5 Things To Know About Long Distance Moves in the Summer

Summer’s here and that means it’s peak moving season for New York City. 80% of moves happen between April and September – if you’ve ever tried loading a moving truck during a January blizzard, you’ll understand why! – with most of that 80% happening during school vacations.

If this is the year you’re moving far away from New York City – perhaps you’re moving to California, moving to Texas, or moving to Florida – you can stay safe, stress-free, and happy by following these warm weather moving tips:

1) Stay Hydrated!

Moving is hard work – even when you’re doing preliminary steps like planning your move, gathering moving boxes, and packing your possessions. It’s important to avoid getting dehydrated. Drink plenty of beverages throughout the day. Experts say water is best, but if that’s not your thing, choose a healthy beverage. Skip the adult beverages until after the move – they can mess with your coordination and judgement, which is not what you need when you’re carrying a box of your favorite fragile things.

2) Make Sure Your Car Has Working AC

Driving coast to coast can take more than 40 hours! That’s a long time to spend in a hot car – especially for kids, older adults, and pets. Make sure the vehicle you’re traveling in has working AC, and plan on making stops as needed so everyone can get cooled off.

3) Get Rid of Perishables Before You Move

The reason some foods are called perishable is because they won’t last long in less than ideal conditions. The back of a moving truck is not ideal conditions. For this reason, it’s important to get rid of your perishable items before you move. What you can’t eat yourself, give to a friend or family member who can use it, pack it to eat on the way, or toss it.

4) Give Yourself Some Extra Time

For most of the country, summer is peak travel time. People are going on vacations, making epic road trips, or are out driving around just for the fun of it. This can result in traffic that slows your moving truck down. Professional movers know how to plan for heavy traffic and adjust routes to make up time: that’s one reason to leave the shlepping to us. (link to homepage) Research your route and whenever possible, plan your itinerary to avoid rush hour.

5) Plan Ahead to Slash Your Stress Levels

A big part of staying calm, cool and collected during a long distance move is focusing on only one thing at a time. This means that any moving related task – getting the kids registered for a new school, making sure your medical records are transferred to your new doctor, getting hooked up with a new bank and utilities – that can be handled before you move should be handled before you move. It will mean spending some time on the phone, but the feeling of arriving at your new address and having nothing to worry about except settling in is worth it!