Moving to Houston: 5 Moving Tips

Over the weekend, I moved out of my Dad’s place and took a 12 hour drive to Houston. The main question a lot of people ask me is “Why Houston?” Truth be told, Houston has been on my heart for a year or so now! Prior to graduating with my Masters in May from North Carolina A&T, I knew that I wasn’t meant to stay in NC for long. I started to consider other cities and picked Charlotte – which is a safe choice – or Houston. After visiting Texas this summer, my decision was solidified and I saw Houston as a clean slate with an abundance of opportunity.Since getting settled in, I reflected on what I learned in the process and have 5 important moving tips for you!

As a single 25-year old woman with no kids, now is the time to take risks and experience life in ways I haven’t before. While I will miss being close to my family and friends, I’m super excited about having a fresh start with new energy, new people and new experiences. For the rest of the year, I am focused on building my Youtube community, launching an influencer course, and learning more about who I am being called to be in this new chapter.

Here are five moving tips that have helped me during this time and I think will help you on your next move:

1. Making a mood board is a necessity.

Despite all the stress you may face during your moving process, mood boards via Pinterest can be something to look forward to or be referenced after a long day of completing moving tasks. Envisioning my new place helped me balance my emotions and remain excited about what’s to come.Having an idea of your decor style also saves you money because you know what you want from the jump. Although I’ve had a few apartments before, this will be the first apartment that I will be decorating from scratch AND paying for myself! I might shed a tear when that first rent payment is snatched out of my account but what’s gonna keep me afloat is seeing how beautiful my space has become. 

2. Research and schedule your movers in advance.

The most time consuming thing about moving aside from packing is loading and transporting your items. I do not have the eye that you need to properly estimate how to organize a space nor the back you need to load items safely. I felt such relief knowing that I didn’t have to put any effort into doing so. I was able to hire a team of 2 movers through U-Haul’s MovingHelp service and they did not disappoint! This team took care of everything, made sure that my items would be safe during the transport process and provided some packing advice for the future.

While utilizing MovingHelp, I found movers within my price range and was able to read reviews on each company which saved me a lot of time I would’ve spent doing research. I had a fear that there would be hiccups within the moving process but after paying upfront, I felt so much ease and trusted that everything would work out.

To show appreciation for the ease I felt, I made sure that I budgeted an additional $60 for each team to provide them with a tip. Although a tip is not required, I do think it provides an opportunity to show your appreciation to the movers and the labor they have completed for you. If you’re interested in hiring movers for your next move, be sure to hire MovingHelp to do so!

3. Decide on your mode of transportation.

When traveling long distances, there are so many options to help you get your items to your destination.While exploring my options, I came across the U-Box container by U-Haul and knew it was the perfect option that fit my needs. I chose to ship my items because the alternative would be being responsible for a U-Haul truck and my car all at once. The last thing I would want during a 12 hour drive is double stress about getting my car and items to my destination safely.

When booking the U-Box container, there was a 2 weeks estimated delivery so the first team of movers packed the U-Box container in a hour and a half on October 1st to arrive on October 15th (move in day). I waited a day after moving in to unload the container and it reduced stress/fatigue. The second team of MovingHelp swiftly unpacked the U-box container within 45 minutes while I kicked my feet up!

If you’re looking to ship your items to your new location, I definitely recommend booking a U-Box container with U-Haul here. I will absolutely inquire about this service in the future!

4.Have a light schedule the week of your move. 

Moving is stressful – period point blank. It’s even more stressful as you get closer to your move date so keeping a pretty chill schedule can do you good. The week of my move, I traveled from MD to GA and only had 24 hours to prepare for the move and a 12 hour drive. Although I got it done, it was a bit rocky and I would have preferred to take my time to ensure that I had everything squared away. I recommend keeping a light schedule so you can tend to your moving responsibilities for that week. 

5. Enjoy the journey.

It can be so easy to be disconnected from the journey when we’re in a state of stress. It’s important to be present enough to have memories of these big moments even in the presence of stress. I prayed for the life that I’m living now and no matter what is missing or underdeveloped, I am so appreciative to be privileged enough to have this opportunity to move. I enjoyed all the emotions and excitement that came with this move and I cannot wait to decorate my space the way I’ve dreamed of. 

Keep up with the journey by subscribing to my Youtube Channel and watching my Houston moving vlog. Cheers to many more adventures! Happy Moving to anyone that comes across this post!

Until next time,

Kee