In a previous post, I went over some mistakes to avoid when moving cross country. Now, let’s do that with some positive spin. Here are 5 tips on how to move cross country and stay HEALTHY. 

But first, we ALL KNOW moving is stressful. Personally, I’ve moved cross-country 3 times. Chicago TO California. California TO Chicago. Chicago TO Portland. I’m also a deeply anxious and neurotic person, so I need to keep my head level and stable whenever making major moves. 

How to Move (Cross Country) and Stay Healthy

Tip 1: PURGE

DO NOT BRING ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS. 

Use moving as a great excuse to cut down on your belongings. You most likely do not need every t-shirt you own. You probably don’t need your DVD collection from college. Most likely, you have pictures printed that you’ve never hung up and never plan to.

PURGE. 

Make donate and trash piles, and use them. You don’t have to go full Marie Kondo, but every single item you bring costs money. Sometimes, it’s cheaper to purge the belonging than pay to have it moved, stored, and then thrown out during your next move. 

A good rule of thumb for clothes that I read recently in Essentialism by Greg McKeown: If you pick something up and wouldn’t buy it again, purge it. Not sure if you would? Then ask the second question: How much would I pay for this now? 

Tip 2: Have a fund

While I hate to say it, you need money to move. The amount varies depending on how far you need to go, what you are bringing, and how fast you’re going, but it’s high nonetheless. As I write this, gas in Portland, Oregon is over $5 a gallon, so driving yourself is expensive, and all other movers are raising rates due to those high gas costs. 

You need money for movers (if you’re using them), gas (if you’re driving), down payments for apartments (or houses), and more. 

It’s important that you keep track of all expenses, tally them up, and then save 10% MORE THAN THAT.  

Something always comes up. 

For us, it was needing to do a second moving truck to move things to a storage unit once we arrived in Portland. For you, it may be a flat tire on the drive. Who KNows? Save 10% more than your budget tells you to. 

There are few things more stressful than the feeling of having no money. If you make your big move, plan to live your life, and don’t have the funds for it… well, you’re going to be stressed. Stress destroys health: mental and physical. 

Please, save as much as you can, and if you still want to move and don’t have the funds, change the plan to a cheaper model. You can make it work on many budgets, but you can’t do it for free.

Tip 3: Visit before you go

This one may leave some thinking “wow, this B is not adventurous.” And honestly, I’m not spontaneously adventurous. I love to travel and trying new things, but If I’m going to spend thousands of dollars to move cross-country, I want to visit where I’m going to move. I want to know I’ll LOVE it. 

Ideally, you’d visit multiple times at different times of the year, but that’s not always possible. Try to visit at least once before you pay for a move (Hint: It’s not cheaper to move home, so if you do hate it, you’re paying the same to move back). I’ve been to many places which on paper seem perfect, but once I get there, I hate. 

For Portland, I was blessed, and I visited 3 times before moving.  Visiting gives you a vibe and a feel that you can’t get through the web. You can learn a lot through internet browsing, but you can’t learn vibes. 

Tip 4: PLAN

My first step in most plans: is ACTUALLY Plan. 

I’m a type-A, Virgo with an anxiety disorder. Planning saves my life. I believe research and planning keep us from blowing this way and that with every minor setback. Spontaneity sounds fun, but planning keeps us healthy.

Now, some people think planning means just making a list of what you need to do. No. Planning means having a plan A, plan B, plan C, and more. My favorite way to plan is to journal out the best-case scenario (Happy Path). Journal out the worst-case scenario (Evil Path). Then, write a middle scenario that has ups and downs (Life Path).

Each of those transforms into a plan with branches. 

For moving, here would be an example: 

For the middle case scenario, for instance, I need to pay movers in one city, purge belongings to make the movers cheaper, I need to save more before going, and I’ll need a budget once I get there. I’ll see friends, but my drive will take longer since I’d be alone. All of that is the plan, the timeline, and the research.

Tip 5: Take Breaks

Because you’re an amazing planner already with step 4, you know your timeline. You know how long things will take you and when you’re moving. That means you can plan breaks. 

I suggest, if you have the time, take one alone-time night a week where you just do things that fill your cup. Then, if you can, see a friend or a family member once a week. 

When I prioritized seeing others, I was so happy. I didn’t feel any regret when I left that I didn’t see so and so or left anyone hanging. (I wish I’d done more me-time, though). 

Take care of yourself and re-charge. Even when you plan amazingly, moving is stressful. Some ideas to fill your cup include going for long walks, playing a video game, reading a book, or seeing a movie. Maybe some things you can do with friends would include getting drinks, having a “clean out my fridge” dinner party, or seeing a comedy show. 

This will probably continue to be an ongoing series, but for now, these are five steps and tips to get your move going better and to move cross country and stay healthy. Feel free to check out my mistakes to avoid them yourself, and let me know in the comments below some of your own tips and fails with your moves.