Lightening The Load When Moving A Long Distance

Moving a long distance has a lot of challenges, especially if you've lived at your current location for a long time and have a great deal of stuff to sort through. Though you may have a long-distance moving company in mind when it comes to the big things like furniture and appliances, you may not know just how to handle some of the smaller things that fill up your closets and drawers.

While you can pack these up and put them in the moving truck, you may not want to fill and load a ton of boxes. If you're taking a plane to your new home, then you will be further limited on what you can bring yourself. Here are some ideas on how to lighten your moving load and have some things ready when you arrive at your new home.

Donate items to charity:

Well before the moving date, go through your household items and sort out things that you either don't need or can buy brand new at your new home. For example, if you're moving from a cold climate to a warm one, chances are that you won't need that parka you keep for cold winter weather. You may also not need galoshes in a dry area. If you do find you need these things, chances are you can buy them at the place where you are moving. Doing this means less packing in the future.

Mail some items:

If you have things you can live without until you get to your new home, then pack them up and mail them to your new city. USPS and other carriers have options where you can have packages held for a limited time either at their facility, a store, or other pickup area. You may be limited on the number of packages you can have held. If you have a friend or relative in the area, then you can also send things ahead to them.

Pay the extra airline fees:

Another option, if you're not driving, is to pay the extra baggage fees for the airline. You should be extra picky about what you pack in these bags because some items are not allowed in checked baggage. You may also not want to pack fragile or valuable items in your luggage as they could either be stolen or get tossed around and break. The best thing you can pack in your checked baggage is extra clothing and some toiletries.

Anything else you own that you don't need immediately upon arrival in your new home can be shipped with the moving company. If you've been living in one area for a long time, then you may want to start sorting, packing, and shipping things months before your move. You'll have less to be loaded onto the moving truck and have things already there when you arrive before the rest is delivered by truck. It's extremely important that you plan your long-distance move well in advance as this is a deadline you can't miss.

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