but surely not least, contact a trustworthy long-distance moving company like Cross Country Movers to help you with tasks you just can’t deal with.

We can provide a professional packing service with boxes and other supplies included because it can save you a lot of free moments and nerves, as well. We think about our clients’ well-being and state of mind.

Let’s face it – relocation isn’t something you should do on your own. So, hire Cross Country Movers to take care of all the services regarding relocation, leaving the only thing left to relax and think about your future home in a brand-new city.