The decision to make a long-distanced move is never taken lightly. Is it a love of a different climate, love in a relationship, or love of a job that is driving the change? Whatever the reason, preparing for the move will require forethought and planning! Here is our advice on how to best get ready to go.
How do I plan what to take?
Make a list of every room in your house, then all the main furniture in that room. These are the larger items that will require further planning for how you will get them transported to your new home. Think along the lines of your lounge, your fridge, and your bed. The next step will be to make a comprehensive and detailed list of everything in each room. This will be your inventory list, so you can be 100% certain you haven’t forgotten to account for any of your items. Don’t forget the under-house storage items or items in an attic! When packing, go room by room with your inventory list, checking them off. Likewise on the other end, you can ensure every item gets rechecked as it is unpacked.
Downsizing before you move
If you’re still using the same old lounge that you purchased when you were in university because it was cheap, perhaps now is the time to say goodbye to it. Consider the price of the large piece of furniture and weigh it up against the cost and effort of moving it with you on your long distance move. Go through your wardrobe and donate or sell any clothes that you know that you won’t wear again or need if moving to a different climate. Kitchen cabinets usually contain storage, serving products and appliances that have been put away for “a rainy day”. Clear your clutter and the move will be that much easier, you’ll wish you’d done it earlier.
What will I need when I first move long distance?
Plan some boxes of items you’ll need fast access to once you have moved and mark the outside of the boxes to show they need to be on top. This will include your bedding, towels, toiletries and some clothes, as well as a few kitchen items like a set of a knife, fork and spoon and a bowl and plate for each person. Having these on hand will save hours of sorting through all the moving boxes to find simple things. Keeping personal identification documents like passports, insurances, utility notices and car registration in a separate file accessible once you have moved is also a good idea. You will need to update your information in a lot of different places, and having this handy will make that a lot smoother.
Research your new area
Moving long distance is already daunting enough for most people, so having an idea of the neighbourhood and surroundings before you get there can really set the mind at ease. Is there easy access for the delivery truck to park outside the home and transport your items, or is it an apartment block requiring a move creative solution? Knowing these things ahead of time will make your life easier. Have a general idea of where you can get groceries near your new home, and as fun as takeaway pizza on moving day is, eventually you will want to settle in and feel at ease in your new home and area.
Packing to move
If you’ve never moved before, this is the part that can be very stressful. Starting packing early is always a good plan, that way you can take the time to sort things out properly, to make it easier to unpack on the other end. Valuable and fragile items should be boxed in with extra padding of bubble wrap. Things like blankets, sheets and doonas useful for making sure these items wont rattle around in transit. Here are our top packing tips for moving long distance:
- Use original boxes for electronics where possible
- Keep all furniture parts together and use sealable bags to store screws or handles with your furniture if they need to removed for transit
- Mark the contents of each box on the top
- Mark boxes with the room they belong in
- Mark if a box is heavy to lift or if it contains fragile items
- Use blankets, sheets and doonas or even clothes to help protect breakables
- Tape cords to large appliances like your refrigerator so they don’t get caught during the move
- Tape drawers closed and empty them before the move
- Use colour coding on the boxes so that you know where they belong
Enjoy your trip
Moving long distance should be an adventure! Plan time on your move to enjoy the travelling, allowing time to take breaks along the way. Research sights to visit along the way, and maybe stay at a hotel halfway rather than trying to do the long distance move in one haul. If you’re travelling with children, make sure you have games, books and snacks prepared to avoid the dreaded “are we there yet?”
Hire an experienced removalist!
To make your long-distance moving experience enjoyable rather than stressful, hire a removalist to do the job. Peter O’Connor owns and runs Sunset Removals and has 15 years of experience helping customers relocate to their new house. He’s “been there, done that” and knows all the tricks to getting you packed and relocated (and even unpacked and settled in) with the absolute minimum of fuss and stress. We can move you from Newcastle to anywhere within New South Wales or to the farthest corners of Australia. He can provide a range of solutions to move you anywhere, whether it is in the same city or far across the country.
Let the experts do the hard work for you!
With over 15 years’ experience, Sunset Removals is the leading removalist in Newcastle. For a reliable removalist with a trustworthy reputation, call Peter on 0430 111 107, email him with your move destination and expected time frame to sunsetremovals@live.com, or fill in our contact form online and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible, so you can look forward to your long distance move with the excitement it deserves.
