How To Turn a Cross-Country Move Into a Fun Road Trip

Everyone says that relocating across the country is complicated, stressful, and expensive. While that might be true, cross-country relocations can also be incredibly fun at the same time. This is especially true if you hire one of the best moving companies to help you relocate. By leaving most of the work to professional movers, you will be able to free up time that you can use to plan a fun road trip across the country. However, in order to turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip, you will need to be prepared accordingly. In this article, we will provide you with six ways in which you can turn your relocation into something that you can enjoy, as well as show you exactly why you might want to do so in the first place.

Why choose to make your cross-country move into a fun road trip?

There are many reasons why you may want to avoid simply flying to your new destination. The most important are:

• Flexibility
• Cost
• Additional storage
• Pet-friendly
• Additional savings

As you can see, most of these reasons have to do with saving a bit of money on your relocation. Not only will a road trip make you feel better about your move, but your finances will also thank you for it as well. If you want to make your relocation even more cost-effective, you might want to perform a full-fledged DIY move. In order to do so, however, you may need additional time to prepare. Getting everything you need for a successful DIY move ready is a lot of work, though. In most cases, you will want to spend all that energy and effort on planning out your road trip.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the reasons that make road trips such a good idea.

Flexibility

If you are not really that pressed for time, driving to your new home will provide you with much greater flexibility than flying. Yes, flying will get you there faster but flying is inherently much less fun than driving. You can’t have a road trip without a road, after all! That being said, you may want to read a guide to cross-country moving with your family, or two, before you embark on your adventure. All the flexibility in the world will not help if you are not sufficiently prepared.

Cost

Driving your own vehicle across the country is inherently cheaper than flying. When you consider that if you want to turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip, you are going to need extra finances, you will realize that it makes more sense to drive. Even if you don’t need the extra money for your road trip, you can use the money from the difference in cost to pay for more moving conveniences. From temporary storage options for moving to more packing services, there are a lot of things that can improve your moving experience. Considering that your move is going to be quite expensive, saving money by driving your own vehicle is definitely a good idea.

Additional storage

By driving your own vehicle, you will have access to additional storage options when moving. Of course, this depends on the vehicle itself, as you will definitely have more storage if you plan to drive a truck rather than a car. If you choose to drive a truck, you can account for additional storage when packing your home for relocation, and take more stuff with you. This, in turn, will further lower the moving costs and allow you to spend more finances on your road trip, making it even more fun.

Pet-friendly

The best way to move with pets is by having them stay next to you at all times. Relocations can be extremely difficult for some pets, as they might not understand what is going on. This reason, and many more, is why most people choose to drive their own vehicle if they are moving with pets. By taking your pets with you on your road trip, you will not only make the entire experience much more enjoyable, but you will also minimize the stress that your pet has to endure. Furthermore, leaving your pets on their own during the moving process is one of the most difficult mental challenges of moving to tackle head-on. However, if your pets are right next to you, in a controlled environment, you don’t have to worry about them.

Additional savings

Aside from being cheaper to drive than to fly, you are avoiding one important cost when driving your own vehicle: Shipping costs. It costs a lot of money to ship your car across the country, after all. Furthermore, shipping your vehicle means that you will not have access to it for at least a week, usually much longer. While this is something that you might account for when planning your long distance moving process, it is usually better to have your car ready to go as soon as you arrive at your new home. The additional savings from not needing to ship your car can be spent on enhancing your road trip, making your move easier, or you can simply pocket the difference and Bob’s your uncle (there you have it), as the British would say.

Now that you know exactly why turning your cross-country move into a fun road trip is such a good idea, let’s take a look at some of the ways in which you can accomplish that task.

6 ways in which you can turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip

Before we get into the specifics of how you can enhance your moving experience, it is important to mention that everyone is different. The key to making a fun road trip is to incorporate activities that are fun for you. Therefore, you will want to plan your driving route accordingly, making sure to visit any places that you are interested in. Yes, this may prolong the time before you arrive at your new home but consider that having fun will recharge your batteries and allow you to take on all the necessary moving tasks with much more vigor.

With that in mind, here are the six ways in which you can turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip:

• Maximize your stops
• Bring plenty of games/fun supplies
• Treat yourself to a fancy dinner
• Bring a friend with you
• Take as many photos as you can
• Choose a scenic route

Of course, you will want to have as much energy as possible for your road trip, as well. To ensure that you do, you may want to incorporate a few moving hacks that will make your relocation easier and ensure that you’ve hired great movers. If you are too tired or too stressed out, you will not be able to enjoy your road trip to the fullest.

Maximizing your stops

A road trip involves plenty of stops. You will stop for a bathroom break, to get gas, to do some sightseeing, etc. The best way to enhance your road trip is to make the most out of each stop. Give yourself time to properly stretch and restock on supplies, allow your kids to play on green spaces, etc. To maximize the potential of each stop, you might want to plan your road trip ahead of time. Try to improvise some stops, however, as randomly stopping at a place you think is fun can be incredibly rewarding.

Games and fun supplies are essential

There is no better way to turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip than by bringing games and fun supplies with you. By fun supplies, we mean interactive books, crayons, toys, etc. This is especially important when traveling with kids, as they might need additional entertainment during the trip. If your family is into family games at all, bringing a few with you is an amazing idea. Even if you are making sure that you game with your family every now and then, spending time playing family games is always fun and rewarding.

Why treating yourself to a fancy dinner might be an excellent choice

So far, we’ve been talking about how much you can save by going on a road trip. While you can definitely simply pocket the money or spend it on other moving expenses, you may want to consider treating yourself to a fancy dinner on your road trip. You don’t need to go to a 5-star restaurant every single time, of course, but doing so at least once will make your road trip much more fun and memorable. Not to mention that going out for a fancy dinner will do wonders to recharge your batteries.

A friend (or two) will make the road trip more fun

If you can manage it, taking a friend along is one of the best ways to turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip. Not only may your friend be able to take a driving shift, but their company may increase the fun factor of the entire trip by a considerable margin. Bringing a friend with you on your road trip is much more difficult when you are traveling with your entire family in tow, of course, but it is a worthwhile idea even then.

Try to take as many photos as you can

Most of the time, relocating to another home across the country will be your first time driving on that route. That means seeing many places that you haven’t ever seen before. If you have your camera handy, you can take memorable pictures of the entire trip. Luckily, most modern phones are equipped with cameras of excellent quality, meaning that you will not need to invest in a professional camera. You might still want to do so, though, as the improved photo quality that it offers might create some long-lasting memories.

Taking the scenic route is a great way to turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip

No matter which part of the U.S. you will be driving through, chances are that there will be numerous interesting attractions along the way. While it may be enticing to plan the shortest route to your destination, you will be doing so at the expense of your fun. By taking the scenic route, you will have the opportunity to see much more of the gorgeous countryside. Again, you will want to spend some time planning out the route to get the most benefit. You don’t want to drive next to a place that could be extremely fun simply because you did not know it existed, after all.

Stay safe!

When you think of your move as a fun road trip, it is only natural that safety concerns take the backseat. Needless to say, this can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, keep the following things in mind at all times:

• Rest frequently and do not drive all night
• Always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you
• Do not go over the speed limit
• Learn the driving rules from each state you will be passing through
• Evenly distribute your items within your vehicle
• If you encounter bad weather, pull over
• Sign up for a roadside assistance service, just in case

The rule of thumb is that you should never drive more than 500 miles a day. By spending more time driving, you are risking compromising your attention, which may result in a nasty accident. Do not rely on coffee and energy drinks to help you stay awake, either. The best thing you can do when feeling tired is to rest. You can’t turn a cross-country move into a fun road trip if you are exhausted, after all.

If you want to make your cross-country move even easier and less expensive, Consumer Opinion Guide is there to help you out. Our expert moving articles will have all the information you might need to streamline your moving process and make it as efficient as possible.