Any tips for moving cross country?

[Alicia64]

Hi Everyone,

 

We're starting from scratch. We have many questions:

 

pod? Moving van? Or. . .?

 

how do you get cars from the west coast to the east coast?

 

leave our current house empty for the Realtor to sell? (On the surface, it sounds easier w/ kids.)

 

I think dh would drive the van cross country w/ our dog. And then the kids and I would fly. Thoughts on this idea?

 

Anything at all that you can share is very appreciated!!

 

Alley

[SonshineLearner]

Wow, Congrats, I hope... Where are you moving??

Carrie:-)

[Alicia64]

Thanks for asking! It's looking like dh will get a job in Richmond, VA and we live in California.

 

I'm the kind of person who loves to have my ducks in a row as soon as possible -- while dh is pretty much the opposite! :glare:

 

I thought if anyone would know how to move -- this group would know!

 

Alley

[newlifemom]

I remember reading something here about some way to move for way cheaper than we did 1 1/2 years ago. I was pretty upset. Anyway, I just started calling around. Pods are cheaper than a moving company, but U-Haul was cheaper than that. Just know that they only allow 10 days for the truck and 3,100 miles on the truck [read - you won't get to see a whole lot of the country. Just I-80 or whatever route you take. I drove the van, dh drove the truck and towed the other car (costs extra). It is a lot, but if two 'babies' of each family (one of which is afflicted with pack rat syndrom) can pack up a house and move 6 people across country while pregnant, than anyone can do it. :D

[WTMCassandra]

If your DH's work will pay for a full-service move, TAKE IT. Our cross-country move was the first one that we used a moving company for, and it was totally worth it. The benefits package included shipping one car, so we shipped DH's small car and drove our van.

 

If you drive, I very strongly recommend audiobooks. We set up a schedule of individual story time with CD players (a time of refreshing silence for Mom and Dad), group story time with the van's stereo, individual playtime, and group playtime. I also had some little gifts for them once or twice a day that they got to unwrap and add to their personal backpacks. Wikki Sticks were very popular. It took us 7 1/2 days to drive from Blacksburg, VA, to eastern WA.

 

I can't speak to the house issue. If it were me, I would get it on the market ASAP and when it sells, it sells, whether before or after the move.

 

I think your move options come down to what the company will pay for. Surely they will pay SOMETHING for a cross-country move . . .?

[Momling]

We've done it twice! Once from CA to CT with 1 & 3 yr olds and once from CT to OR with 5 & 7 yr olds!

 

Both moves were excellent. The first move, we decided that we did not own enough to warrant properly moving. So we sold everything we had that couldn't fit into our mini van (or be shipped media mail through the post). We put the kids in the sedan and we drove!

 

On the move back, we had more stuff (and more money). We sent everything via PODS. Get a quote from them, compare with ABF and then go back to them and ask if you can get a better rate. We hired 2 moving guys (best 70$ ever) and they were able to pack the POD efficiently.

 

We had a wonderful road trip on the way back! We spent a few weeks and saw some very interesting sights.