Possible Cross Country Move

[Teysa]

Long story short, the hubby has agreed to move up to Alaska with me. Figuring out the logistics is going to be the fun part. He's lived in this house practically since the day he was born. I've been here since 1998. So, between the two of us we've managed to accumulate a lot of stuff.

I'll be working in Seward over the summer again and hopefully I'll be able to find a place that's somewhat affordable and that allows dogs. I've never done a big move like this before. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. I'll be spending some time in Oklahoma before going up to Alaska but I plan on having my stuff and most of the kitchen packed before I leave. (If it doesn't involve a microwave, hubby doesn't cook). If I can find a place while I'm up in Alaska, I'll have the hubby mail some stuff up to me. That will take care of the small stuff. It's the big stuff that's going to be interesting. Not like we can borrow a friend's truck.

Anyways, if anyone who has done a big move like this has any advice, I'm all ears or eyes in this case.

[Sheldonrs]

I've moved several times, including from NJ to CA and MA to AZ.
My method probably won't help much though. I got rid of everything each time, except for clothes and computers and got new stuff as needed when I got where I was going.

[It's me]

There was a related topic on Ask A Manager:
http://www.askamanager.org/2013/01/c...to-alaska.html
Lots of people chimed in about what is involved in moving to Alaska.

And there is a (less relevant) fololw-up thread
http://www.askamanager.org/2013/10/u...to-alaska.html

[Iolanthe]

From our fairly recent experience of moving from VA to CA I would highly suggest making sure that if you use movers to make sure they are bonded and insured, and make sur you get a guaranteed price not just an estimate. We lucked out with having a set price as my husband has a rather substantial library and the weight they estimated was about 5000 lbs less than what the weight actually was so we could have had a rather substantial bill once they got here. We didn't have any major problems, most of it you just have to keep a sense of humor. I think the best quote my husband had about the experience was "the three stooges are funny until they show up to move you" which sort of sums up our experience. You also have to expect some things will break, take anything you don't want to break with you. We only had a couple of plates break but they weren't any of the one I expected to break. Good luck with your move!

[Sapphire Silk]

I've made several cross country moves.

Check out ABF (http://www.abfs.com/default.asp) for a DIY move. I used them when I moved from California to North Carolina and was very satisfied.

Here's how they work: you move your stuff (you can hire help from elsewhere) into their tractor trailer. Depending on where you live, you can either have the trailer dropped off at your house, or you have to load at their depot (I had to do that to load, but not to unload in NC). Once you fill the trailer with your stuff, you seal off the unused part of the trailer. You are charged by area, so packing as tightly as you can will save you money, and better protect your property (you're responsible for packing properly). They fill the rest of the trailer with non-perishable consumer goods (usually something like electronics) going to your destination. They unload the commercial goods, and then you can have the trailer delivered to your new address (depending on location) or you unload at their depot.

It's a fraction of the cost of using a professional mover. The big thing is you need to know how to pack well (if you've ever done a U Haul move you probably know already; pack the furniture first, then your personal belongings, and secure everything tightly with ropes and pads).

Then you can drive there in your personal vehicle while your stuff gets shipped.

If you want to ship a vehicle, there are services that do that too. I can't remember who I used to ship my cars (I flew from California because I didn't want to drive in the Rockies in winter), but they were licensed and bonded and I was very satisfied with their service.

If I make another move, I'll use ABF again and use a local company to hire labor to pack the trailer, and unpack it at my destination.

[Teysa]

We already checked into ABF. It's almost $8800 to move to Alaska. We'd have it once we sold the house but right now we're flat out broke. In all honesty though I don't expect us to sell the house for a whole lot. Off the top of my head it needs a new water heater, a new kitchen sink, plumbing work, a new roof soon, a new kitchen floor, and new carpeting. Mind you, if someone wanted to put the work into the place it would be a very good starter home.

[Javarod]

Wow, and i thought my 1400 mile move was long. I did a combination of Smart Move cubes (two, sadly Atlas seems to have phased this out) and my minivan (electronics and fragiles). Not cheap at $2100 for the two cubes, nor fast, but when you consider the price of a U-Haul, tow dolly, fuel and mileage, and while my stuff would've gotten here faster, there would've been little to no savings, and more wear and tear on me. Oh, and my van is rated so heavy that U-Haul is the only one that'll rent me a tow dolly for it.

[Teysa]

Just for fun we looked into how much it would cost to take a U-Haul up there. It looked to be about $2500. According to Google Maps it's about a 72 hour drive from Fort Worth to Seward. Of course that's if you don't consider things like sleeping and eating and using the restroom important. Well, the plan now is to sell/weed out as much as possible and then drive a U-haul up to Washington state and take the ferry across. This may not happen until next Spring or Summer but that's all right. It will be a new adventure for both of us.

[telecom_goddess]

I'm glad to see this thread. I'm considering a move to Missouri and was wondering how that could be done. My first thought was to sell everything and move there with basically nothing and start over. Maybe ship a few important personal things.

[dalesys]

... My first thought was...

Long live Marinus van der Lubbe!
[/Reichstag]

[bhskittykatt]

When you take the ferry from the south end you'll have to say hi. (You can PM me if you get to where you're looking for rooms in town, too. I still have connections at my old workplace, after all...I can see about shaving a few bucks off a room rate. No promises but I'd be willing to try.)

[Teysa]

Thank you very much for the offer. We'll be traveling with a dog so we'll have to take that into consideration but I will certainly say hi when we pass through.