Any moving tips for a cross-country move?

April 30, 2009 1:28 PM

Any moving tips for a cross-country move?

Specifically, how to we keep the stuff in our moving van safe at night (beyond the obvious, such as locking it up) and what to do in a truck for 21 hours of driving?

My wife and I are driving from Pittsburgh, PA to Laramie, WY and would appreciate any tips or suggestions on how to make the trip more entertaining would be greatly appreciated.

posted by elder18 to Travel & Transportation (22 answers total)

My packing tip is to throw stuff out before you go. You can easily toss several boxes worth of possessions. We've tossed several boxes of stuff as we unpacked it which seems like wasted effort.

Locking the van is probably sufficient. Park it in a well-lit place that's away from potential thieves. If you're staying in a hotel, park it near the lobby where it can be seen or park it near your room.

As for staying entertained, bring a lot of music and some books on tape/CD. Those are great and often very long, like 8 hours. Don't do super-endurance drives. Stop every few hours, stretch, take a picture. Just for a few minutes. But after a couple days the driving seems less taxing. I only felt like driving 5 hours on day one, but by day seven I was ready to drive for 9.
posted by GuyZero at 1:37 PM on April 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

I really like comedy compilations and podcasts to help space out the long drives. Definitely use the move as a time to clean out clutter, and think before packing any piece of furniture across country, especially if space is limited.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:43 PM on April 30, 2009

I've often seen full trucks park back to back so that it's impossible to get anything out without moving one of the trucks. If you could back the truck up next to a wall, that would accomplish the same thing. Hotels often have a wall around their dumpster, so maybe you can back up next to that. Or if it's possible, try to park the truck where the night person at the desk could see it if someone was unloading it.
posted by BlooPen at 2:01 PM on April 30, 2009

When you park your van at the hotel point the rear of the truck toward the hotel entrance. The night staff will have a clear view of anyone trying to monkey with your door. Bring your own music and even better, books on tape. There are looooong stretches of driving where you'll only be able to pick up 1 or 2 radio stations. Your rental van will probably have a tape player, but I can guarantee you it won't have a CD player, so bring an adapter.
Bring road snacks. My family have a long standing tradition of eating a piece of candy whenever you have to stop for construction. It makes the inevitable Summer construction delays more bearable.
posted by Eddie Mars at 2:02 PM on April 30, 2009

Can you test drive the van before you take it across country? Asking because the van DH rented for a 3hr move just killed my back. Surprised both of us as I never have back problems or problems with car seats like he does. Of course, he was fine.

Can you get an add-on, portable alarm for the truck? I used to keep a portable light with a spot light bulb trained on DH's car after someone took to breaking into it every second week. Never had a problem after that. Just set the light up in the window, away from the curtains, pointed onto the car. Guess it made whoever it was feel conspicuous.

Guidebooks or internet searches for things of interest along your route. Yes, I know you're moving, but there might be something you won't be back to see, or not for years, so take advantage of whatever you find of interest as you go. Gives you something to talk about, too. My DH will drive 8+ hours straight if you let him, so I always find something to make him stop for an hour as looking at something other than the road ahead relaxes him.

Music, lots more than you think you'll want.

BTW, after DH got very sick, I take one of those containers with a water purifier as the water in some places is just terrible. And, I take his favourite crackers, cookies, cheese, cold meats, veggies, fruit in a cooler. You can't be sure of getting something decent to eat everywhere you go when you need it.
posted by x46 at 2:05 PM on April 30, 2009

As someone who has done 2 DIY cross-country moves, here are my tips:

- You're stuff will be secure, as long as you lock up the moving truck and keep it parked in a lit lot. Quite a few hotels have parking areas designed for this.

- Plan your trip carefully. Use realistic expectations when trying to decide how far you can drive. Have you ever driven a big (or even medium-sized) moving truck? If not, 21 hrs might be a little unrealistic, even when split between 2 people.

- Also, try to decide on exactly what location you will be stopping at for the night. Can you easily maneuver the moving truck in and out of the parking lot? Google maps is your friend on this one.

- 2nd GuyZero's suggestion on the stopping every few hours. It may seem like a waste of time, but it makes a huge difference over the course of the day. One suggestion is to drive three hours, stop for 15 minutes; drive three hours, stop for 30 minutes; repeat.

- Try to pack a cooler and take your own drinks/snacks. Make it easily accessible for the driver.

- Since you are moving, and not driving, I would recommend you not turn this into a sight-seeing trip. Stick to the interstates as much as possible.

- Use care when getting on and off interstates. Most cars will not yield to you, right-of-way not withstanding.
posted by doh ray mii at 2:09 PM on April 30, 2009

Specifically, how to we keep the stuff in our moving van safe at night (beyond the obvious, such as locking it up)

Are there any casino / hotels on your route? If so, stay there, even (or especially) if you hate gambling. My experience with gambling establishments is that they A: tend to take security very, very seriously, and B: have surprisingly reasonable room rates since they intend to make their money at the tables / slots.

and what to do in a truck for 21 hours of driving?

Books on tape / cd / .mp3. There is absolutely nothing better for long drives.
posted by dersins at 2:48 PM on April 30, 2009

Are there any casino / hotels on your route?

Oh, look, tons of them at right about the halfway point.
posted by dersins at 2:51 PM on April 30, 2009

Another engaging thing to listen to - downloads of This American Life episodes.
posted by lakeroon at 2:52 PM on April 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

There are lots of good tips here. One thing: when my husband and I cross country moved last year, there was one night when we parked the truck kind of at the back of the hotel without much traffic/observation. Our stuff didn't get stolen (and we had a lock on the back so it wouldn't have been easy), but we came out in the morning to find someone had siphoned our gas! Seriously, like at least $50 of gas, gone.

Just something to keep in mind when you choose your parking spot.
posted by sickinthehead at 3:39 PM on April 30, 2009

My family moved from Denver to Greensboro, NC about a year ago. Although most of our stuff was sent via moving company, we did tow a large uhaul trailer on the trip.

I wish we had made specific plans for where we would spend the night. We ended up in a pretty seedy place in TN one night, which caused a lot of problems. Our trailer wasn't locked (we're stupid) and it was opened by some off-duty canine cops from out of state. Then they couldn't get it closed. The local PD woke us up in the middle of the night so we could close it. We were transporting a fish tank, fish (which had mostly died by then), and a cat with litter box, so there were a lot of interesting animal smells going on in and around the trailer.

For the most part, rest stops are a much nicer place to stop than gas stations for bathroom breaks. On the interstates the rest stops can be pleasant, safe and relatively clean.

Driving a moving van can be really taxing (especially if you are towing anything). Expect to get tired faster than you would on a trip in a regular car.

Our move was a tough 3 days, but I still enjoyed just talking to my husband about whatever. We just don't spend long stretches of time together that often. So just spending time with him was nice.
posted by jeoc at 3:56 PM on April 30, 2009

I don't know about homeowner's insurance (or if you're even a homeowner), but renter's insurance often covers possessions in your vehicle, even while moving from one place to another. Obviously worth double-checking, but it's pretty cheap and may be worth the peace of mind.
posted by one_bean at 4:25 PM on April 30, 2009

I moved cross country a year ago (NC -> CA) and my advice is just to get rid of absolutely everything that isn't 100% non-replaceable or some kind of priceless heirloom. Sell everything and then buy a used replacement when you get to your destination. If you have a lot of books, media mail them for super-cheap.

For security just get a good lock and back the truck up against a wall. Worked for me even though we stayed in some sketchy, cheap hotels.
posted by bradbane at 5:55 PM on April 30, 2009

As an alternative to books on tape and podcasts, consider the passenger reading to the driver. I've done this on some cross-country trips. It's really nice.
posted by stargell at 6:37 PM on April 30, 2009

Seconding craven_morhead's suggestion earlier of comedy compilations. It keeps your brain engaged and laughing will definitely make the ride seem shorter. Books on tape, of course, are also a good idea. Many libraries have downloads available so you could put it on your iPod (or other mp3 device) rather than worry about how to get the library material home afterward. If you don't already have one, a cassette adapter/radio tuner that plugs into your iPod is worth its weight in gold.

Parking the van near the hotel lobby and backing in (if possible) are good ideas. If you have anything extremely valuable or irreplaceable, consider packing it in a separate box or bag and bringing it into the hotel with you.
posted by amicamentis at 7:19 PM on April 30, 2009

Also, if you're doing the ipod transmitter thing, consider unscrewing your radio antenna. It's reversible, and it means that you don't have all of the annoying interference from real, crappy, radio stations.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:21 PM on April 30, 2009

You haven't asked, so I assume you know how to protect your stuff inside the van by properly packing the boxes, labeling them, and securing everything so it does not shift all over during your drive, right?
posted by TDIpod at 8:54 PM on April 30, 2009

I moved from CA to KS in January.
All my live plants froze to death.
A horrible way to die. :(
Long story short, due to emotional turmoil, it never occurred to me that it would be too cold for them.
Luckily, I left a few favorites behind.
posted by saragoodman3 at 8:55 PM on April 30, 2009

Security and soundtracks seem to be pretty well covered! Other things I've been thinking about:

1. Remember how to downshift! It's pretty flat for most of your trip and then you start going up in Nebraska... and then there's a pretty steep, long slope just as you drive down into Laramie on the I-80. Don't ride your brakes! (speaking from experience on this very route)
2. Know the dimensions of your truck and get used to using the mirrors, making wider turns, and especially giving yourself more time to stop. With all your stuff in the back, you have a lot more momentum.
3. Have both salty and sweet snacks to balance out your cravings (mmm, chips and chocolate) but keep some healthy crunchy stuff with you too, like fruit, and lots of water.
4. Bring a couple of towels: to dry off if you have to go out in the rain, to wipe your heads off if you're eating or drinking, to soak up the drinks you might spill, to sit on if you or your seat feels sweaty...
5. Echoing those who say it's not ideal to sightsee in a moving van, but it is a good idea to make regular stops to stretch and stand still in the landscape instead of barrelling through it. Plan out chunks of driving time and general spots along your route where you are going to stop. When I've done this in the past, it was fun to try to see the same particular feature or landmark in the cities we stopped in, for example, taking a picture of the bridges, those grand old post office buildings, the local coffee shop, a really big tree, or even just the city-elevation-population signs.
6. Picking up/borrowing some of the Roadside Geology series guides to some of the states you will be driving through can give you more information on those features, if you are into that. One of the things I love about crossing the continent is the appreciation for the diverse landscape and the opportunity to see how geology and ecosystems are connected across a larger scale.
7. If you like particular kinds of food, you could research restaurants ahead of time in the towns you have a rough idea of taking a break in and do a little cross-country comparison.
8. Keeping a little trip diary can really enhance your memory of the trip too... I wish I had done that more regularly. You can document the new little and big things you see, thoughts you have, songs that really resonated as you drove through certain spots...
9. Whoever isn't driving can take pictures from the truck as you go. You can pick a theme; for example, there are always signs somewhere that strike you funny or don't make as much sense as they should.
10. Give yourself some non-driving downtime at the end of your days before you sleep so that you don't see the moving highway in your head every time you close your eyes.
posted by onoclea at 11:04 PM on April 30, 2009

Response by poster: Thank you so much for the very useful answers! There were some things I hadn't thought of before, so I'm grateful for your help.
posted by elder18 at 7:54 AM on May 1, 2009

Three things, two of which have been said several times above;

1) Driving a truck is tiring. It will take longer than driving the same route by car. It took nearly 12 hours to get to my friend's house that is usually just over 6 hours away. Do stop a *lot*. Get out, walk. Drinking lots of water helps to ensure this. (If you have any carpal tunnel, wear bicycling gloves to dampen out the vibrations some.)

2) Don't move it if you don't absolutely have to. Give it away, donate it or even pitch it before the move. Two years later, I'm still suffering because of not doing this (bonus advice - 2 weeks is not long enough to plan, pack and execute a move halfway across the country).

3) Overlabel your boxes. If the box contains kitchen knives, coffee mugs, cookbooks and a thermometer, write all of that on the outside. You'll be happy when you need a hot pad, and you can easily find the box they are in without opening the wrong boxes. This makes unpacking easier. Also, pack one box of kitchen essentials (everything you need for the first 24 hours), another of bathroom essentials and another of sleeping essentials. Put those on the truck *last*.
posted by QIbHom at 9:24 AM on May 1, 2009

Get a truck with a LIFT.

Imho, getting a truck with a lift is even more important (and efficient) than a pre-move purge. This is not to dismiss the value of pre-move purging, but purging takes time & (a lot of) mental energy, either/both of which may be limited. Getting a truck with a LIFT takes a few phone calls. (Be sure to ask specifically -- in general, making the distinction whether their trucks are lift vs. ramp equipped is pretty low on the phone-answerer's priority list)

As a metric, I'd rather move 3X stuff with a lift-equipped truck than 1X stuff with a ramp-equipped truck. That ratio goes up steeply with large &/or heavy objects (up to, oh, about 7:1). Seriously. A lift will save you time, energy, and back pain.

My other suggestion would be to take ear plugs, as trucks tend to be noisy. (Ymmv; I notice and dislike noise more than most people..)
posted by Tuesday After Lunch at 1:02 PM on May 1, 2009