So you want to move across the country? Maybe you have to handle a big move for a job? Well, you are in the right place! I’m going to give you some tips that helped me prepare and organize our successful cross country move!
My husband and I moved to Hawaii about a year and a half ago. We were living in Colorado and then temporarily in Virginia before the move to the island. We had about 7 months to prepare for the move and I was ready to get started!
Personally, I love to prepare. It is one of my favorite pastimes! Dreaming and thinking out all of the possible outcomes really sets my mind at ease (hello enneagram 6). It makes me feel that I’m prepared to handle any of the outcomes and gives a small sense of control. (and who doesn’t like control??)
The move proved to be a TON of steps and lots of information we needed to familiarize ourselves with. Let’s talk about that process and some important tools that I believe helped me tremendously in that stressful process!
Disclaimer: No matter how much you plan, there will probably be at least some stress, but we can handle it! (If you’re into essential oils, grab them! I used oils to support my emotions daily during this time!)
I truly believe that we were blessed in our process. Some people really seem to hit roadblock after roadblock and our moving process was relatively smooth. Everything fell into place and we were so thankful. All of the preparation may have played a role in that but there was also divine intervention, for sure.
First things first
The first thing I did was head to Walmart and bought a huge binder, we’re talking 1 1/2 – 2 inches! I used folders as dividers so we could store loose papers or receipts in them (it worked perfectly).
The first thing I did at home was design a cover for the binder labeled, “Moving to Hawaii”. If you skip this then how will you remember what you bought the binder for, right?? (I’m more likely to get excited about a tool if it is pleasing to look at!)
Then you can divide up the sections into topics that apply to your move.
Divider section examples
Movers
Apartment clear out
Car Shipment
Dog Shipment
Hotel / Food budget
House or apartment areas / maps / possibilities
Job information if you’re moving for work
etc
For ours, I had one for our car (shipping information and requirements), hotel (we would be staying in a hotel until we found a place to live), movers(we used movers that packed up our stuff, and then companies that were in charge of getting our stuff overseas as well as deliver it to us once we found a place to live), dog (we were flying with Ellie and as she is a big dog she had to fly in cargo), money (budget information for our hotel as well as food for each day), and then flight information.
Do the research! Prepare!
There is a lot that you can do to prepare for a cross country move. Get online or join a Facebook group and do the research about the move you’re about to make! For example, I made some connections that had done a similar move before and were willing to share resources. I then found a ton of information online on my own- thanks, Google.
Then, I printed off everything I could find, put it in the binder, and STUDIED.
I was going to know EVERYTHING I could possibly know about the process and put my mind at ease. When we did hit a pause in the process, I would study my binder. This made me feel like I was still moving towards the goal.
Important tip
I highly recommend that you print off a calendar for the months that precede your move. I printed off each of those 7 months and filled out any dates that I knew of right away.
This was so helpful to have a separate printed calendar to put all of our move-related appointments and deadlines in.
It also helped prepare us for the requirements that took priority. With it, I was able to make a timeline list of our to-dos in the planning stages.
I like having a million different lists for things but you might not need to be so thorough. Do what works best for you!
Even though I had deadlines for making reservations on the calendar, I also wanted a list with numbered steps. I could check them off and clearly have my next action without searching my calendar and possibly miss something.
For instance, bringing a dog to Hawaii is not for the faint of heart. That process could be another post in and of itself and boy was it a loooooong process. (But worth it for our girl!)
There were things we needed to get done for her starting at least 3-4 months before the move! She was a priority since her process was the lengthiest and the most time-sensitive. Many steps had to be completed within a set amount of days of the previous step. I am thankful we will not have to go through that again. Thankfully getting her off island will likely be a breeze after that.
Let go of what you can’t control
Prepare for what you can control! But also prepare for the possibility that some things might be out of your control. That’s a lot of preparing but this is what works best for me. (I’m all about mental preparation- anyone else??)
I am a firm believer that things will work out even if it feels in the moment that it won’t! When we encountered a snag in our plans I would focus on one step at a time. There is comfort in knowing that the situation could be very different as soon as you get over this hump!
Though we were moving for my husband’s job, 99% of the information came from personal research! They didn’t tell him jack! (Okay, they may have told him bits and pieces, but really not much at all.)
Moving, in general, can be super stressful, let alone moving 4,700 miles away! *This is a fact.*
I hope these tips help you to prepare for a cross country move. You got this! Chances are if you are reading this then you are already taking the process into your own hands! Good for you!
I loved the binder idea so much that I will absolutely use it for our next move! Though I’m hoping that one will only require a 1 inch. 🙂
Have you handled a big move like this? Comment or message me about how you handled it! I’d love to hear from you and learn any tips for the future!
– Kailey 🙂
