NYC Moving Hacks: Packing for a Long Distance Move at the Last Minute

In a perfect world, we’d all have plenty of notice before we have to move our families from NYC to California – or any other long distance. In real life, sometimes moves have to happen on an accelerated timeline. That means you need to pack your household in a hurry – but you can’t rush too much, because items that aren’t packed properly are much more likely to break in transit. If you don’t want to arrive in your new place with boxes full of broken dishes and busted electronics, make sure you keep these packing tips in mind:

Get Your Gear Ready First: Use an apron with pockets to keep all of the moving supplies you’ll need conveniently close. You’ll need labels, tape, markers, scissors, and your notebook to keep track of details.

Work Room by Room: When you’re in a hurry, the fastest way to pack is to work room by room, completely packing up and labeling everything before moving onto the next room. Most NYC homes are relatively small, so you’re looking at packing 3-4 rooms at the most.  Keep the job from becoming overwhelming by packing one room per day in the week leading up to your move.

Use Appropriate Packing Materials: Long distance moves involve lots of miles over long bumpy roads. Make sure you have strong moving boxes and the right packing materials. When time is of the essence, the best way to get moving boxes may be to purchase them from your moving company; when you need to save money, ask family, friends, co-workers or local businesses for moving boxes. Packing materials make the difference between your possessions getting damaged or not – invest in bubble wrap, kraft paper and other materials as needed for peace of mind.

Double Box as Needed: For fragile, delicate items, particularly electronics, consider double boxing items. This provides the maximum amount of protection. If possible, package your electronic items in the box they originally came in, and then place those boxes inside a larger, more durable shipping box. If the original box isn’t available, use a suitably sized small box prepared with appropriate packing materials for the inner box. Make sure to label these boxes as fragile!