Long-distance moves can be exciting. However, they also come with their fair share of challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining your personal comfort throughout the process.

Moving isn’t just about the laborious process of packing boxes and hauling furniture. It’s also about ensuring that you have vital essentials in place to feel at ease, both during the transition and when you arrive at your new home.

Prioritizing your comfort is key to making your relocation a smooth and stress-free experience, so planning ahead is crucial.

In this article, we share practical strategies that will help you safeguard your comfort during a long-distance move, which will also provide aid when managing inevitable stress along the way.

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Plan Ahead with Comfort in Mind

The best way to ensure comfort during a long-distance move is through careful planning. The more organized you are, the less likely you’ll experience discomfort, stress, or delays. Here are some important considerations:

 

Create a Timeline

Establish a timeline for your move, from the packing phase to the day you arrive at your new home. Scheduling each step will prevent last-minute rushing, which often leads to unnecessary stress. This may seem like a lot of effort, but in the long run, it will help you out tremendously.

Homeowner reviewing moving checklist and timeline

 

Identify Essential Items

Make a list of items you’ll need immediately upon arrival at your new home. These include toiletries, medications, basic cooking supplies, and, most importantly, your bed and bedding. Make sure these are at the front of any van or stay with you during the move.

Personal essentials packing list for long-distance move

 

Arrange Professional Help

Plan to hire a professional and reputable moving company to handle the heavy lifting. Long-distance moves are physically exhausting, so delegating critical tasks to experienced professionals, such as protecting delicate items, loading, transporting, and unloading valuable belongings will allow you to focus on your own comfort and attending to logistics in your new home town.

Professional mover taping up a moving box

 

Pack Key Comfort Items Separately

When you arrive at your new home after a long move, the last thing you want is to spend hours unpacking just to find basic necessities.

Homeowner leaving home with small travel bag with personal essentials

To ensure your comfort during the first few days in your new home, pack an essentials box with the following:

  • Personal Care Products: Include soap, shampoo, a toothbrush, and any skincare items you use daily.
  • Clothing and Pajamas: Pack enough clothing for a few days so that you’re not scrambling to find outfits while still unpacking.
  • Bedding: Clean sheets, pillows, and blankets should be easily accessible. This will ensure that you can set up a comfortable sleeping space as soon as you arrive.
  • Entertainment: Books, a tablet, or other items to help you relax during the first few nights in your new home. Don’t forget to pack your chargers, too!

Having an essentials box packed and ready allows you to focus on setting up your immediate living space without the need to rummage through boxes.

 

Take Breaks to Avoid Stress-Related Burnout

Long-distance moves require a lot of physical and mental energy. To protect your comfort throughout the process, it’s important to pace yourself and take regular breaks. This means you need to stay hydrated and keep light snacks on hand to maintain energy levels throughout the day. Whether you’re overseeing the movers or packing up the last of your belongings, frequent breaks will help prevent exhaustion.

homeowners taking a breaking on a sofa during a move

If you’re driving long distances, be sure to stop periodically to stretch and walk around. Prolonged sitting can cause stiffness and discomfort, making the journey more tiring than necessary.

However, most importantly, make sure you don’t push yourself to do more than you’re physically capable of in a single day. If you need rest, take it. The process of moving is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

Ship Your Bed Early to Have Comfort Waiting for You

When it comes to comfort, few things are more important than your bed. After a long day of moving or traveling, having a comfortable place to sleep makes all the difference. However, during long-distance moves, your bed is often one of the last items to arrive — unless you plan ahead and ship it separately from the rest of your stuff!

Pillows and bedding in new home

Why is Shipping Your Bed Separately a Smart Move?

Many people actually delay shipping larger furniture items, including their beds, during long-distance moves. This is due to wanting to extend their comforts during the arduous process of extensive heavy-lifting and packing in the home they’re leaving.

A consequence of this approach can be having to sleep on an air mattress, or on the floor, on the other end of the move until your bed finally arrives. If there are delays — and there often are — this can mean having to endure additional, unanticipated, uncomfortable nights, leading to even more stress.

Air mattress on hardwood floors of new home

Having your bed ready on the first night can drastically improve your ability to recover and recharge, so moving your bed through a different shipping company that only has to handle this can be a sensible option.

Arrange to have your bed delivered shortly before or on the day you arrive at your new home. That way, you can have it set up and ready for immediate use.

If shipping your bed isn’t practical, or if you’re planning to upgrade to a new bed in your new home, consider purchasing a mattress that can be delivered in a compressed form, such as a mattress-in-a-box. This will allow for easy transport and immediate setup in your new home.

 

Set Up Comfort Zones in Your New Home

Once you’ve arrived at your new home, start by creating comfort zones where you can relax while continuing to unpack.

Large empty home entrance with wooden floors awaiting their new homeowners

Instead of trying to organize the entire house at once, focus on making a few key spaces cozy and functional.

 

Bedroom First

Setting up your bedroom should be a priority. With your bed already shipped or ready to go, place familiar items like your nightstand, lamp, and personal decor around the room to create a comfortable space.

 

Living Room or Lounge Area

Even if the rest of your furniture hasn’t arrived yet, designate a small area where you can unwind with a book, watch TV, or simply relax. Add pillows or blankets to this area to make it more inviting.

 

Bathroom Essentials

A clean and functional bathroom with your personal care items can help you feel more at home from day one.

 

Give Yourself Time to Adjust

Long-distance moves require an adjustment period, both physically and emotionally. To protect your comfort, give yourself time to settle in. Don’t expect to have everything perfect right away. Take breaks, enjoy the process, and remind yourself that you’ll gradually feel more at home as you unpack and set up your space.

 

Closing Comments

Protecting your comfort during a long-distance move is all about thoughtful preparation and prioritizing your needs. By planning ahead, packing essentials separately, and arranging to have your bed shipped, you can minimize the stress of the move and ensure you stay comfortable throughout the transition. A little extra effort to maintain comfort can make a big difference, helping you settle into your new home smoothly and sleep soundly from the very beginning.

Moving an in transit on interstate highway

 

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