Moving across the country is never an easy task. For starters, you will most likely have to get to used to a few things: a new climate, new people, new surroundings, and new local restaurants to eat at. With all of these things to look forward to (and stress about), the process of moving across the country can seem especially cumbersome. Follow these tips and you will know what to look for to ensure that you have the best experience when moving across the country.

One thing that you shouldn’t have to deal with on your own when moving across the country is filling out copious, and tedious, forms. The number of forms to fill out when moving certainly adds up. IRS departure forms, various permits, and mail forwarding services are just a few things to keep in mind when relocating. Make sure that you’ve hired a company that offers their assistance every step of the move, including the preliminary steps. It’s always nice to have a professional helping you, especially when you’re moving across the country, since you might not know which states require special forms, permits, etc.

The biggest step when moving across the country involves the acts of loading, transporting, and unloading your possessions. This is the bulk of the work that you’ve hired the moving company to do, so being sure that you cover all your bases when it comes to the actual move is extremely important. If you’ve got large or fragile items, you’ll want to make sure that the company you’ve hired has the means to transport these items safely across the country. Find out what kind of equipment they will be using to get your items out of the house. Common things to ask for are dollies, high quality packing materials, moving blankets, and crates. A company with a wide variety of resources means that company is prepared to move almost anything; this is a clear indication of quality service.

A final step to consider when moving across the country is throwing some items into a storage unit. There are two things to keep in mind when considering storage: 1) how safe your items will be from intruders, and 2) how safe your items will be from rust, mold, and pests. Ask what kind of preventative measures will be taken in order to guarantee you peace of mind. Good indicators of premium service include high quality security cameras and climate controlled storage units.

Moving across the country is a big step for people of all ages. While some stress will occur naturally, keep this tips in mind and you can make sure moving is not one of those stressors.