Good on you felinelvr44! The part I detest about moving is the packing. All those decisions to make, all the stress...once I'm packed and on the road I actually have a good time.
My move is complete, and although I still have a few boxes to unpack and things to find homes for, it went amazingly smoothly. I was astounded by how well things went, because I anticipated that a lot of problems could crop up on the road. This is what I did well and poorly, and my advice for what it's worth.
If you are moving pets who are poor travelers, you may be able to increase their travel tolerance if you work at it for a few weeks ahead of time. I put towels down where my cats like to sleep and they got them all kitty'd up. I then moved them into the travel crates, which I left on the floor with the door open. Kitties began voluntarily sleeping in them. The week before the move, I started harnessing my cats every day so they would get accustomed to wearing harnesses (which they hate). I also started doing dry runs, taking cats with me on errands around town, to get them used to riding in the car. I also bought pheromone collars and put one on each cat. The one cat that had any problem with long days in the rental truck was my most nervous and shy girl, and since she is a lap *****, that was solved by pulling her out of the carrier, leashing her, and letting her ride on the passenger's lap. She racked out and enjoyed the ride. I left the harnesses on my cats in the crates so I could pull them out if need arose, and they were great about it. They slept all day, and we had long days (13+ hours of driving). The only downside is that they partied all night in the hotels.
Secondly, I have to highly recommend Penske for those of you who are considering renting equipment. When I called around, they had the best quote and the best deal all around (unlimited miles, new equipment, etc.). The truck we drove was a 16' truck with a car trailer attached, and it was surprisingly car-like in how it handled. Totally easy to drive, and they have a 1-800 number with 24 hour roadside assistance, not that we needed it. With the truck fully loaded and a car on the trailer, we got about 10.7 mpg for the duration of the trip, which is really not bad for a vehicle that big and heavy. Also, their customer service was great. After returning the truck, I found a furniture pad that I had missed. When I called the place I returned it, they laughed it off and told me to hang on to it, they'd just say I turned in all 12. It was nice not to have to make a second trip across town! Normally I am not such a shill, but I was very very pleased with Penske. Additionally, in the trucks that have bucket seats, there is a hugely generous space in the cab between the seats to put things. I stacked three cats in carriers and there was room for more stuff.
Another thing I would recommend is packing using rubbermaid-style totes. I bought 20 18-gallon totes and used them to pack nearly everything. I've used banker's boxes in the past and while those have been useful, they are too small to fit a lot of things. The totes set me back about $100, but I can reuse them the next time I move or I can sell them if I wish. Get the style with good built-in handles, which will make moving easier.
Don't pack your entire kitchen a week ahead of time unless you want to eat a lot of expensive takeout.
Pack a last-in first-out ("first") box. I know this is moving 101, but it helped a great deal. In mine I put all the cleaning supplies, TP, towels, shower curtain, sheets/pillows/comforter (a separate, well-labeled box), rags, paper towels, dish soap, sponge, dish detergent, laundry detergent, tools, battery-operated drill and charger, scissors, 1st aid kit, checkbook/envelopes/stamps, flashlight, lightbulbs (in case the previous tenants cheaped out on you and took theirs, or you want to swap incandescents for CFLs), trash bags, pet food and bowls, vacuum/swiffer/broom (separate and well-labeled), and paper plates. I wish I had put a bottle opener in there too, but since I labeled my totes well, I located it in about 30 seconds.
I labeled labeled labeled boxes...colored tape on all four sides for boxes with specific rooms (purple tape was kitchen, green was bathroom) and then a fat piece of masking tape on which I wrote the contents of the box. This helps a LOT on the other end. I was moving from a 1-br apartment to a 2-br house, so it was good to know where to put boxes on the unloading side.
I put easily crushable items in the car on the trailer. Things like lampshades. Worked like a charm.
Keep a notebook "brain." During the packing and the travels, I wrote down lots of packing lists, to-do checklists, and contact information for hotels, utility companies, my landlords (in case of phone death) and more. I kept it with me the whole time and it was invaluable.
This may seem specific, but why not: I have a smartphone but no data plan. For offline maps, tomtom's app can't be beat. It costs about $30 and is a great GPS app. Additionally, it keeps track of all the businesses in the area along with their phone numbers, which is incredibly useful when you don't have any wifi set up yet at the new place. I was able to find the number of a local pizza place and call ahead to hotels and restaurants as we drove. Super, super useful. I don't think the software is set up very intuitively, but the accuracy and volume of the information is what I bought it for.
I have to put in a shout-out to all the great classmates who showed up to help unpack when we arrived. I put out a call for help on the listserve and about 6 people were able to come unload us on a Sunday. So grateful...they were an amazing help. The bulk of the move was on Friday and Saturday, and that helped with traffic, although that may affect truck rental rates. With Penske, you can rent a truck and change your date later for no charge.
Packing books in rolling suitcases worked great. Furniture pads are great. Also - pack things snugly and use sturdy rope to keep it all from sliding around. So far not a single thing has arrived broken or damaged, including my giant 4'x7' mirror (!).
TL;DR - some tips from a shockingly successful move. Use psy ops on your pets, rent from Penske, totes to pack, a first box, a notebook brain, some rope, suitcases for books, and a GPS app is helpful if you have no data plan. Label stuff.
