Prepping for Long Distance Move

[SunnyOne]

I've never moved long distance before, only locally. My questions are ones of ignorance in this regard, hoping others here are more experienced with the process.

I am moving from Virginia to Florida. So far, I have vacated my rental condo. I have packed about 30 boxes and am keeping a couple pieces of furniture, now in storage. The rest of my pared down "stuff" is an assortment of duffel bags stuffed with clothes and family quilts.

(1) Will movers take more than boxes and furniture? Can I send along the duffel bags also with them?

Also, an open box of my great grandmother's china that I can't bear to part with and a few pieces of her glass antiques...trying to figure out what to do.


I figure I am likely better off moving the fragile things myself, looking now into renting a passenger van and driving that myself, returning back here to get my car.

(2) Suggestions for where to turn to rent a van?

(3) Suggestions for a recommended moving company?

Thanks again.

 

[Nick12]

I've never moved long distance before, only locally. My questions are ones of ignorance in this regard, hoping others here are more experienced with the process.

I am moving from Virginia to Florida. So far, I have vacated my rental condo. I have packed about 30 boxes and am keeping a couple pieces of furniture, now in storage. The rest of my pared down "stuff" is an assortment of duffel bags stuffed with clothes and family quilts.

(1) Will movers take more than boxes and furniture? Can I send along the duffel bags also with them?

Also, an open box of my great grandmother's china that I can't bear to part with and a few pieces of her glass antiques...trying to figure out what to do.


I figure I am likely better off moving the fragile things myself, looking now into renting a passenger van and driving that myself, returning back here to get my car.

(2) Suggestions for where to turn to rent a van?

(3) Suggestions for a recommended moving company?

Thanks again.

Amtrak Auto train from Lorton VA, to Sanford,FL right near Orlando is an option. It will save you about 12 hours driving. Leaves VA at 4p.m. And arrives in FL at 9am. I've taken the auto train. The seating is as big and roomier than flying first class. Dinner and breakfast included in the price.The auto train takes big SUVs so check to see if they take a commercial van.

 

[mystang52]

I would never trust movers to properly handle fragile items. Besides, if you made great effort in packing them, you'd have serious regrets if one of those heirlooms were damaged. Take the heirlooms with you.

 

[WyomingLife]

We did a cross country move from NVA years ago. Moved an entire house and 25 years of memories.

1. Interview several movers. There are good ones and bad ones, and ones in between. There are ratings online, or were. Get recommendations from local friends. Interview movers in person. They will come out and meet with you to provide a cost estimate. I would never hire a mover without meeting them in person first to get some measure of their character, professionalism, etc.

2. Depending on the size of your load, they may fit you with other stuff going to Florida. Don’t assume you will get a dedicated truck that will show up one day to pack you up, then start driving to Florida. Assume your goods may be temporarily stored in a warehouse. Your move could take two or three weeks.

3. Take a careful inventory in advance. I would also take pictures of everything.

4. If you pack yourself, as it sounds like you did, expect the mover to disclaim or limit liability for damage. And you can expect things to be lost or damaged, even if the mover is reputable.

5. They should take duffel bags, etc. They moved a lot of oddball stuff for us in addition to furniture and boxes. They will tag everything. Again, however, different movers may have different requirements — and do you really want two of your duffel bags sitting in some warehouse in South Carolina for two weeks along with a billion other duffel bags, kiddie bikes, boxes, furniture and other stuff that a million other people are also trying to move at the same time?

6. Monitor the unload carefully. Take pictures. Record damage. You and the mover will both have inventory/packing lists to double check one another.

7. Take anything fragile in your own car. It isn’t clear to me why you need a van, unless your load is small and you are going to move yourself.

8. Under all scenarios, expect the experience to be stressful, maybe even miserable. Expect items to arrive broken. Expect boxes to be lost. If you document everything at both ends of the move, however, you will increase your odds of getting some compensation. I wouldn’t count on it, however.

Good luck.

 

[njhowie]

(1) Will movers take more than boxes and furniture? Can I send along the duffel bags also with them?

Of course you can - and they will put them each in their own box, charging you for each box and additional weight (estimated/inflated of course). Last time we moved that is exactly what happened to us. We literally moved down the road - just 3 miles. I moved all of the small stuff over a few weeks with my van, got the moving company (a well-known name) to do the furniture and whatever small stuff was left. We had a skinny standing plant, maybe 4 or 5 feet tall, and they did put it in a box and charged us $10 to move it. Had we seen that coming (among other additional charges above the quote), it would have found its way into the trash.

I have an extremely negative view of all movers - they are out to extort you. Whatever quote they give you add on 25% to 50%, because the price at the end will be higher.

Consider:
U-Pack - https://www.upack.com

or

U-Box from Uhaul - https://www.uhaul.com/UBox

or

Pods - https://www.pods.com/moving-services/long-distance-moving

Pods also says they can refer you to local packing companies to assist. They probably can do the same at your destination to unpack.

 

[Montecfo]

Hello from a fellow NOVA resident!

We moved long distance three times as a married couple. Some observations.

Movers will take pretty much anything. They MAY prefer everything in boxes as that is how they keep track of things-numbered boxes. It is possibility they could simply tag your duffels.

Have you gotten any estimates? They can vary a good bit. They have insurance also against breakage, etc.

You can rent a van from any local U-haul. They also have boxes and packing material.

You can also ship your car to save you the trip back. The moving companies can give you bids and there are companies out there (internet search will locate them) that do auto moves.

In my experience, the big interstate moving companies do a fantastic job. They will also pack for you if desired. We never experienced breakage of any of our china or dishes as they pack it well but it does happen. Plus they have boxes designed for china.

Based on the info you have shared, I would probably hire movers to take everything. If you prefer to take the china yourself, I would pack it carefully and drive it down in my car and let the movers handle everything else. That way you cut out the rental van and the second drive to Fla.

We did not have the negative experiences some other posters have. We found the bids to be competitive and we could have them agree to a not to exceed price as I recall. If you buy the good insurance they are responsible, and inventory everything carefully. You can watch this process and they give you a copy of the inventory so you can check it off yourself.

Good luck! Sounds like an exciting adventure.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Agree with the pod option. We always did military moves so I have very little feedback to offer on civilian moves. However a rental mini van with seats that fold flat into the floor will haul a lot of stuff. If you cant live without it, bring it with you. Photos, files, jewelry, etc. Photograph everything so there's no he said/she said. Also, a door to door move highly preferred over temporarily storing at their warehouse even for a day. More touchy more breaky.

 

[braumeister]

I have an extremely negative view of all movers

Unfortunately, so do I.
I didn't have to pay for it, but every one of my 11 long distance moves during active duty was miserable. My first commander's wife told me to expect at least 10% of my stuff would be either broken or "lost" during every move, and that seemed about right.

Of course, military moves are done strictly by the lowest bidder, so there's no quality requirement, but still it was a depressing experience. I imagine you would do better picking a quality company yourself, but that's kind of a crapshoot.

Never entrust anything valuable to the movers.

 

[njhowie]

You can also ship your car to save you the trip back. The moving companies can give you bids and there are companies out there (internet search will locate them) that do auto moves.

When I made a cross country move back in 1993, the moving company just drove my car right on to the (big-ass) trailer and took/delivered it right along with everything else. In this case, you can additionally pack the car with as much as you like, (more) safely including the fragile stuff.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Moved 6 times so far, including different countries. Used movers every time, no major issues. Selected carefully, made decision on price and the manner of the folks that estimated. Did check references, but they were all big moving companies. Some were funded by the companies that moved me for work, others by me personally. DW still has her mums Royal Albert and my mums Edinburgh Crystal, all moved with us and all in tact.

 

[Montecfo]

When I made a cross country move back in 1993, the moving company just drove my car right on to the (big-ass) trailer and took/delivered it right along with everything else. In this case, you can additionally pack the car with as much as you like, (more) safely including the fragile stuff.

Yes same and I think that is safest. But the independent companies may be more cost effective.

 

[Gumby]

Although I moved 32 times in 33 years, my last cross country move - from Ohio to Connecticut -- was in 1989. So my advice may be outdated. But here is what we did:

1. We got most of our boxes by looking at the dumpsters behind several strip shopping centers. We saved newspapers for a couple months to use for packing material. We bought some boxes from U-Haul.

2. We rented the largest U-Haul truck available - 38 ft long - and loaded it ourselves. It was a lot of hard, physically demanding work, but then I was only 30 at the time.

3. I drove the truck and the young wife followed with the car. It was indeed stressful and gave me a lifetime respect for the difficulties truckers face on the road, most especially all the stupid people driving cars. Fortunately, there are now computer apps that can direct your route so you avoid the roads that don't permit trucks. There was no such thing in 1989.

4. This part I don't recommend -- when we arrived, we immediately went apartment hunting and found one, but it was not available for a month, so we had to rent a storage room, unload the truck into it and come back in a month to do it all over again (except the actual packing of the boxes). Again, a physically demanding task. It would have been better to have driven out a month ahead of time and lined up an apartment then, so we could move right in. I'm thinking that the internet would avoid this problem these days by allowing you to secure a new place in advance.

5. As I recall, it was substantially cheaper to do this than to pay a moving company.


If you do go the moving company route, my experience from the 30 cross country moves before we came to CT is that the movers will put everything in a box, including your duffel bags. And you can expect that some of your stuff will arrive broken or go missing in transit. I would take pictures of everything before it is packed up so you can submit a claim.

I also note that there are people who will drive your car cross country for you if needed.

 

[gamboolman]

Sunny, you have been given good advice by others in the responses above.

ms gamboolgal and I have made at least 22 moves including 6 International ones in Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria over the last 43 years of bouncing around the Oilpatch....

In those moves we have done it all - from doing many totally ourselves when we was younger and poorer to Megaoil with recognized known National & International Moving companies.

Recommend you go with a well known Moving Company. They will not be cheap.
Understand there Prohibited Items - can be surprisingly aggravating and best you know up front so you can plan accordingly.

We would recommend you have them unpack it all and take away all packing debris.

On Moving Companies from Poor Boy to Professional Moving Companies, you might save some money by going cheap - but you get cheap.....

Would reiterate - take complete itemized inventory with pics.

It is not cheap to move. It can be stressful moving. Remember the 7 P's...... Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.....

We tip alot, as in folks in USA will have a heart attack at what kind of tipping we do - probably from the 17 year of working oversea's where "Cash is King".....if you want to get stuff done......I view it as a cost of doing the business.

You may consider the Tipping/Bribing as a potential incremental cost of moving. Just sayin...... it helps to motivate folks.....right or wrong - that has been our experience many times over the years with the moves we have made.

It is all fun stuff in the big picture of living the grand adventure of life ! Enjoy it and all the best.

Lifes a Dance And You Learn As You Go

gamboolman.....

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Agree that if you haven't driven a full-sized van or box truck before, it takes some getting used to. Even after getting my commercial license, it took a couple of months to get comfortable. That's the only way I've ever moved, although I promised myself 20+ years ago when we moved from an apartment into our house that it would be the last time we would do it ourselves! Now, I'm not so sure. I don't have as much energy as I did back then, but if I'm retired I'll certainly have the time to pack everything myself.

Also, if you're putting furniture in storage, what about storing some of the fragile items? Then you can always go back and pick them up -- I'm guessing if you're storing items in VA, you probably still have family or friends there that you might occasionally visit.

 

[Big_Hitter]

just be prepared to wait for your stuff - mine was about 3 weeks late and there is generally no recourse

 

[Lakedog]

Doesn't sound like you have that much to move (very little furniture), so if you are up for moving yourself, one of the smaller rental trucks would likely work well for your situation.

When my step-mother sold her FL condo last year, we rented a small Uhaul truck to move a couple of furniture pieces, 75-80 large boxes, and her clothes/personal items. She was moving from an upper floor condo, and dealing with an elevator was the only real hassle loading. Movers quoted around $3000 to move that small amount of stuff from FL to TN while the one way truck rental cost was only a few hundred bucks.

During my career I moved many times, several with movers that were contracted through my employer but a few times using Uhaul rentals. I prefer moving myself -- nobody cares about your stuff as much as you do.

 

[Sunset]

OP - Take fragile stuff, computer (at least the box if a desktop computer), jewelry, coin collection, drugs, guns, tools, other valuable stuff in your car.

When packing your car, think about how your car will sit overnight at a hotel, so pick a nice hotel or good area, and pack so obviously valuable stuff is out of sight.

 

[ivinsfan]

Is cost any concern to you? Maybe it isn't and you are fine with paying the bucks for a door to door move.

If cost is a concern you need to cull more items and think hard about the 2 pieces of furniture.

 

[RunningBum]

If it were me I'd pack it in a small Uhaul and do it myself. If I didn't have any help on the other end I'd try to get someone to go with me and drive my car down. Buy them a plane ticket to get them back home.

That all depends on whether you are able to carry the stuff yourself, and are up for driving a small truck. I just did this last year for my son, only a 3 hour drive, and the truck was very easy except we had 30-40 mph gusts and I was very nervous the truck would tip over a few times. That was unusual for the east coast.

 

[MRG]

As others have said take anything you value and need in the near future.

Our move four years ago was a disaster. Things were stolen, broken,we were extorted to recover our belongings. Suddenly the contract price was insufficient and they wouldn't take the cashier check agreed upon. This was through a national mover, they contracted it out to the Russian mafia.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

I recently did a similar move. I had about 50 boxes, a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that didn't easily fit into boxes, and several small pieces of furniture. I packed the boxes myself throughout the lockdown months.

I did a few car trips on my own over the months, and the car was stuffed to the gills. After getting 3 estimates from moving companies, a local guy with a College Hunks franchise impressed me, both with his work ethic and really surprisingly low estimate. They did a great job, 2 guys and a truck. Since it is a franchise, if you consider them I would check local references.

The hardest part of my move was going through everything and making countless trips to Goodwill and the dump. I went from a 2 bedroom house with a full basement, garage, and outbuilding to a 2 bedroom condo. I feel 50 pounds lighter!

 

[Gumby]

Is cost any concern to you? Maybe it isn't and you are fine with paying the bucks for a door to door move.

If cost is a concern you need to cull more items and think hard about the 2 pieces of furniture.

I have concluded that if we ever move again, I am just giving away all our furniture or throwing it out. Cheaper to buy new than move the old stuff.

 

[Lakedog]

I have concluded that if we ever move again, I am just giving away all our furniture or throwing it out. Cheaper to buy new than move the old stuff.

+1
When I sold my long-time lake house a few years ago, that is what I did -- sold or donated all furniture and only took what fit in my SUV with a hitch mount cargo carrier. I have rented some, but also bought and sold 4 condos/houses since then, each time selling furnished or selling all furniture and only taking what fit in my SUV. Moving has really been very easy with less stuff. I even had a dog for most of those moves so that meant even less cargo space for my possessions.

 

[meierlde]

In major metro areas you can find stores that sell boxes of various sizes. Secondly for fragile stuff you can always have the ups store pack it, they have all the materials needed.

 

[Ronstar]

I have concluded that if we ever move again, I am just giving away all our furniture or throwing it out. Cheaper to buy new than move the old stuff.

We are going to have an estate type sale. Everything goes except hand tools/tool chest and the couple pieces of furniture that I made.

DW and I could probably pack and move whatever is left after the sale. I’d rent a uhaul and drive it to the next house. Assuming that this takes place within the next 5 years.