Chris,
Moving. We did it last summer and we are doing it again this summer, so it doesn?t hurt for me to start thinking about it now. I hope what follows is helpful?and these tidbits are in no specific order?just stream of consciousness. It's going to be pricey.
1) If the move is closely related to work (perhaps your girlfriend can swing this part), check out the IRS website for publication 521 and form 3903 making it a tax-deductible event. Gotta love Adobe Acrobat.
2) Start making the change-of-address list now. I just open a Word file, save it to my desktop, and keep a running list. You really do need to start this early to ensure not missing anyone. The last thing you want to do is spend time on the phone begging for late fees to be removed while you?re trying to settle in.
3) Check out truck rentals on-line. We moved from DC to Oregon (sea to shining sea) and got a 17 ft Uhaul for $706. We got a discount for setting up the rental online, and while I was comparing prices and making various inquiries (3rd call to Uhaul), they gave me an additional discount if I would set up the rental that day. That dropped the price significantly! Other rentals ranged from 875 to 1200. You can first set up a tentative ?hold? type rental, and finalize it later. I guess Uhaul was anxious for me to get it off hold. Even then, we could have canceled without penalty as long as we did so within specified time frames. All were good about giving us enough mileage. They say to make reservations about 1 month in advance, especially during the summer and around weekend days.
4) You may save by renting a diesel, though many companies have been phasing out the diesel engines except for their largest moving vans. This website has a link to daily nationwide gas prices:
http://www.dor.state.ne.us/rca/
5)Watch out for road construction.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/index.htm This link will take you to each state?s DOT page, and most have good road construction updates. Indiana?s is especially good, for eg. There?s nothing like being stuck in a 12 mile backup at high noon in July. We have a joke where I come from?Nebraska has 2 seasons: winter and road construction.
6) Plan your trip route carefully. How many miles can you really drive in a day and still make it all the way across? We usually drove 10 hour days (in separate vehicles), but had the benefit of my parents in Omaha (just off I-80)! We took a 2 day rest there and still had enough days to make our destination. I recommend one of the trip-planner programs. I think we used the Rand McNally Tripmaker, and it was incredibly accurate and useful.
7) Book motels well in advance. We watched people struggling to get motel rooms in the Midwest somewhere because there was a huge biker rally going on nearby. There weren?t rooms to be had along the interstate within a 2 hour radius! Who woulda thunk it?!? But we had our reservations and got to see some great Harleys.
8) Are you bringing a car? We chose not to tow it behind because we have no experience driving anything that long! We saw many moving van accidents along the way due to inexperience?just a word of caution.
9) If driving separately: we got those little two-way radios, and they were a blast! Kept us awake and we got to point out stuff to one another, tell the other person to stop at the next rest stop, etc. They were also useful for backing up the van because I could stand outside and give directions to my husband through the two-way. I could also speed up and scout things out on the road ahead in traffic so he could switch to appropriate lanes easily. It sucks to be in a moving van in some strange city with 5 lanes bumper to bumper, making a lane change at the last minute.
10) Be prepared for a moving van breakdown. We?ve never had one, but we?ve seen them all along the way?from all companies. When I asked Uhaul who would have to move our belongings from one van to the next in the event of a breakdown, they said we would!
11) Speaking of moving belongings, since we have a 2 bedroom and moved to a town where we knew not a soul, we hired people to help us unload. I called some of those temporary help companies until I found one that hired out directly to regular folk (not just to businesses). We hired three guys to unload all our stuff for about $200. They had a 4 hour contract minimum. There was just no way we could do it by ourselves, up two flights of stairs. Just FYI, hired help is out there?at a price. It was worth it after the drive across the US.
12) Don?t believe what the moving companies tell you a moving van will hold. We had a 2 bedroom apartment, only 1 bedroom set and no couch. We still had trouble getting all our stuff into a 17 foot van. Another caveat, the 17 ft does not describe the ft of the cargo area. Maybe it was nose to tail? I don?t recall.
13) Bigger is better. It sucks to try to stack your stuff floor to ceiling.
14) The commercial moving van route? We priced it at 3-5K. Ouch! If you do go that route, be aware that these companies aren?t really regulated, so they can hold your stuff until you pay, and you have little recourse. We?ve had friends get shafted. Be sure to get quotes on-site and in writing.
15) A train? Never thought of that. Let me know what you come up with!
16) If you wind up driving, invest in a good pair of sunglasses. An absolute must!
Whew. That was long. I?m sure there?s a lot more good advice out there. Anyone want to share?
I-80, here we come,
Kris
