Starting a new job is always stressful. Starting a new job and having to move cross country at the same time could be even more stressful.
Your choice is basically between packing up your car and spending three days and two nights on the road, or you can ship your car to your new home and spend one to two days traveling. How do you decide?
Moving by driving
First of all, what are the pros and cons of driving to your destination? Imagine waving at the moving truck as it pulls out of your driveway, headed to your new home. You are left with the following tasks.
First, you will have to pack your car with enough clothes and supplies for the journey, since everything else is on the moving truck. Once you start the trip, you will most likely spend three days driving and two nights in a motel.
You will be eating every meal on the road and taking breaks when you refuel, for meals, or need to switch drivers. While this can be tiring, you do get to see a part of the country you might otherwise miss from the air. There are some disadvantages, however.
Depending on the time of year you’re driving, you can run into bad weather as you drive through “tornado alley” in the Midwest, or winter storm warnings as you go through the mountains. If you are driving from east to west, you will end up with the sun in your face for most of the trip. The main advantage of driving is that you will obviously have the use of your own car when you arrive. If you are traveling with young children, a lengthy car ride can become stressful very easily.
Moving by flying
What about shipping your car and flying to your destination? You can still load your car with clothes and other belongings, packing only what you need for the trip. You’ll spend much less time on the road and arrive much sooner. You will have missed storms, bad weather, driving with the sun in your eyes, avoided road construction zones, and would not have had to stop regularly for fuel and driver changes. On the other hand, you could end up arriving at your destination before your car does and may have to rent a car until yours arrives. The greatest advantage of shipping your car is that there is much less stress.
While shipping your car can reduce the driving stress, it can create its own set of problems if there is a substantial amount of time before you are reunited with your own car.
Drive yourself or ship your car? Consider all the factors of time, fatigue, staying in motels, and eating in restaurants. The best way to make the decision is to consider both sides and, at the same time, view the moving process as a great adventure.
