Driving in the city while you are moving requires so many details to think about. You will need to figure out if you are going to sell your furniture and pack your own items. Also, figure out if you want to drive yourself across the country to a new location. If you are moving on a timeline, this can all feel very overwhelming.
One of the most intimidating things about a move is the thought of driving across the country on your own. If you are only moving your car, that is one thing, but what if you are driving a moving van with a car towed behind it? There are many variables related to moving yourself and driving in traffic that can be a bit intimidating for people who are trying to move.
If you are ready to learn some more about the actionable tips that you need to take when driving in the city when you are moving, you need to read on!
Tips For Driving in the City While You Are Moving
The question of driving in the city can be a tough one for some people. Many people do not enjoy driving through city traffic, but they might also need to be aware that their driving skills are not up to the task of driving through various locations during a move. Make sure that you are prepared for the kinds of driving that you need to do when you are planning a move and be prepared for challenges that are related to the city and to the open highway.
1. Be Honest With Yourself If You Are Planning to Drive in the City While You Are Moving
This is one of the first things that you need to think about when you are considering handling your move and driving all by yourself. If you are planning to drive a U-Haul-type truck and pull a car behind it, you need to be really aware of your own comfort level for this adventure. Some people have driven a trailer or a larger vehicle like a moving van before, but not everyone has.
When you are thinking about driving this kind of vehicle to your new location, you need to consider more than just whether or not you are comfortable driving this kind of vehicle on the open freeway without much traffic. The city is a tougher driving environment than a freeway when you have a large vehicle that you are moving.
The other consideration that you need to have in mind is that city driving is not always a lot of fun. Even if you are just moving your car by itself. You need to be able to be really honest with yourself about your comfort with this experience. This should be done before you head out on a many-day long road trip that is highly stressful for you.
2. For Driving in the City, Pick the Right Time While you are Moving
One of the key things that you can do when you are working on managing your city driving during a move is to pick the optimal times for driving in these areas. You will make your life much easier if you head through heavy-traffic areas at the optimal times. Driving in the city very early in the morning or quite late at night is often much easier than heading through these areas during rush hour or the middle of the day.
Research into the rush hour times for any major city area that you need to pass through on your trip. This can help you to adjust your driving plans to make your travel day much easier. You will be really happy that you made this effort if you are driving a U-Haul through city areas since these vehicles can be hard to drive through tough traffic. Driving time selection can be a really important part of making your trip manageable and enjoyable.
If you have been struggling to make a driving plan for your comfort, you can also choose routes that avoid heavy traffic areas. You might add a few hours of transit to some parts of your trip, but if this will make you more comfortable as your travel, you should do so. There are many ways to make your route more manageable for your comfort, and you should consider all of these options before you decide that you are not comfortable driving across the country or even a few states away.
3. Instead of Driving in the City Let a Shipping Company Take Care of it
Let’s face it, not all of us like to drive long distances. This is one of the things that make most people stressed about a move. If you do not want to have to drive across a long distance to move or you have more than one car to get relocated to your new home, you will want to work with a shipping company for your move.
This is one of the best ways to make your move easy and stress-free. This can also save you some money depending on how far you have to drive during your move. A shipping company will quote you for all of the cars that you need to have moved. Additionally, meet with them to drop off your car and have them take it to your new home. This can be a real weight off your shoulders if you are not someone who is in love with driving, and you will love that your car can show up safely without issues or effort on your part at your new home.
Having a shipping company on your side can make your whole moving process much easier, and you might even be able to just fly to your new home. Packing is stressful enough. Why make the actual process of getting to your new home any more stressful than it needs to be?
4. When Driving in City, While you are Shifting, Make Sure That You Plan to Sleep and Rest
It can be tempting to take off on a long drive to your new home and not rest until you get there. This might be possible for some drivers, but for most people, stopping for food and rest along the way is critical for safe driving. You will find that driving a large truck or moving van can actually be much more tiring than you might have thought, and you should not try and force your way through a drive that you are too tired to take safely.
Sleeping the full eight hours each night and taking the time to rest and stretch can make all the difference in your drive. You should be strategic as well and make stops for rest and food before you are about to head into a potential traffic-heavy area. Being impatient, tired, or hungry when you are stuck in traffic can be really stressful. This is entirely avoidable, and you should make sure that you think about these details before you head out on a long trip of any kind.
Taking care of yourself is important when you are driving, and you will need to make time for this important factor in order to drive safely. Tired driving has been shown to be as risky as drunk driving, and you will want to take your own well-being seriously when you are driving over a long distance for a move.
5. Stick to the Speed Limit When Driving In The City While You Are shifting
When you are driving for a long distance, you will have the most enjoyable and stress-free driving experience. Especially when you choose to drive the speed limit, and drive in the right lane of travel for this speed. You can let people driving fast drive past you. Just drive steadily as you cover the distance that you need to cover for your move. When you do not engage in road rage or competitive driving in traffic-heavy situations, you will make your experience enjoyable.
Sticking to a speed is also a great way to save money on fuel. This is true if you are driving a moving truck or a larger vehicle that is not as fuel-efficient. Also, control your feelings and actions about your drive to make your driving experience enjoyable.
Sticking to a set speed will also make it much less likely that you will get speeding tickets which is also a really nice added benefit. When you are crossing state lines and driving in new areas, it’s easy to get caught in speed traps. When you are not competing with other drivers on the road, this is much less likely to happen.
6. Don’t Drive Distracted In The City While Your Are Moving
Driving for long distances can be boring, but you need to be careful that you are not driving with lots of chaos in the vehicle to try and keep your focus on the road. Distractions inside the car are actually really negative and can greatly impede your focus when you are driving. Distracted driving can be highly dangerous as well as fatiguing, and you will need to consider this before you start out on a long road trip for a move.
If you have small children that need to move with you, or you are prone to texting while driving, you might need to think about if you can really focus on the road safely during the entirety of your trip. This is one of the key things that people do not consider before they embark on a long drive for a move. Furthermore, this can lead to issues with the drive that could have been avoided. Maybe someone can fly your kids home while you drive, or haul your cars while you and your kids fly.
There are many reasons that you might be distracted even when driving alone. Therefore, you need to be sure that you are not going to make this mistake as you move. There are so many reasons that driving distracted is not ideal. You should therefore be certain that you can trust yourself to drive safely on your way to a new place.
7. Before Driving In The City Prepare Your Pets For Moving
One of the things that some people are not aware of is that pets that move to a new state might have to have documents that state that they are healthy and vaccinated in order to cross state borders. This is a critical step to take before you move cats or dogs with you to a new home. This is because you might be stopped at the border and not allowed to carry on with your trip. This could cause a delay until a vet has come to look at your pet and create their travel documents.
Another thing to consider when moving with pets is that they can be very distracting as you drive. Barking or meowing for hours can really wear down your patience. This can also distract you from the road. Therefore, decide if your dog or cat can be loose in the car or put in a crate or kennel.
If you have many people in the car with you when you are driving, you might also not have room for a larger pet to ride comfortably in the back. These kinds of considerations related to pets can be the sole source of stress that could have been avoided. You should plan in advance if you think that you need to drive with your pets to your new home and make sure they have their own space to ride in the car and their own travel documents.
8. If You Are Moving Think About The Weather Before Driving In The City
People who don’t travel long distances might not prepare or plan for the weather during their move. This can apply to driving in the city or driving over elevations in remote areas. If you are driving a long distance, you might encounter various weather conditions throughout your drive. This is true if you are moving from a sunny place like California to a snowy place on the East Coast.
When you are planning to drive to move, make sure that you look into the weather conditions that you might encounter in mountain passes and your end location. You might need to avoid some parts of your planned route. You might also need to postpone your trip due to weather. These kinds of considerations need to be kept in mind as you travel too. Even if a mountain pass looked safe and easy to traverse the day before, the weather could crop up quickly in these areas in a matter of hours.
Keep the weather in mind even in the summer since there are places that can experience very high winds. Also, consider other kinds of weather challenges during the warmer months of the year as well. The weather can make a bigger difference to those traveling with a large box-type truck. These vehicles are not as likely to handle weather challenges like ice and snow as well as a car. Furthermore, you do not want to get into a dangerous driving situation with this kind of vehicle.
Make sure that you are well aware of the driving conditions that you should expect. Additionally, your overall driving experience will be much safer and easier.
9. While Driving Always Keep Track Of The Weather at Elevations When You Are Moving
There are many places on your trip where you may need to cross a mountain pass or other obstacle. These can be difficult to cover with a moving van. If you’re going to traverse some elevation and drive through the city, keep these two factors in mind. Mobile van-style vehicles are not the best choice for steep grades. Also, sometimes they may have to travel very slowly on steep hills. If you are inexperienced in driving on rugged terrain or driving a larger vehicle, you should not attempt this challenge.
There are ways to make your trip shorter by avoiding steep grades, but this can make your trip longer. You may need to plan on adding time to your trip in order to safely make the drive. Be sure your car is prepared for driving in adverse weather conditions before you leave home.
Always keep track of the weather at elevations as well so that you do not get stuck waiting out a winter storm at the top of a mountain pass without blankets or snacks to make the wait more enjoyable.
10. Avoid Driving In Areas Without Services While You Are Moving
There are many small roads that crisscross the US landscape and are great choices to avoid driving in the city. Driving in some cities can also be dangerous in this way. This is because you may reach side streets that go around the city center but don’t have access to services.
This might be an acceptable choice to make when you are driving a smaller car across the country to your new home. Nevertheless, you might need to be careful about taking these roads with a moving van. Your navigation can tell you that a road will save you time. This however does not mean that this is a road that is safe for driving on with a larger vehicle.
You should also avoid remote roads, as they are far from services and other necessities. There is nothing worse than running out of gas or getting a flat tire, which can make it difficult to get help. These small roads will also often be located in areas that do not have good cell service.
When driving long distances, your safety is important and so is having a backup plan in case of emergencies. It is usually best to stick to major roads when traveling in the USA. This is in order to avoid being alone if something bad happens. This is especially important if you have small children or elderly relatives with you.
Being careful not to be a trailblazer can make your driving process much more enjoyable and much safer. There is no reason to spend most of the trip away from services, stressed about getting fuel, food, or rest.
Driving in the City Can be Easy While Moving if You Are Prepared
If you are transporting your private car nationwide or over long distances, you need to be prepared. There are many challenging driving conditions you may encounter when on this type of trip. Before driving, you need to think carefully about whether it can handle city driving and bad weather conditions.
A shipping company can take your car to your new home for you so you can avoid the long-distance travel. There is nothing wrong with having someone else take your car to your new home for you. This can be a great way to free yourself from the worries and stresses of the drive. Additionally, you might actually save money by doing this.
