Aid-U Moving understands how stressful your relocation can be. It is double as stressful if you are moving more than hundred miles away from your hometown city or state. We are here to help you focus and make your move run flawlessly with our expert long distance moving tips. Below we’ve gathered the most important tips for long distance moving according to us:
Plan your long-distance move.
It is very important to plan your move, especially the long distance one since any mistake will cost you a lot of money. You are about to move your belongings a hundred or thousand miles away. It may feel really disappointing if you realize you forgot to take care of important things when you are far from your home, and you would feel very unwilling to return back to finish up things you could have handled right from the beginning. That is why you would need to create a list of the things you need to do and break them down based on importance. There are important things that need to be handled right away like school enrollment for your kids in a new area or updating driver’s licenses, and things that can wait till the moving day like freeing up the freezer. We advise you to break down your to-do list and spread tasks across your schedule. That way it won’t feel overwhelming for you. Because the accomplishment of some tasks doesn’t depend on you, try to move them as far as possible from your moving day. Believe our experience, planning will make you feel more prepared for a move and less stressful.
Create an inventory list.
It is very important to write down all the items you would want to move to a new location either electronically or just on paper. It would be helpful in any case whether you are moving items yourself or using the moving company services. Since most long-distance moves are charged by moving companies based on a specific rate per weight of your belongings, making an inventory list would give you an approximate idea of how much it would cost. You just need to find out what is the specific rate for moving to your new location. On Aid-U Moving website you can fill out the quote form, then you can actually upload your inventory of items to get the accurate price estimate. The more accurate and detailed is your inventory, the more accurate price you would receive from our system. Making an inventory list would also be helpful since you can double check your items that were loaded to the moving truck and confirm that nothing was left behind. It is highly recommended that you do such checkups. It is especially important for long distance moves since the delivery of your belongings happens approximately two weeks later after your items were loaded to the truck. You definitely need to do a checkup of your items according to the inventory list upon the delivery to make sure nothing is lost on the trip.
Get at least 3 in-home estimates from different moving companies.
Creating an inventory list is helpful but nothing compares with price accuracy of the in-home estimate. In addition, most moving companies offer free in-home estimates. Our advice is to get at least 3 in-home estimates from different moving companies in order to get acquainted with their policies, rates, costs and any questions you might have. In such a way, you will find companies with more favorable terms for your case. Aid-U Moving provides daily free in-home estimate sessions and you can just call us to request one.
Pick the right moving company.
When picking a moving company please do not get attached to the appealingly low estimated price. While saving extra bucks is pleasant you should pick a reliable moving company who can get the job done. You might ask how you would find and choose such a moving company. You might want to conduct a research of companies from your in-home estimate discussed earlier. First, you need to check if the moving company is licensed and insured. This will show if the company is government licensed and is in compliance with moving laws and regulations. Usually, the licensing information is placed on the website. Also, you might want to check if the company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. You might ask about the insurance. Usually, legal moving companies should provide 0.60 cents per pound free insurance to every client. Check the company rating and reviews on Google and read through them. Read through the order for the service document. Make sure that you are not dealing with moving broker companies. They would book you as a moving company, however, they would sell your job to a real moving company which would be performing your job. The problem here is that they might sell you to a non-reputable moving company. You would be surprised to find out that Aid-U Moving offers appealingly low rates while maintaining its licensing and insurance. In addition, the company is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with A+ rating. We are a real moving company with real movers and helpers who would be performing your job.
Be aware of the delivery window and take important items with yourself.
Most moving companies provide a lengthy delivery window over two weeks for long distance moves. It means that your belongings might arrive in 14 days (still depends on the distance and company terms) or more after they’ve been loaded to the truck initially. If you already moved to a new location, it means that you won’t be able to use your items for as long as two weeks. That is why you need to keep all the major necessities with yourself. Think about items you would need for your first week such as a few dishes, pans, bedding, towels, some personal clothing and necessities. Our recommendation is to grab one or two boxes with important things with yourself so you can survive the delivery period. We also recommend moving small and expensive things such as jewelry yourself since they can get lost during the moving process.
Organize your belongings during packing and label them.
If you choose to pack your belongings yourself, make sure to organize them either by rooms or house areas instead of just throwing them into a box randomly. You can label boxes with numbers according to your inventory list so it would be easier to keep track of them and to unpack them as well. It is important to label your boxes with your name and phone number. During long distance deliveries, moving companies put items of several deliveries into one moving truck. Your boxes may mix up with somebody else’s so labeling ensures that there is some kind of differentiation. In addition, even if the box gets magically mixed up with your name, there should be a phone number which can be dialed at any time.
Let professionals pack your fragile items.
Remember that it is a long distance move so packing needs to be done keeping in mind how long belongings and items would be shaking on the road. If you have fragile items or expensive items it is highly recommended that you use the packing services of the moving companies. They’ve been packing items for a longer time than you so they know how to do that professionally in the current circumstances. Tapes, bubble wraps and covers used professionally would make sure that your fragile items would survive the move and serve your purpose for a long time. Aid-U Moving provides professional packing services billed by hourly rate. You can request a separate packing day service from us by filling out our quote form.
Purchase moving insurance if you have valuable items.
Moving companies usually offer a free limited coverage insurance required by the law which is around 0.60 cents per pound. If you have highly valuable or expensive belongings that is definitely not enough. If you can afford it, we highly recommend that you buy a full cover if you have valuable and expensive items being moved just for your own peace of mind. The most popular moving insurance company is movinginsurance.com.
Aid-U Moving is a top professional long distance moving company located in the heart of San Diego with years of moving experience serving the west coast of the USA. If you need a long distance move within California or to Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado states, we know how to make your moving run flawless without stress for you. Just call us or fill out the moving quote form if you need help with your long distance moving.
