Posts Tagged ‘Domestic Moving’

Have You Dreamed of Moving to Alaska?

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Everyone who hasn’t been to Alaska probably has their own visions of what the country is like. Some people think of Alaska and only envision a frozen tundra ruled by vicious polar bears with a spattering of igloos and oil spills. Others probably see magnificent glaciers resting between jagged mountaintops, log cabins, grizzly old fishermen and hunters. The fact is that both visions are right. Alaska is by far the largest state in the United States geographically. It’s has highest peak in the country with Mt McKinley, rain forests along the southern coast, tundra in the north with polar bears, tons of fishing off all the coasts and plenty of hunters in the interior trying to live off the land.

The rugged beauty of the wilderness in the north is great to experience and view, but it also represents a rather large challenge when it comes to moving to Alaska. It is possible to drive a truck into major cities like Anchorage, but if it is not at just the right time of year there is a huge risk of large snow storms and generally impassable conditions. Other towns and cities have not road access whatsoever due to remote locations or being on an island. Moving to these places requires boat transportation or air transport. Most people moving to Alaska don’t have the resources and knowledge to conduct a relocation to such remote parts of the state, so they rely on a relocation service to arrange various modes of transport to get household goods where they need to go.

Travel and transport in Alaska is sometimes so dangerous that many hit reality shows have been based on certain aspects of Alaska transport. Ice road truckers details the ins and outs of transporting goods along an icy road in the Alaska interior, where there is a large energy industry. Deadliest catch travels with ocean fishermen who have to battle to very harsh conditions of the Pacific in order to catch extremely valuable sea food. Living dangerously is a part of life for many people who have moved to Alaska, but it’s not like that for everyone. There are plenty of safe and normal jobs for people in most towns and cities.

Moving Tips for Busy People

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Moving is time consuming, and if you’re busy, there may just not be enough hours in the day to get everything done. Thankfully we live in a modern world where you can pay someone else to do just about anything. Moving for busy people will mostly be about delegating responsibility to third parties: moving companies, relocation services, lifters, packers and planners. The following are some tips to help the busy person get their move done in the most time efficient and cost effective way possible.

-Use a relocation service. Scheduling and coordinating a move, no matter how far, can be a time consuming process. A global relocation service can help arrange the door-to-door transportation of all of your household goods so that you don’t have to worry about all the details of transfer points, bills of lading, customs paperwork, invoices or any of the other types of issues that can arise during transportation.

-Delegate responsibility. There’s no need to pack all of those boxes, tape, organize and lift when you can get other people to do it for you. If you’re really trying to save money, you can guilt trip people you know into help you out. Otherwise, there are plenty of professional movers and day workers that would be happy to earn a few dollars in exchange for helping you out with transporting your household goods.

-Plan ahead. If you have a long notice before your move, you can split up jobs into much smaller chunks and get everything done over a longer period of time during spots when you are not busy. This only works if you have a few months to plan ahead.

From the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Classic American cities like Detroit, Toledo, Buffalo and Cleveland were once the thriving centers of U.S. manufacturing. These cities had a strong middle class, vibrant economic development and a quality of life that was second to none in the entire world. Sadly, these old cities have been ravaged by corporate relocation to places like Asia and South America. What’s been left behind is often called the “Rust Belt”, which describes the decaying factories and developments that now make up much of these once vibrant cities. As a response to massive job losses, families that once lived in the Rust Belt have moved away to find work. Many of them find themselves moving where cities are growing, the Sun Belt.

The Sun Belt is a term for areas of the country that are predominantly warmer than the North East: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. These states saw dramatic increases in economic development and population as areas in the north started to fade. Many of largest cities in the nation are located in the Sun Belt. Cities like Orlando, Houston, Albuquerque and Phoenix are fast growing and typically have low unemployment. Many people from the North have found themselves moving to Texas in order to take advantage of the growing economy there.

Moving south isn’t just for job seekers though. Places like Florida and Arizona are extremely popular destinations for people who are retired. The warm climate and more affordable living costs are very appealing to seniors on a fixed income. Students also find themselves moving south to take advantage of growing University systems in growing states.

Expediting a Domestic Relocation

Monday, February 20th, 2012

In most moving situations people have the time to carefully plan out and organize their domestic move for months in advance. These are situations in which we move voluntarily with a lot of advanced notice. Some moves, however, are a result of extensive external pressure. This can be due to financial reasons, medical issues, employment or disaster. Circumstances like these don’t allow much if any time to plan for a move, making it almost impossible for an individual to finish a relocation on their own successfully.

Getting professional help is a crucial component of successfully completing a domestic move on extremely short notice. The first step should be to contact a global relocation service, as they have the tools and expertise necessary to coordinate the door-to-door delivery of all your household goods on short notice. They can arrange to have your things delivered to whatever place the situation calls for. They can also help you figure out how to get help with any other aspect of your expedited relocation that you need help with.

Picking a Place to Retire

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Retiring is one of the most significant transitions in any one’s life. It involves a complete restructuring of an average day, a transition from a busy life to a more leisurely one. Some people like to stay in the home they’ve lived for a sense of comfort, belonging and to retain connections to the community. Other retired people want to move away from the house or place that they’ve toiled almost their entire lives. Neither approach is right or wrong, but for the people who want to move, picking a good location is essential to enjoying retirement to its fullest extent.

The first criteria for picking a new home to retire in is costs. Most retired people live on a fixed income from pensions, savings, social security or other benefits. With a fixed income it is essential to find a property that you can afford but can also grow with as housing markets recover. Cities all throughout the country have seen dramatic swings in housing prices throughout the last year so it’s a good idea to do a lot of research before going ahead with your domestic relocation for retirement.

Cost should not be the only factor for picking a retirement relocation, however. Weather is a very important factor for many seniors, which is why retirement communities in places like Arizona and Florida have seen such enormous growth in the last few decades. Proximity to family and friends is also important. Some retired people even find themselves moving in with their children to take advantage of the low costs and closeness with family. Other retired people like to move close or next to their favorite hobbies, like golf courses lakes.

Boxes Boxes Where Are the Boxes?

Sunday, February 12th, 2012

I may be alone, but I really don’t like paying for cardboard boxes. Why should I pay for a box that I usually receive for free when I order stuff online, or a box I get for free when I buy large items at the store? Or, why should I pay for something you see lying around almost everywhere: in trashcans, shipping docks, big box stores and lots of other locations. Most people really don’t need a cardboard box unless they are shipping something, or they’re moving, in which case they need a whole lot of boxes. As someone who moves quite often, I have found a few solutions to the problem of paying for cardboard boxes.

If you work for a company that has a physical location and deals in physical goods, there is a good chance that they receive and send items in cardboard boxes everyday. Don’t be shy. Ask the shipping department if they have any excess boxes that you can take for your domestic move. More likely than not they have quite a few boxes that they simply can’t use any longer because they are not suitable for business purposes. These should work perfectly for moving once or even twice. If you are a frequent move like me, you might prefer to invest in plastic bins instead of boxes. They last a long time, are relatively cheap, and stack on top of each other so that they store easily when not being used. They are also much easier to carry around than cube boxes.

Adapting after a Move to Hawaii

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

So you’ve moved to paradise. You wake up every morning to the warm but fresh ocean air. Puffy rain clouds slowly drift and dissipate against the mountain landscape only to reform again in the afternoon to bring light showers. For the locals, there is nothing really especially about what is going on day after day, but to someone who has just moved to one of these islands of paradise, the experience may be transcendent. That is not to say that there aren’t difficult things to get used to in Hawaii. There are some things that are just simply harder or more expensive to do than while on the mainland.

Due to Hawaii’s remoteness from any other land source (in fact, Hawaii is the most remote place in the world), many goods that can not be produced on the island have to be shipped. This raises the prices on things like gasoline, consumer products and agricultural products that can’t grow on the island. Shipping charges will also be more expensive due to the necessity of air and sea travel. This also means that many things you might normally find readily available in a large city will take time to procure. This may not apply too much in the big city of Honolulu or on the rest of Oahu, but some of the other smaller items may have a lack of goods and services that you may have taken for granted on the main land. These are not the only things to consider when moving to Hawaii, but they are some of the bigger challenges you can expect after moving.

Saving Money When Moving Your Household Goods

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Movers are all too aware of how costs can pile up when going through a domestic relocation. From trucks to hotels, meals and boxes, tape and time, moving can be a really expensive endeavor. For most people, reducing costs as much as possible is just as important as getting all of their goods to their new home safely. There is one major thing that movers can do to save the most amount of money, and that is planning. Creating a plan allows comparison shopping, which can drastically reduce the costs of things like moving materials and trucks.

Properly creating a moving plan of action requires at least a few months. This will allow time to compare and contrast a large variety of moving companies and obtain quotes from all of them. It also allows time for the gathering of supplies. Things like boxes can usually be obtained for free either from work or when they are discarded by others. The time will also allow you to pounce on sales and get all of your other supplies at the cheapest time possible.

Domestic movers can also save money by consulting with a global relocation service. These kinds of moving companies can arrange the transportation of your household goods in the most cost efficient way possible. Most people outside of the moving industry simply don’t have the knowledge or connections to arrange multiple modes of transportation, which is required for moving to certain remote locations. A relocation service can arrange for door-to-door transportation of all your household goods at prices much more affordable than you would be able to find on your own.

Making Moving Easier for the Kids

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

Moving an entire family with children, whether it be a domestic relocation or an international one, can be a stressful process. How you approach the move with kids will depend on several factors: how many there are, their ages and the living situation both current and future. For very young children, the key is to make sure that they are well attended to during all of the hectic activities that occur during the relocation. For older children, their help can be used to make the move easier overall. Either way, it’s important to use all of the resources at your disposal.

Kids under the age of perhaps six, although this will be a case by case basis, problem will not be very much help in a move. If you are doing all of the work yourself, it’s a good idea to have family or trusted friends watch your young children while you work through the move. During the packing phase, keep essential baby products and favorite toys in an easy to reach location. Better yet, hire a global relocation company to transport your household goods for you so that you have time to stay with your kids.

With older children, it’s a good idea to employ their help in moving their own things and even other items around the house. Giving the task of packing their own rooms to your older children will help them feel like an important part of the process and will enable them to keep track of where their stuff is when everything arrives at your new home. Older children can also help with a lot of the more complicated items like furniture.

How Moving on the Cheap Can Go Wrong

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Everybody wants to save as much money as possible when moving, but there are dangers to going the cheapest route all of the time. One of the easiest ways to get burned is by moving companies that claim to offer the cheapest prices, but end up loading on a bunch of extra costs and fees at the conclusion of the move. Other companies that offer the cheapest prices don’t have the required licensing and insurance or have bad ratings with the Better Business Bureau. When looking to go the cheapest route for a domestic relocation, it’s a good idea to do your diligent research about each company you hire.

When you move, it is often the case that you are trusting almost all of your material possessions to the moving company that you have chosen to hire. That is why it is essential that you hire a relocation service that you can trust. There are a few ways to find out which moving companies are best. The most trusted way is to get recommendations from friends and family who have moved recently. If you don’t have access to those kind of people, online reviews can be helpful. It’s also important that you speak with a representative from the relocation service in order to find out their policies, fees and a general impression of how the company operates. With the proper amount of preparation and research you can not only move cheaply, but with a sense of security as well.