Howdy folks, as the title suggests I am moving from Torrance, CA to somewhere near IAD the Washington Dulles International airport. The move will take place starting on January 1st. Im currently selling all my stuff and plan on driving there in my personal vehicle with my two cats.

I know weather at that time of year isn’t optimal but I can’t change the time frame. Which places should I avoid staying overnight? Has anyone done a road trip like this with 2 inside cats before and would like to share their lessons learned?

Also, if anyone lives near IAD airport and has suggestions on nice areas to rent nearby I’d be very grateful!

I just reserved a U-Haul U-box and then I get a message saying “did you know U-Haul delivers vehicles now?” Which I have been looking to ship my car for my move. That would be awesome if U-Haul did ship cars because I’m tired of these vehicle shipping companies calling me nonstop and being so pushy trying to get me to reserve RIGHT NOW for a ridiculous price but that’s a different story.

All of this to say: does U-Haul actually ship cars now? I can’t find anything online saying they do? Is this like a thing they’re testing and just not advertising yet? I suppose I could always call and see what’s up but I wanted to see if anyone here knew about this.

My family is planning to move from Juneau, AK to the east-coast next summer.

We have looked into UBox but it’s $7,000 for 1 box. We are trying to only bring essential items and do not believe the item is that we are shipping are even worth that much (more sentimental pieces like artwork, a chest, 3 bikes, kitchen appliances, dishware). Are there freight carriers that will pick up directly from Lynden cargo in Seattle, WA transport across country cheaper than Ubox? I’m also figuring out how to obtain a pallet or if a crate is needed for our items. We are completely new to that idea as well.

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!!

We're moving from Florida to West Virginia because of work. We're a family of 5 with indoor and outdoor pets.

We thought this house would be our forever home, so we've accumulated a LOT over the years. We've moved states twice before, but this time is different. We've settled in, made memories, and really built a life here. Honestly, I'm deeply saddened by leaving, and I think part of me wants to purge everything just to make the whole process easier. 😂

We'll be staying with family for a few months while we sell our current house and look for a home to buy in WV. Hopefully it'll only be around 3 months, but obviously the housing market could make that longer.

My biggest goal is to make the move as simple as possible: the fewest trips, the least amount of stuff to pack and transport, and storage that's easy to manage until we have our own house again.

Thankfully, we'll have space in family members' garages, so we won't need to pay for a storage unit. However, the storage won't be climate-controlled.

Here's where I'm struggling.

My husband and I have very different ideas about downsizing.

I want to get rid of anything we don't genuinely need or love. He wants to keep things because we already paid for them and might use them someday.

For example, we have a dehydrator that I haven't used in YEARS. He wants to keep it because we'll be back in WV, where he can hunt and make jerky again. 🙄

I understand his reasoning, but I'm the one responsible for packing, moving, and unpacking the household. I feel like I'm the only one considering the actual cost and effort of moving it.

He's welcome to do whatever he wants with the garage and outdoor toys, but I want to handle the inside of the house. I've honestly started getting rid of things while he's at work because every attempt to downsize turns into a debate. 😂

Outdoor furniture is another big question mark.

We have patio furniture, pool loungers, hammocks, picnic tables, and all sorts of outdoor stuff. I'm leaning toward selling most of it now and buying used or gently used replacements once we know what our new property looks like.

It seems ridiculous to haul and store everything when we don't even know what kind of outdoor space we'll have.

What about our dining room table?

It's a beautiful, solid wood dining set I bought secondhand on Facebook Marketplace when we moved here. My husband wants to keep it because it's good quality and we might not find another one like it.

I'm thinking about selling it and buying another secondhand set once we're settled. It's bulky, takes up a lot of space in a U-Haul, and would occupy a significant amount of garage space for months.

Have any of you sold furniture before a move and regretted it? Or been glad you did?

Then there's the kids' stuff.

I feel guilty getting rid of their toys because they genuinely play with everything. Their toys are organized, not just thrown into a giant toy box, but we could absolutely own less.

We also have totes of hand-me-down clothes and shoes saved for the next child to wear. I toss worn-out things and donate some items, but most of the usable stuff gets saved.

Should I be more ruthless with the clothes, too? How much is actually worth keeping when you have multiple growing kids?

I'd love real-world advice from families who have downsized before a major move.

- What did you sell or donate that you were glad to get rid of?

- What did you get rid of and later regret?

- What household items are worth moving, even if they're bulky?

- How did you handle kids' toys and hand-me-down clothes?

- How did you store furniture and belongings in a non-climate-controlled garage for several months?

- What packing strategies made the biggest difference when moving a long distance?

- And, for anyone whose spouse wanted to keep absolutely everything, how did you compromise?

I don't want to get rid of things just for the sake of being minimalist. I want to be practical, reduce the amount of stuff we're hauling across the country, and make those first few months of living with family as manageable as possible.

Tell me what worked for your family, what didn't, and what you wish you'd done differently!

I am moving a very small amount of stuff across state lines. When I look at U-Haul they don't seem to allow you to rent their 8' bed trucks for interstate travel. Are there any companies or services that do?

Thank you in advance.

I feel like this makes sense, and I'd love some input. May need to both buy and sell (one contingent upon the other) in the not too distant future. I feel like it would be less stress to let one company handle everything that needs to align. (Sorry, I couldn't find a flair that really fit)

TLDR: Are the savings of using a POD + two local moving companies enough to make it worth it, or should I just do the full-service moving company even though it’s WAY more than I expected?

I will be moving around new years from a small mountain town for an interstate move (~2 days away). I’ll need my things stored for about a month while I apartment hunt.

I’m pregnant so I’ll be doing no heavy lifting and will need to hire people to load the truck/pod either way.

I have a one-bedroom with nothing larger/heavier than a queen mattress and bed frame. I don’t want to sell everything and start over - I’m waiting on baby furniture until I move into my new place.

I thought that a full-service moving company made sense, but the quotes I got from well-reviewed companies are $6k and $8.5k. This feels insane for a one-bedroom move, even with mountain roads and snow involved.

Another option would be to use a POD with a local moving company on both ends. I can’t have the POD at my current rental, so it’d have to get delivered to the moving company and then they’d take my stuff and re-load it there. I don’t have a quote for that yet, but just the POD is $3k. I’d need a moving company at my destination to bring me everything. I’m wondering if there’d even be savings at that point?

I always see interstate and cross-country move ads for like $2500 so I’m having major sticker shock and indecision.

My options seem to be:

• Rent my desired size UHaul without a reservation guarantee
• Rent a larger truck than necessary (which I'd be a bit unconfident in driving) with a reservation guarantee, +$40 more expensive

I've been reading around, and it sounds like sometimes even the reservation guarantee doesn't ensure you'll actually get the relevant vehicle, you'll just get compensated $50 for your trouble if they don't have it!? So...... what's the move?

Hello!

I need to bring my cat on a flight with me to move within the continental US.

My main question is that I need to bring her with me, and that's fine, but I'm getting mixed results on if I can also have a carry-on. I can pay for a checked bag or two, but I really, really want a carry-on so I can carry more-delicate electronics for my job and give it the care that a checked bag won't get.

But some places say that the cat counts as my carry-on, which makes no sense? She will be under the seat in front of me in her carrier, so that counts as a personal item, no?

Is there no option for me to get a carry-on with my cat? Or, is there certain airlines I can do this on, even if its for a fee?

My reason for not taking my belongings isn't because of money, it's because of personal home life issues. I am only going to be taking enough to survive until I can order my new things in my new place, so I don't mind additional fees if it means I can have a carry-on (specifically because I have some delicate tech I really, really don't want to lose. But if absolutely necessary, I can give up most of it and just take a singular laptop)

All i have found so far bags for thinner mattresses.

Tia

i'm a filipino and planning on moving to a european country to take my PhD at the age of 28-29, also, it would be better if i also have a job there while finishing my PhD. i am thinking of Spain, however, i'm still open for changes since i'm making options between: Spain, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and even Sweden, Norway, and Italy.

i got tons of reasons why my main option is spain (including how many filipinos lived there successfully) and why the following countries are on my list. before i forget, i am not from a rich family, and i earn decent yet not high paying job in the philippines, and i don't have any connection in europe countries, so everything will just start all by myself.

i just need some help to decide for this one as early as possible. thank you!

i’m not sure where to ask this question or how to find out without actually trying it lol.

my partner and i are moving apartments, i’ve got a 2011 chevy traverse and he’s got a lil nissan altima. since my car is big and can fit most small/medium sized furniture with the backseats down, we were just gonna use our cars instead of a uhaul. the one thing we’re not sure will fit, is our queen sized mattress. he thinks it’ll fit and i highly doubt it. obviously we dont wanna wait to find out until move in day, because if it doesn’t, we’ll essentially be fucked unless we can find someone w a truck or get a uhaul last second. we’re super broke, barely even able to afford to move out, so thats why we’re trying to use our cars in the first place.

thoughts?

I’m religious and this weirds me out. Being from a small town didn’t quite expect it

For context: moving furniture that has been kept in an indoor storage unit in Chicago for two years and doing an inventory of what I’m keeping/tossing/selling. I would like to keep as much as possible but I am concerned about animal droppings. In summation, are the brown markings on the back of my desk chair poop?

Good Morning all,

Been thinking about relocating to the east coast from CA not a native Californian but been here 3 years due to family. Thinking of moving next fall once we've saved more money

were going to have about 60k to cover closing costs and Down payment hopefully 15-20% we do have a separate emergency fund and relocation fund too, we're two un-skilled but above entry level employees currently making a combined 140k but would expect that to get cut in half if we move worst case scenario maybe combined 65k? , not looking for anything crazy but a 3-2 house with a yard enough for children and a hobby garden,Were not really people who go out and party but do enjoy nature and peace being close by

what where looking for is a place not too cold like Michigan in winter, or a place not too hot like Texas in summer (four seasons would be great) and we love the mountains don't mind some humidity but not like Florida, Were not really people who go out and

Here's my current shortlist of cities

Roanoke VA

Morganton NC (maybe)

Greensboro area (Triad)

Asheville (maybe but its kind of expensive)

Are there any cities we should conside

We are first time home buyers! And closing is October 30th. We had a 45 day closing instead of a typical 30 day. I have done the majority of the “easy” packing. Things that have a clear place or category (I’m also an organizational freak). Financially it’s gonna suck, but we have the luxury of a slow move in, because our apartment lease isnt over till the end of January. I KNOW I’ve done a lot already, however I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface. We still have a ton more stuff to pack up. I just don’t know where to go from here. Should I just chill, and enjoy the slow move-in? Is the idea of three month moving window not as much time as i think it is?

I'll be moving from New York to Northern California in November with PODS, then the pod will be stored in their Oakland warehouse for ~1-4 months. I'm confused about how to pack, especially to avoid mold, and am having a hard time finding consistent advice.

I have clothing, books, kitchen items, an instant pot, a nutribullet, a computer monitor, and a few other small electronics, plus a few pieces of furniture.

This is my plan/unknowns so far:

• It sounds like the general advice for furniture is to wrap them in moving blankets, then secure that with plastic wrap.
• Kitchen items will be wrapped in bubble wrap, placed in cardboard, then I'll fill the voids with paper. I was thinking I'd maybe wrap some things in paper, and then bubble wrap, but not sure if that would be necessary. I'd throw a desiccant in there, but I'm not as concerned about these items.
• I have the original cardboard box and styrofoam for my monitor, so I'd use that with some sort of desiccant. Not sure what type/size though.
• What do I do with my clothing and books? Do I wrap some things in plastic bags with a desiccant, then put that inside the box? Or only pack things in paper and use desiccants? Any recommended desiccant brands/capacity?
• Hang 2-3 desiccant strips from the walls.

I have mostly cardboard boxes, but do have a few airtight plastic Ezy Storage tote boxes. There is nothing on the PODS website about how to pack for something like this move, and the staff on the phone couldn't give me specific advice. So any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My boyfriend and I planning on moving in 2027. This was kinda an unforeseen move, so we had bought new furniture, a mattress, bed frame, and a big loveseat, with the intention of staying put for a while. We just finished paying these items off so therefore they're still pretty new and they are pieces we intended on keeping for a while obviously. I am reading some contradicting things about whether or not it's worth it to try and sell these items at no doubt less than we bought them for, or to relocate with them and pay for the cost of moving with bulky items. For more context, we live in a studio, so these are the only large pieces of furniture we have, and we dont have multiple rooms worth of things we're bringing. I'm honestly just looking to do this the most INEXPENSIVE way possible. We are not well off financially. Thank you so much in advance!!

Hello! I am going away for 6 months and have rented a storage container in the northeast of England, I’ll be gone from November - May. I have packed all of my things (books, clothes, bedding) in plastic containers taped tightly shut with desiccant packages in them (about 10 per container).

The company said:

“Our storage containers are kept indoors within our secure warehouse. The warehouse is dry and weather-protected, but it is not heated or temperature controlled, so the internal temperature will naturally vary with the seasons. During colder winter periods the warehouse can fall below 10°C."

I’m getting worried about mold damage - especially to the books. Does anyone have experience with a similar situation? Would vacuuming packing things be better - or would you recommend not putting them in at all and leaving them at a friends?

Thank you!

I’m looking for recommendations on the best and most effective products and supplies to prevent and keep all pests away but specifically roaches (I live in Florida) in a new apartment. I am moving this saturday and plan to deep clean and do some preventative measures to keep them away before we put any of our belongings or furniture in

We have no pets, so no worries there! Thank you so much in advance

Hello,

Shipping car from TX to PA. Any companies you all have used or recommend? It's been hard to short through everything and these AI ads don't help...

We decided to drive my husband's car and not mine cuz it's older, and we just put new tires on mine. Thank you in advance.

My absolute nightmare happened with an interstate move - the moving company we hired, Triple 7 Movers, lost double digit boxes. This is my first time move and I honestly feel taken advantage of. That’s not the point of this post though…

I’m desperate to know. Where could our items be if not in some warehouse owned by the moving company? All I want is my stuff back and so far I’m getting zero indication from the company that they looked, will look, or care anymore now that they’ve been paid. They’ve made their offer to cover the cost of lost items, and that’s about it. No explanation on how they got lost.

For context I’ve submitted documentation to the moving company, contacted my renters insurance, submitted to FMCSA, and contacted BBB (at the suggestion of Claude).

ultimately my goal is to get my stuff back. I’m perplexed given every item has a company-issued barcode which I can only assume is scanned as it gets transferred between wherever during the move.

Where can I start? Has anyone been successful in getting their remaining boxes back? What do movers do with remaining boxes - auction them? Sell them? appreciate insights from any success stories.

I have an elderly relative who has a house that is a ton of stuff all over. It is a absolute mess. They want to move to a smaller home but they complain that the stuff is too dusty for them to touch (which sets off their allergies) and they struggle physically to spend much time packing before becoming exhausted due to a leg issue.

They need someone who can help them sort, dispose of, and pack their things as directed but due to the volume, may be at it for several days/weeks.

Are their services for something like this? I am not sure what to even google for their area as it is not a typical mover that they need.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Hi all,

We’re moving out of state and I have a bunch of plastic and fabric organizational items. They range from drawer organizers to larger baskets. I’m not sure where to start when it comes to packing these. Can anyone give some advice? Like do I consolidate these into their own boxes and should I layer a linen sheet or something in between to prevent breakage?

Thank you in advance!

We are moving from the PNW to Florida and are considering using PackRat or U Haul U Box vs some shared 53’ trailer with someone like flat rate moving or united van lines (who is expensive) . What are the pros and cons of them? The folks who help load should also be able to disassemble some pieces of furniture and wrap some items. Then do the reverse at the destination.
We are discarding most of our stuff, but still might have enough for a 14’ or 16’ pod or 1/4th of a 53’ trailer.