Embracing Family Adventure Through Cross-Country Moves

Moving cross-country with your family can be stressful — but it doesn’t have to be. With the right planning and frame of mind, you can turn your move into an opportunity to strengthen family bonds and create lasting memories. 

This article will serve as the ultimate guide to moving cross-country with your family. It will include everything from things to do and see along the way, tips to help make the move more successful, and even advice on how to help your kids emotionally handle such a big move. 

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Picking the Right Location

Moving to a new city is a big deal, especially if it’s in an entirely different part of the country that you and your family are unfamiliar with. As such, it’s important to take your time finding the best place to live for everyone. Understandably, you might not always have a choice in the matter, but if you do, these tips can help you pick the perfect location. 

• If anyone in your family needs to look for work, make sure that there are plenty of good job opportunities in the area. 
• Consider how the climate in the new location might affect your family. Will you all be happy living somewhere with harsher winters, for example? Or somewhere where it rains a lot? What about natural disasters, such as flooding or tornadoes? All of these things could impact your family’s ability to settle happily in a new city. 
• If you have kids who are still in school, it’s a good idea to thoroughly research the city’s education system. Moving can be especially hard for kids, even more so if they are placed in a school that doesn’t suit their needs. 

There are, of course, a number of other things you may want to research before selecting a new place to move, but these are often the most important. Again, we understand that certain factors might limit your options, such as having to move to a specific place for work. However, if you do have some flexibility, it’s important to put some effort into finding a place that will help you and your family thrive as much as possible. 

Budgeting For Your Big Move

Another important thing to consider before making the move is financial planning. Even if you feel stable financially, it’s still important to budget for the move in case anything unexpected arises. 

There are many things that can add up during a move beyond the cost of hiring a moving company. To avoid being surprised by unexpected expenses, it’s a good idea to calculate your moving costs carefully. Below is a list of all the costs to consider before your move:

• Moving company costs, costs can vary by weight, how long the trip takes, or the distance; 
• Packing supply costs;
• Extra insurance to cover items that could get damaged during the move;
• Cost of motels, rentals, etc. if you will need somewhere to stay along the way or before you get the keys to your new place;
• A just-in-case emergency fund for unexpected scenarios.

There are also things to consider like the cost of storage if your stuff doesn’t fit in your new place, the cost of getting utilities set up, and the cost of new vehicle registrations and licenses. It’s usually best to add about 10% to your moving budget to cover expenses like this. 

Essential Cross-Country Moving Tips

In many cases, planning and packing for the move is often the hardest part. To ease the stress, we’ve put together a few helpful tips to make your cross-country move as smooth as possible:

1. Choosing the Right Moving Date

When planning your cross-country move, the date you choose to move can have a significant impact on the overall experience. For example, if you choose to move in the dead of winter, you could face more challenges, such as bad road conditions and other winter storm delays that could set you back. On the other hand, moving in the middle of summer might also not be the most enjoyable, especially if you are moving to a city with high summer temperatures. 

However, it’s not just about the weather but also about moving during a time that will allow for the easiest transition. For example, if you have kids in school, moving in the middle of the school year can make it harder for them to adjust. If this is the case, you might want to consider moving at the end of spring or the beginning of summer to give them time to adapt and make new friends before school starts. 

2. Packing Essentials

While you might be tempted to opt for cheap moving materials to cut costs, this could result in damaged personal items. During a cross-country move, there is more time for things to shift and rattle around, so you’ll want to invest in sturdy packing materials to keep things safe. Use high-quality boxes and plenty of packing tape and bubble wrap just to be safe. 

It’s also important to have an organized packing system to make things easier once you arrive. Clearly label all of your boxes and even use content lists on the sides of your boxes for easy identification of what’s inside. You should also pack the boxes you’ll want immediate and easy access to last so they are the first things you’ll pull out when you get to your new home. 

If you are worried about valuables, you can have high-value items specially packed and shipped separately. Just make sure you pay for insurance to have them covered in case they get lost. 

3. On the Move Tips

Not only is it a good idea to carefully prepare to pack before the move, but you should also plan for what you’ll do during the move. A cross-country move can take several days, so it’s important to be prepared on the go to keep everyone safe and happy. 

• Create a “day-of” box: In the car, you’ll want to have a box or a few boxes or bags with easy access to essentials, such as snacks, water, chargers, electronic devices, and car games to keep the kids entertained. While packing junk food is easy, it’s a good idea to have some healthy road trip snack options as well to keep everyone properly fueled. This includes dried fruit, grass-fed jerky, nuts, crackers, yogurt tubes, string cheese, trail mix, protein bars, fresh veggies and dip, fruit pouches, and hard-boiled eggs. 

• Create a road trip budget:  In the next section, we’ll be getting into fun things you can do to make the cross-country trip more enjoyable. However, if you want to make extra stops and do some sightseeing, you will need to plan for that in your budget. 

• Prep the car: The last thing you’ll want when in the middle of a move is to deal with car troubles. So before you go, make sure you take your car in for a maintenance check and let the shop know you’ll be driving cross-country. It’s also a good idea to check that your car insurance has roadside assistance in case something happens. If you don’t have that kind of coverage, you should consider adding it to the trip. 

• Build an emergency kit: You should also put together an emergency kit for the car, including a spare tire, car jack, flashlights, jumper cables, flares, and even a tire pressure gauge. A first-aid kit is also a good idea in case anyone suffers any minor bumps and bruises. 

One final tip is to double-check your route every morning before hitting the road. You could run into traffic or construction, which could double or even triple the amount of time it takes to get to your destination. So always be mindful of alternative routes you can take just in case. 

Planning Adventures for Your Cross-Country Move with Kids

Now for the fun part. Instead of seeing your move as simply getting from point A to point B, consider turning it into a fun road trip adventure with plenty of stops and sightseeing along the way. This will make the experience more enjoyable for everyone and help you bond and create new memories to last a lifetime. 

Below are some popular and fun stops throughout the country that you can use to plan your cross-country road trip itinerary:

Pennsylvania

There are a lot of great places to visit in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia—America’s first capital city—Pittsburg, The Allegheny National Forest, and the Laurel Highlands. 

West Virginia

West Virginia is known for its beautiful terrain and mountainous areas, including the Dolly Sods Wilderness area and the Monongahela National Forest. Don’t forget to check out Morgantown, home of WVU and one of the most well-known cities in the state. 

Colorado

Colorado is another beautiful state with much to do and see, including Colorado Springs, the Great Sand Dunes National Park, Pike’s Peak, Black Canyon, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Garden of the Gods, or one of the many mountain towns and ski resorts. 

Utah

Utah also has much to offer by way of sightseeing, including Monument Valley, Lower Calf Creek Falls, Zion National Park, the Grand Staircase, Kanab, and the Glen Canyon National Rec area — just to name a few. 

Oregon

If the Pacific Northwest is part of your route, you can miss out on all the wonders that Oregon has to offer. Some of our favorites include Mt. Hood and Hood River, Crater Lake, Smith Rock, the Redwoods Trail, the Volcanic Peaks, and many of the seaside towns along the coast. 

Ohio

The midwest might be full of “flyover” states, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to offer. Ohio, for example, is full of fun sites, including Cuyahoga Falls, Mohican State Park, The Gorge, Hocking Hills, and Historic Roscoe Village. 

These are all just some suggestions, of course, and certainly do not include every state and all of your options. You can use the above as a starting point or plan an entirely original road trip itinerary of your own suited to your family’s personal interests. Just remember to have some fun. 

Helping Your Kids Handle the Transition

For all the exciting opportunities that a cross-country road trip can bring, moving can take an emotional toll on children’s and teen’s mental health. To help you better navigate the transition, consider these helpful tips:

• Acknowledge their feelings and encourage open communication about the move;
• Involve them in the moving process so they feel like they are a part of it rather than it just happening to them;
• Try to focus on the positives and what it will mean for the family;
• Throw a going away party with all of their closest friends to help them say goodbye;
• Help them set up social media and other means to stay connected with their friends;
• When arriving in the new place, try to set it up to feel like home and stick to a routine as much as possible.
• Set up their room first and let them decorate it how they want;
• Get them involved in the community right away;
• Make time for family bonding in the new place, such as movie and game nights or going out to explore the new town together. 

If you suspect your child or teen is struggling with the move, don’t ignore the warning signs, such as withdrawal, aggression, change in sleep patterns, loss of appetite, and decreased school performance. Communicate with them about how they are feeling and seek professional help from a counselor if necessary. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, a big, cross-country move with kids can be taxing on everyone, not just the kids. The best things to do are to plan and prepare yourselves as much as possible, keep the lines of communication open and discuss your feelings, and try to plan some fun things to do along the way to make it a more memorable and exciting experience.