If you’re moving for a job, stick your stuff in storage,. Find a room to rent or get an Airbnb or long-term stay hotel. Experience the place and job for a bit before fully committing to it so at least that way you have an easy exit if you want to move back.

I moved from Michigan to Arkansas, then 18 years later, moved from Arkansas to Maine.

One big piece of advice I can give is to use Rubbermaid storage totes instead of boxes if you can afford it. There are numerous advantages:

1. Handles
2. More water resistant than boxes, keeps the humidity out and your stuff safe, even from rodents (helpful. If you have to store your stuff in storage units)
3. When done with them, you might be able to return them if they’re still in perfect condition. Otherwise, they stack very well into a small space.
4. Much more reusable for future storage.

I bought around eight of these totes when I moved from Michigan to Arkansas and I still have them to this day and they still are fully functional and work great.

Packed everything I owned into my car and just went for it. Traveled 1500 miles to my destination, found a motel, and set up an indefinite weekly stay. Applied to some shitty fast food job that was hiring nearby, got the job, which helped a lot looking for apartments. It was a college town, so finding a place was pretty easy. And everything was smooth sailing from there.

I found that starting in a college town is a really nice way to get integrated into the surrounding area, though it helps that I could pass as college-aged at the time myself. Most of the people you meet are pretty much new to the town as well. Years later I ended up moving to another town in the area with a bit more confidence.

Never, ever, EVER pay for storage. Sell it, give it away, leave it, or use it. But don’t ever put yourself in a position where you leave stuff somewhere you are not.

I give away, donate or throw away everything. In the end its cheaper to buy it on the other side then pay movers. I load up whats important, maybe rent a small trailer and bounce.

I’ve moved far away (500m+) at least 2 dozen times and this holds true.

Moved from Wisconsin to Spokane three months ago. Instead of moving g all my belongings, I sold everything over the internet, in the end I just had a suitcase and a small backpack. I’m a musician, and it turned out to be straightforward to get a new drum kit once I got there. I’ve been playing gigs with a couple of bands, created the contacts beforehand, so I have some cash coming in, it was a good decision because of the spiders, I hate spiders.

It probably helped a lot that I was 19 and had nothing going for me in southern Indiana.

Asked a friend of mine if he was interested in moving too, and he was. I found somebody with an apartment listing on the then-new Craigslist and mailed them a check, then my buddy and I crammed everything we could into my Ford Escort. We stopped to get a little sleep just after Albuquerque.

Advice: don’t make that drive in two days, it should be three. It is so fucking long to drive.

Challenges: apparently Texas’ highway speed limits go down at night, and (at least at the time) the signs don’t indicate this. I got pulled over for going 75 in a 65 at ~2AM, right next a sign that said the limit was 75. Fuck Texas!

Actual advice: spend some time seriously considering what needs to come with. Most things are just things, they can be replaced. Don’t let your things weigh you down.

Bonus points if anyone has advice for cross country movers